Kim Ji-soo joined The Korea Times in 2006, and worked on such desks as culture and politics and is currently a member of the Editorial Board. Previous workplaces include The Korea Herald and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
'Sheraton Incheon is our preferred address'
The Sheraton Incheon Hotel, right, is surrounded by high-tech buildings but also greenery and nature.
By Kim Ji-soo
By Kim Ji-soo
Richard Suter, general manager of Sheraton Incheon Hotel, talks in an interview held at the hotel in Songdo, Incheon. / Courtesy of Sheraton Incheon
When Richard Suter took office as general manager of the Sheraton Incheon Hotel last August, he faced a two-pronged task. He had to promote the hotel as well as the city of Songdo that was a relatively new concept.
“Songdo itself, they say, is the future city. You want to have cities built like this where the environment is the center. But it is also about people. There is space. You live with each other but don’t sit on each other,” said Suter, 46, in a recent interview.
Suter wants people to think of the three-year-old hotel when they think of the future-looking city.
“We want to be the preferred address in Songdo, Incheon. We want that when people think of Incheon, they think of the Sheraton Incheon. When they think of Korea, we hope they think of the Sheraton Incheon,” Suter said.
Built in 2009, the hotel is located 20 minutes drive from Incheon International Airport and an hour from Gangnam, Seoul.
“From a business point of view, there are a lot of new industries such as the biotech companies. The Yonsei and Incheon Universities are here and international educational institutions of New York and Utah are expected to set up campuses here,” Suter said. Songdo also hosts the U.N. Global Climate Fund, which is located not far from the Sheraton Incheon.
“I think it will build up over time, and it’s a great addition to Korea and Asia. We’re proud to be here,” said the veteran hotelier.
Suter, a native of Switzerland, started out as a chef at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman.
The Sheraton Incheon has been improving year on year. In March 2011, it became the first company in Korea to be awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
This year, the hotel is making additional investments on pumps and showers. The hotel already participates in Starwood’s “30/20 by 20” program, which is the promise of a 30 percent reduction in energy use and a 20-percent reduction in water use by 2020, without having guests feel they are sacrificing their comfort.
“Being green doesn’t have to mean less comfortable,” said Suter, and the guests can leave the hotel feeling good that they contributed to environmental well-being. The hotel also has “Make a Green Choice” — a guestroom sustainability program where the hotel asks guests to take part in reducing energy and water use.
Although the new hotel faces challenges, it has its advantages.
“We’re not a tourist hotel. If you compare us to hotels downtown, we will not be impacted by the loss of Japanese tourists, because we never had them,” Suter said.Japanese tourists claim the bulk of Korea’s high-end inbound market.
He also envisions the growth of the hospitality industry. The Starwood group has six properties in Korea now, and another one, Aloft, is planned for Suwon. “I am confident that we will double our footprint to 10 to 12 properties in Korea in next five years.”
For Songdo, he is projecting 2,000 more rooms in the years to come.
Having lived and worked in places including Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand, Suter and his family are making Incheon their home. He takes that approach with customers.
“We, the Sheraton Incheon try to be comfortable,” he said. “When people come here they want to share things, we want to create an environment that people feel comfortable ... Make it a home away from home.”
“Venture out, explore it, experience it. There is lot to be seen in Incheon, so close to Seoul but very different,” Suter said.