Summary: Cordis's Dr. William Yang discusses balancing two Shanghai hotels—one a business hub, the other an urban resort. He highlights synergies like combined packages, personalized tech via AI and loyalty programs, talent development, and ensuring consistent brand quality while leveraging each property's unique locale and strengths.
By Ned Kelly
We sat down with Dr. Yang to hear his plans to balance the unique identities of the two hotels—one a business hub, the other an urban resort—as well as learn about his focus on personalized guest tech, talent development, and leveraging the strengths of each property to drive the Cordis brand forward.
Dr. William Yang
Now that you oversee both Cordis Shanghai Hongqiao (CDSHH) and Cordis, Shanghai, Seaworld (CDSHB), how do you plan to balance your strategic focus between the two properties while ensuring each maintains its unique identity and market position?
The two hotels are significantly different in their respective locations.
The Cordis Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao is strategically positioned within the Hongqiao Business Center and adjacent to the National Exhibition and Convention Center. It benefits from its proximity to Hongqiao International Airport, Hongqiao High-Speed Railway Station, and the Hongqiao Transportation Hub, catering to a steady flow of business and leisure travelers from across China and around the world.
In contrast, the Cordis, Shanghai, Seaworld is situated near the Wusong Port, offering guests the unique scenery of the Yangtze River estuary—a distinctive feature of the Baoshan district. Beyond serving as a lodging destination, it also functions as a transit hub for international cruise passengers, creating a market niche that sets it apart from other hotels.
On the other side of the coin, what specific synergies or collaborative opportunities do you envision between CDSHH and CDSHB?
We will establish a collaborative operational mechanism between the two properties, creating thematic offerings under the concept of 'Two Districts, One City.'
Leveraging the hub location of the Hongqiao property and the urban resort ambiance of the Seaworld, we will design exclusive 'Business & Conference' packages—allowing business travelers to seamlessly transition from meetings at the Cordis Hongqiao to enjoying the 'Fireworks Show' at Cordis Seaworld.
Through differentiated yet synergistic collaboration, we aim to build a distinct brand identity for Cordis that seamlessly blends local culture with a global perspective, setting a benchmark for future expansions into other first-tier cities.
Reflecting on your tenure at Langham Place, Ningbo and now CDSHH, what key lessons or strategies will you bring into your new cluster role to foster innovation and operational excellence?
My years of experience working within Langham Hospitality Group have provided me with a clearer understanding of the group's vision and strategic direction.
This perspective allows me to make well-informed judgments on operations, innovation, and transformation from a higher vantage point, and to effectively implement these initiatives.
What strategies or technologies do you believe are most important for personalizing the guest journey?
Langham Hospitality Group launched the 'Brilliant' membership program in 2024 that helps document the personal preferences of guests staying at its hotels, enabling more tailored and personalized arrangements for their next visit.
Additionally, the ongoing advancements in AI technology present further opportunities for hoteliers to break through and achieve deeper levels of personalized service.
Currently, the hotel has introduced delivery robots, increasing the number from one to two, delegating some routine tasks to robots to ensure swift and efficient service delivery.
What do you foresee as the main challenges in managing two distinct properties in Shanghai's competitive hospitality market, and what opportunities are you most excited about?
Managing two hotels with entirely different attributes presents distinct sets of challenges. What may be considered an issue at one property could very well represent an opportunity at the other. When both are evaluated side by side, solutions often emerge naturally.
Cordis Shanghai Hongqiao opened in September 2017, seven years earlier than Cordis Shanghai Seaworld. With its extensive experience in the local market and deeper understanding of regional trends, the Hongqiao property can share valuable insights with Seaworld in areas such as guest experience, dining services, and event planning.
What are your initial priorities for enhancing its market performance and guest experience?
The distinction between an upscale hotel and a standard hotel lies in its human-centered service, which underscores the importance we place on talent development.
In December 2025, the hotel launched a tailored training program in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Tourism.
An interview panel—composed of the hotel's HR team and department heads and managers—engaged in face-to-face exchanges and a two-way selection process with students from the 2024 cohort majoring in Hotel Management and Digital Operations.
Through in-depth communication during the interviews, the first group of students was successfully onboarded, marking the official launch of the program.
This initiative is designed to cultivate a pipeline of talent tailored to the hotel's needs, while also providing students with a practical, industry-aligned learning platform.
How do you ensure that guests receive a consistently exceptional Cordis-branded experience, while still allowing each hotel to express its unique character and local influences?
We have implemented a daily duty manager system, where designated inspectors are selected from various departments across the hotel based on a customized checklist.
In collaboration with the Executive Committee, we have identified specific guest-facing aspects that can be enhanced to deliver more personalized experiences.
These initiatives are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that our loyal guests continue to enjoy fresh and memorable stays.
[All images courtesy of Langham Hospitality Group]
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