By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Jean Keijdener, the country general manager of Somerset Palace Seoul, is a pleasant and travel-loving manager who knows what to do to provide the best services to his guests.
``As the manager, my objective is to be the person who has answers,'' Keijdener told The Korea Times.
He has been traveling for 23 of the 25 years of his career. ``Hospitality and working abroad is a great combination,'' Keijdener said. ``What I like about my job is that I have the desire to travel and I'm still traveling.''
Interested in the hospitality industry from an early age, Keijdener started working professionally at a local hotel in the Netherlands when he was 19. Then he traveled the world, working at various hotels, resorts and serviced residences in France, the U.K., U.S., Vietnam and elsewhere. Before coming to Korea, he managed a resort hotel in Indonesia. ``Basically, I live the experience that our guests live, particularly in serviced apartments. I get to deal with the guests who move from country to country,'' he said.
Now, Keijdener has been in charge of Somerset Palace Seoul, a serviced residence located in the heart of Seoul, since July 2008. The 46-year-old manager also lives in the residence with his family. ``This is my home, my office, my everything,'' he laughed.
Serviced residences are quite different from hotels or resorts since they serve long-term guests. ``The biggest difference in serviced apartment complex is that the guests do not check out as frequently as they do in hotels,'' Keijdener said. ``So the guests stay in the residence for a long period of time, which means I get to know the guests better and also have to adapt the requirements of the guests.''
Both as a manager and resident, Keijdener knows the need of long-term residency. Somerset Palace offers various seasonal events such as skiing, hiking, Seoul sightseeing and barbeques for its guests and this ``undercover guest'' also participates in the events. ``I go actively along. It's a part of interaction with my guests on a day-to-day basis,'' he said.
Most of the 130 staff members of Somerset Palace are Korean, and Keijdener gave credit to his team for the smooth operation of the serviced residence. ``I find it very interesting that the commitment of Koreans is very high to the objectives of the company,'' he said.
``First and foremost, it's all about people. It is a business that interacts with all angles of people,'' Keijdener said. ``That's the beauty and the challenge of the hospitality industry.''