During our insightful conversation with Agustin Ling Ling, Director of Sales & Marketing at eL Hotel Bandung, we delved into their innovative sales strategies and celebrated their recent achievement of the ASEAN MICE Venue Standard award. Agustin's expertise illuminated the hotel's dedication to excellence in hosting MICE events, showcasing their commitment to delivering exceptional experiences to their guests.
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Q: How did you first get involved in the hospitality industry?
A: It's true that if you look at my educational background, it doesn't seem related. I studied Japanese literature. Initially, I worked as a General Manager secretary, not as a salesperson. However, because it might be seen as having potential, I was often in the lobby, actively communicating, and participating in sales activities. Therefore, I was finally recruited to join the sales team.
Q: Interesting. Why did you learn Japanese?
A: Initially, I wanted to work in Japan because the income was greater. However, it seemed God had a different plan for me. And here I am. But apart from language, I also learned Japanese culture. There are many good things that I apply in my work as a salesperson and in educating.
Q: From a sales perspective. What are the interesting things that make you want to join a hotel?
A: When it comes to sales jobs, we need to pay attention not only we are hired but also whether the product we are selling has potential. Success in sales is not only about a good strategy but also about a sellable product. Like at eL Hotel Bandung, I see it as an opportunity because they offer a complete package and have 516 rooms.
Q: The hotel with the most rooms in Bandung, right?
A: Yes, at the 4-star level, eL Hotel Bandung has the most rooms. eL Hotel Bandung has 516 rooms with 15 different room types, equipped with meeting rooms and a spacious ballroom. In terms of appearance, eL Hotel Bandung can be classified as a five-star hotel. We also have a semi-Olympic swimming pool which is rarely found in Bandung, equipped with warm water facilities for guest comfort.
Q: The parking lot is also very accomodating, right?
A: Based on my experience in selling ballrooms for weddings, parking space is important. el Hotel Bandung provides parking for a total of 600 cars and 300 motorbikes. Therefore, we are very confident in accommodating guest needs.
Q: What is the biggest challenge for eL Hotel Bandung?
A: The challenge lies in how we manage prices and make business decisions to maximize revenue. With so many rooms and meeting spaces, high room sales can mean undersales of meeting rooms, and vice versa. We have to be smart in choosing the business, we will take on every day, even hourly. We also have to be strict in setting time limits and conditions so that the business we take on can be followed up quickly, avoiding the possibility of cancellation. This is the key to our success in increasing revenue.
Q: So, next we go to the award that was just received by eL Hotel Bandung. Can you tell us a little about the award?
A: This is the ASEAN MICE Venue Standard plaque, this is the second time. We were nominated before, in 2020, but we haven't won. Well, in 2024, thankfully eL Hotel Bandung won this award.
Q: What made eL Hotel Bandung win this award?
A: This program is called the ASEAN MICE Venue Standard, which means our hotels meet the standards to be a MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conferences, & Exhibition) venue according to their classification.
Uniquely they carried out a confidential assessment of all aspects of the hotel, including check-in and even staying in the room without giving us any information. On the final day, they revealed the results. We were told that they had been staying since the previous day. We held meetings to ensure we met all the assessment points, which ultimately led to us winning the nomination.
This can also happen because we always have high operational standards at all times.
Q: This award certainly has a big effect on eL Hotel Bandung?
A: This award is an important key. In the past, the key might only be half, but now the key is big. This means we can open the door wider and reach a wider market segment. Our recognition in the ASEAN class shows that our products are able to attract business from the international market. The ASEAN standard assessment covers aspects such as health, cleanliness and safety, all of which have been checked.
Q: So what are your plans with the team after receiving this award?
A: We are very happy and proud of this recognition. However, we also realize that this requires us to continue to maintain our standards and quality. We have to ensure that this award is truly valuable to our consumers. However, we also feel more enthusiastic about selling our services in the future. We hope that this ASEAN MICE Venue standard will increase our enthusiasm in offering our services to consumers.
Q: Yes, tough challenges are waiting ahead. In your opinion, what are the most important characteristics a salesperson must have?
A: They must be a persistent individual and not give up easily. As a salesperson, you must enjoy learning and understand client needs well. Likes to communicate and find out what other people need. Good salespeople see opportunities not just about money, but also about relationships and social interactions. And the most important thing is to understand business trends.
Q: Now we get into more personal questions. With your extraordinary busyness. What is a hobby to divert your mind?
A: I enjoy reading books and travelling. I prefer books that provide inspiration and motivation. Reading also makes me gain new knowledge and materials that I can use to train. I am pursuing training hours in my department, so these books are also a valuable source of material for me.
Q: Where do you prefer to travel?
A: I don't really like the beach, because I don't like the heat. I prefer mountains, because I prefer cold ones, maybe because I'm already hot every day (joking).
Q: Lastly, what are your plans for the future? Is there a higher career path to achieve?
A: I want to become a consultant in the field of sales & marketing, especially in the hotel sector. The goal is to help individuals who are planning to build a hotel. Often, I see that the people building hotels don't fully understand the client's needs. For example, building a meeting room that is too small or designing a room that doesn't pay enough attention. As a consultant with 17 years of experience in the hotel industry, I hope to provide insight into clients' needs and help hotels accommodate various types of business.
Q: Hopefully your dreams will come true. Thank you for your time.
A: You're welcome
éL Hotel Bandung
Jl. Merdeka No. 2, Bandung
P: (022) 4232286
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