Mathieu van Alphen, General Manager of Intercontinental Hotel Budapest has a clear vision of a promising future. Four years ago he chose Budapest to reside after spending almost six years in Köln, Germany. “The crisis has lifted and the economy is picking up,” he says. Referring to Hungary’s EU presidency and its impact on Hungarian tourism, he says that most hotels in Budapest have benefited from associated delegations. “I hope these people will soon return, either for business or for fun. If so, one of the main goals of the presidency, enhancing the image of the country, can be regarded as accomplished”.
The Dutch way
Van Alphen plans to maintain the quality of the hotel as a product by concentrating on his staff. “We are fully committed to supporting and developing our people; our hotel is only as good as the people working in it. We aim to provide the right environment, support and inspiration they need to fulfil their capability and excel in guest service” he says. “Guest satisfaction leads to loyalty, which leads to returning guests which leads to profit. It is also equally important to integrate into the local community,” the GM continues. “This is one of those things Dutch people are good at, historically. The Dutch have always been open to different nations and adaptable to different cultures.”
Van Alphen finds it essential to strengthen the catering line, reflecting that this is the ultimate way to reach local clientele. “This hotel has a perfect location, if not the best, in the heart of Budapest. From here, you cannot really go wrong. You can see the whole heritage of Budapest from the guest room windows, or relax with a cocktail on a terrace overlooking the Danube.” van Alphen says. The hotel sees up to 250,000 guests per year, including the hotel’s restaurant, bar and terrace Corso. “Someone who drops in for a coffee or a drink, and likes what he sees, might bring a conference here sometime. Businessmen coming for conferences might come back as tourists,” Van Alphen suggests, adding that business travellers tend to extend their stays and see the city when receiving a little input.
“Our responsibility as hoteliers is to put the Hungarian capital on the map, for all our sakes, promoting it as a fresh, young, modern gateway of East and West,” he says. “There should be more cultural events, more festivals and fairs, targeting not only the young,” he notes.
Branding
“Today, brand is everything. If you have a world famous one, such as the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), people will seek it out. It is both challenging and comforting to be part of such a giant company,” van Alphen says.
With over 4,400 hotels and more than 640,000 guest rooms in 100 countries, IHG is, in fact, the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. The Group also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty program with 56 million members worldwide. IHG has almost 1,300 hotels in its development pipeline, which is expected to create 160,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years”.
30th anniversary
This year, the hotel celebrates its 30th anniversary. “Over this period of time, we believe, this hotel has given a lot of fond memories to a lot of people. We are to invite former employees including former managing directors, to celebrate. The hotel, under van Alphen’s leadership, was ranked among “The World’s Best Hotels” in the January 2011 issue of Travel + Leisure magazine. The hotel also won the annual Hotel Stars Awards for an outstanding performance and contribution to the business and the local community in which they operate. “
Intercontinental Budapest, Apáczai Csere J. u. 12-14., 1052 Budapest, Hungary
Tel.: +36 1 327 6333; Fax: +36 1327 6357; www.budapest.intercontinental.com
