Sometimes all it takes to find a career calling is a little spark of curiosity. Lothar Pehl is living proof that if one continues to nurture this spirit of inquiry, it could turn into the passion of a lifetime.
Growing up in the Black Forest -- a vast area of agricultural tourism in southwestern Germany -- a teenage Mr Pehl was amazed that there were so many people coming to this famous destination. "They all speak so many different languages and they all dress differently and they all have different kinds of behaviour," he remembers himself thinking.
"I told myself I would like to go and travel to where these people come from," he says.
From an early age he developed an interest in how hotels in tourist areas operate, "what they do in hotels in order to accommodate these people and how they communicate".
He set his sights on a career in the hospitality industry and says "I have never regretted a single day".
"For me, it was never a job. There is always passion and pleasure every single day," the chief operating officer of Japan-based Kiroro Resort Holdings tells Asia Focus.
Located in a mountain valley away from the crowds on the northern island of Hokkaido, the Kiroro complex consists of The Kiroro, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, and the Sheraton Hokkaido Kiroro Resort, brands under the Marriott International portfolio.
It also features the newly opened Yu Kiroro, a ski-in and ski-out private condominium at the base of the mountain, offering residents the easiest access to the summit and the ski slopes.
As an all-inclusive destination resort with accommodations, restaurants, downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as shopping, Kiroro is year-round attraction that draws different customer profiles each season, from senior citizens in the summer, school groups and meetings in the "shoulder season" to small and family groups in the winter.
This year Covid-19 has made everything different, particularly in the hard-hit hospitality sector which is among the hardest hit, with borders closed, flights and hotel bookings cancelled.
"Nobody is really alone in this," Mr Pehl replies when asked how Kiroro has grappled with the impact of the pandemic. As he considers his reply, he quips that he needs to speak more slowly because "I have a tendency to be too passionate and speak too fast".
"It is through an approach that combines the cooperation of the destination and of stakeholders, honesty and trust between each partner and associates," he explains.
Such a difficult time, he believes, not only "proves each individual's strength as a business but as an individual person", and that "generates a strong dynamic of responsibility toward a solution."
In order to be a part of the solution, to protect their jobs, the business and the environment, Mr Pehl says his team members have become proactively involved. They have become more inclined to provide their opinions instead of waiting for instructions from their bosses.
"We've witnessed that many of our team members have transformed themselves and undergone a very rapid moment of leadership growth," the 59-year-old hotelier says, pointing out that they are now being encouraged from the bottom up, not from the top down.
"We see people coming together to identify the best decision, to define together with us what the expected objective should be" he says, noting that the participants include the prefectural government of Hokkaido, shareholders, partners, suppliers, operators, even competitors, and associates. "This is true change.
"People take an interest and spend more time understanding and openly discussing what is required, where we want to go and are key to be part of the solution."
EMPOWERED GUESTS
"One of the big impacts that a pandemic has upon you is you often feel controlled, with less freedom whether it is mentally or physically," Mr Pehl observes. When borders open again there will be "a desire to celebrate freedom".
"I can see a rapid rush of inquiries because people would like to reward themselves, people would like to travel and Kiroro will be busy preparing for exactly that moment."
Mindful of the pandemic-induced concern people have that a lot of decisions are out of their hands, Kiroro is taking a different approach. Instead of imposing additional controls, the resort is trying to create an empowerment process "where customers feel in control", he says.
Pre-arrival communication about what customers can do, how they can circumvent, and an easier check-in process are examples of how a hotel can empower guests and make them feel in control.
"We are rethinking our service chain where more self-service is possible," he adds, using the buffet as an example. Food portions are individually pre-plated and covered so diners do not need to use buffet utensils.
On the ski slopes, social distancing measures include limiting the number of customers on each ski lift. Ski rental gear also needs to be hygienic. Customers can reserve ski gear before they arrive, so they don't have to wait in line or bring the gear to their rooms.
In order to empower guests, and ensure that all the services offered work as promised, since service is at the heart of the hospitality industry, the staff need to be empowered first.
"The human process is a crucial ingredient to the success of our industry, and frankly to Kiroro," says Mr Pehl. To provide the best and most convenient service, "you need to have less control".
Having fewer top-down procedures also speeds up the decision-making process. "We try to find solutions from the bottom, from each individual who is from the customer contact point," he says. This involves discussing with staff and managers what the approaches are to accomplish the goals of social distancing while upholding the principle of serving the customers.
CHANGE & OPPORTUNITY
And while some people believe the world after Covid-19 will never be the same, Mr Pehl is confident that "not everything has changed".
People's urge to travel, the desire to go somewhere, to experience a different culture, and the hospitality industry's desire to do the best for customers, haven't changed, says Mr Pehl.
"What has changed is certain processes and certain way of doing things," he explains, referring to social distancing and hygiene regulations as temporary changes.
However, he acknowledges that "it is also these changes that will bring new opportunities".
"We are seeing a rejuvenation of personalised styling," says Mr Pehl. "Now more than ever, it's about personalisation."
Recognising that everyone is different and special as an individual is imperative. For the hotel industry, personalisation is about making sure that the hotel responds individually.
"We do not make one experience for many guests but we aim to create many experiences for individual guests," says Mr Pehl. "Customers go to a hotel seeking an experience as a combination of the destination, services they would like to have, and what they would like to experience.
"Let's say I enjoy the sun, I don't like the cold. My skin is very dry. I'd like to go somewhere warm, somewhere where people are friendly, where I can have some wellness treatment for my skin, where I can have good food, and where I can put my feet in the water. I'm looking for a beach resort.
"Now, I have a choice of going to the Maldives, Thailand, the Philippines, maybe Italy or Majorca in the Mediterranean. Then I look further, what is my budget? Can I communicate with the people where I'm going? If you can't communicate you are already at a loss before you go there.
"I would definitely choose to go to Thailand for a vacation because of all of those parts," he says.
So how can a resort meet all those different personalised preferences and tastes? "As a leader, I don't promise anything that I cannot deliver," Mr Pehl says firmly.
In his view, the pandemic has brought an unparalleled opportunity to directly engage with the guests. This requires communication that is honest and truthful about what the hotel provides and how it does so, and what has changed, combined with the humility to empower staff as well as partners. This will raise consumer confidence and build trust.
"I actually want each staff member to aim to convert customers to become ambassadors for my business," he stresses, adding that a customer needs to be able to see what is promised from a destination, from an experience perspective, from a service perspective and a non-service perspective.
It is essential that the brand promise is kept and delivered throughout every facet of the operation because "guests will be the most loyal to the brands they know … and we need to make sure that this loyalty actually is maintained."
SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
Sustainability has become one of the biggest buzzwords in various industries including hospitality, and at Kiroro the aim is to convert talk to action.
"We look at sustainability from all different angles," says Mr Pehl, whether in terms of business, employment and the surrounding environment.
Consequently, Kiroro is working closely with local authorities to maintain the harmony of the destination -- nature and the community -- to actually make sure that the resort is an integral part of the destination and the local experience in Hokkaido.
"We have specifically appointed a person to work in collaboration with the government," he says, pointing out that the prefectural government is also looking for solutions -- how to build and serve the community, and more importantly how to generate income.
"They actually work together with us to find solutions for how to overcome this crisis and how to make sure that all employees don't lose their jobs," says Mr Pehl, adding that Kiroro did not lay off any employees during the pandemic.
The valley where Kiroro is located is famous for its fine powder snow and for having the longest snow season in Japan, but the increasingly unpredictable nature of the climate is something that is a big concern for Mr Pehl and everyone else involved in Hokkaido tourism.
Kiroro is now also actively discussing snow management practices to find the right solutions.
Harvesting snow, he says, could be one solution, where "we create collective areas where we harvest and keep the snow early and then bring the snow to the slopes". The standard approach at ski resorts worldwide is to use snow-making machines but these usually have chemicals involved.
It's a very complex issue, Mr Pehl admits. "We are not sure that's the right way but we need to see what is out there … to see if that is actually a solution." Non-chemical snow-making machines, or using dry ice to preserve snow cover without affecting snow quality for skiers are among the possibilities.
"We need to make sure that we have done due diligence and we involve all the partners," says Mr Pehl. "We need to go and identify what is the right programming for the destination, what is the right thing we can do, the right capital deployment in order to make sure that as a destination we fulfil all the touchpoints"
'FAIR BUT NOT EASY'
When asked about his management style, Mr Pehl describes himself as "analytical" and "driven by objectives" as well as an "inclusive listener".
"I listen to people, I challenge the status quo, I ask questions back and forth and create scenarios" when a shared objective and desired outcome is identified, he says. "I engage and I hold the course … then I impose the drive to everyone to go forward to meet that objective.
"I am fair but I am not easy."
Having felt privileged to live, work and travel to many countries from Dubai, China, South Korea and Indonesia as well as Japan and Thailand, he still finds every culture intriguing.
In his view, culture is an accumulation of behaviours and practices based on the environment, and preserving particular cultures is very important.
However, his ultimate dream destination, the place "I absolutely need to go one day", is Antarctica.
While he is quarantined in Germany now, Mr Pehl says he is not housebound. He still has opportunities to go out hiking and shopping, and making short trips; he's been in France, Italy and Slovenia recently.
He loves reading and when we chatted, he was enjoying The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton, US President Donald Trump's former national security adviser. He also likes to be up to date. "I watch a lot of news," particularly analysis from multiple sources such as CNN International, China Central Television, Russian television, as well as French, German and British news.
"I like to have a different perspective," he says. "There are so many things happening around the world. … By being informed we are enabling ourselves to make good decisions and to make good commentary."
Another indoor activity he loves is cooking, the joy of friends and family coming to share a meal together. His best dish? "Hungarian stew", in which he uses veal instead of beef. The result, he says, is a combination of the Italian classic Osso Buco and Hungarian goulash.
There was a time, he says, when he was a strongly career-driven person but "it's no longer the case". These days, he focuses on creating a balanced approach to what he does, how he does it, whom he does it with and how he moves forward toward the desired outcome.
Reflecting on his career, he says the things that pushed him into hospitality are still the same things that keep him there: "My passion for people, for cultures, for places, and the way we interact and engage are really the pillars of what I do every day.
"I wake up every day happy. I truly wake up every day happy," not only because he is not sick "so thank God for that", but also because "I like what I do."
