Ahn becomes 1st female GM at Marriot brands here
Ahn Hyun-jung, the new general manager of the Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel / Courtesy of Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel
By Kim Jae-heun
Ahn Hyun-jung was named the new general manager of The Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel, operated by the Marriott International, Monday.
She has been working as an hotelier for 25 years, and is the first female general manager at a five-star hotel here.
Ahn became interested in the hotel business when she first experienced luxury accommodation as a volunteer during the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.
After the world sporting event, Ahn went to Switzerland to study hotel management at a university there and started her work as an hotelier. She started from the bottom greeting guests at the front desk and managing the housekeeping team at a Swiss hotel.
When she returned home in May 1992, Ahn joined the sales team at the country's oldest hotel, the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul. From there, she built her career mainly in sales and marketing.
She achieved a remarkable accomplishment by introducing the very first designer flower shop by Britain's Jane Parker while branding the hotel as one of the luxury hotels in the country.
Ahn worked at Lotte Hotel Seoul as a director of international marketing from 2005 to 2006 and took the area director position at a local branch of global workplace provider Regus Korea for five-and-a-half years until 2011.
In May 2013, Ahn moved to the Sheraton Grand Incheon as director of sales and marketing for about six years accomplishing the best revenue per available room (RevPAR) at the hotel.
It is her goal to build the Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel into one of the city's landmarks and attract young couples with children, as its location boasts the best culture complexes around where people can enjoy shopping, movies and musicals.
Ahn plans to utilize digital platforms owned by Marriott International to offer promotions to customers.
“The importance of digital marketing is growing with a diversifying structure of sales and marketing these days,” the general manager said. “We want to attract young couples and families with children to enjoy their leisure time here.
“We will offer a number of promotions not only on our hotel rooms, but also with restaurants and bars we have to actively attract guests and become a landmark of the city,” Ahn said.
The general manager promised to communicate openly with her staff and keep the work efficiency high under her management while making the workplace fun and happy.
“I'd also like to give staff opportunities to develop themselves here,” Ahn said.