Hong Kong’s hospitality icon HARBOUR GRAND KOWLOON is undergoing a massive refurbishment programme to give guests a refreshing, rejuvenating and exciting experience over the coming 20 years says its General Manager PETER POTTINGA.


Peter Pottinga: “As a competitive service provider we can’t rest on our laurels. We need to constantly be up to speed with a view to exceeding the customer’s expectations.

No stranger to Asia, Peter Pottinga is at the helm of the Harbour Grand Kowloon hotel at an opportune time. Bringing with him a rich tapestry of hospitality experience across major brands across China, Pottinga has fresh challenges.

The Harbour Grand Kowloon is more than an establishment. It is a veritable family icon for two reasons. Most staff have been loyal, some even for decades; and its location, novel amenities (like its rooftop swimming pool), food & beverage outlets serving authentic fare and its competitive rates have made it one of Hong Kong’s most frequently visited family hotel. The hotel also offers serviced apartments the guests of which are mostly long term. 

“We have to be able to make a personal connection with our guests because at the end of the day, we are not selling a room or a bed. We are offering an experience.”

The Future is Now!

Helping to set up the refurbished hotel to meet the challenges of successive generations of guests, will not be easy. The hotel sits on an enviable location, offers amazing views and private ocean-side walkways, a stone’s throw away from the new Whampoa MTR station and in the midst of a rapidly growing and changing Hung Hom.

“We are catering to an upmarket, internet-savvy, market that’s spoilt for choice. Competition is increasing while guests are growing increasingly discerning. The younger generation is constantly seeking change and it is up to the best of the industry to provide that fresh, ‘wow’ factor,” says Pottinga.

He adds: “New markets like India, Indonesia and Thailand are showing fresh promise but everyone knows that the biggest market for us all is China.”

Built to Serve

The market for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (M.I.C.E.) is a lucrative one. Competition between hotels in the same class ultimately boils down to quality of service from experienced and well-trained staff. The Harbour Grand Kowloon hosts the biggest business awards in Hong Kong to perfection each year. Hundreds of Hong Kong’s top business people enjoy the hotel’s top quality service carrying home with them fond memories of the quality of service they enjoy here.

“We have an experienced team of MICE professionals who put together the most demanding of events, seamlessly. We offer a one-stop-shop that takes away the bother of organisers. We bring to the table a wealth of ideas and suppliers that help make your event a success from start to end. We believe meeting must be inspiring, energizing, refreshing, productive and that our product is a story of urban oasis.”

Boom Time

Bright days are ahead for the hotel what will soon get around 360 new rooms by the end of 2018 alongside a phased renovation of the existing structure. Whampao with its new MTR station is now less than 20 minutes away from the CBD and the whole area is poised for a new look.

“As a competitive service provider we can’t rest on our laurels. We need to constantly be up to speed with a view to exceeding the customer’s expectations. Put simply, we are in the hospitality industry and will ultimately be judged on the way we make our guests feel,” says Pottinga.

“We have to be able to make a personal connection with our guests because at the end of the day, we are not selling a room or a bed. We are offering an experience. For the time the guest stays with us, we see ourselves as playing a role in their lives. We have to serve in a way that makes them want to stay longer or return. We have to constantly raise the bar in order to maintain our lead as a ‘go-to’ hotel for lifestyle, leisure and business,” he concludes.

For additional information, please visit www.harbourgrand.com


Your Business is Our Business

Few hotels in Hong Kong are able to serve the M.I.C.E market as well as the HARBOUR GRAND KOWLOON, says seasoned hotelier and General Manager PETER POTTINGA.

M.I.C.E travel has changed from the days of salon and ballroom bookings. Today, customers want more. They want rooms and amenities too and are willing to pay competitive rates for the best on offer. The challenge for hotels is to match or exceed the customer’s expectations. 

Spirit of Enterprise

“Competitive hotels know that the path to progress is not paved with complacence. As a service provider we have to be innovative, creative, caring and resourceful to ensure that we can’t be matched where it comes to expertise, professionalism and a great ‘will-do’ attitude,” says Peter Pottinga, General Manager.

From a product and services standpoint, the Harbour Grand Kowloon remains a highly competitive player and a force to reckon with. It boasts an expansive guest room inventory, all units generously sized, as well as a wide range of award winning restaurants. Its harbor-front location makes it easily accessible from anywhere in Hong Kong, perfect to manage larger movements of delegations, and if that isn’t enough, it houses its own private pier, allowing guests the unique experience of arriving directly by boat.

Making a Difference

Besides its marvelous facilities, the true strength of the Harbour Grand Kowloon lies in its staffing. “Our edge stems from experience and investing in people who have a passion for and pride in the product they deliver. Once you are able to establish an emotional connection between the staff members and the hotel, the quality of service elevates itself from ‘doing a job’ to that of ‘this is also a reflection of me’, which drives that quest for perfection and innovation in delivering a more personalized experience for the guests,” says Pottinga.

“The value-added takeaway is that we move from being just a vendor of a site to that of a business partner that works together with the event organizer, from the planning stage through execution to post event follow up.”

What Guests Want

Harbour Grand Kowloon has, through the years developed a keen understanding of its guests. Such rich insight puts the hotel leagues ahead of its competition and more equipped to provide all the essentials, and virtually anything a client could possibly require.

“Each request made is handled by one of our executives in the conversion services team with the aim to tailor-make each event to the needs of the client. With this mindset the value-added takeaway is that we move from being just a vendor of a site to that of a business partner that works together with the event organizer, from the planning stage through execution to post event follow up.”

“Striving towards creating an unparalleled brand of service is the minimum for any player on the field, as their output reflects not only on themselves, but also on everyone else in the territory. As a representative of Hong Kong, Harbour Grand Kowloon waves a banner of excellence worthy of Asia’s World City, and at their standards, will ensure that Hong Kong maintains that competitive lead.”

For additional information, please visit www.harbourgrand.com


Hong Kong’s Business Leaders share market and interest intelligence in the pages of HKMVC 2017