Hotel head honcho Lothar Nessman gives the lowdown on what it’s like working in the industry. PRASANNA RAMAN writes.

AS a management trainee with a hotel-on-wheels, Lothar Nessman learnt early on that the hospitality industry is not what one perceives it to be.

That realisation has helped him to thrive in an industry he describes as “tough and challenging”, albeit the general perception that it is simply glamorous and an avenue to meet lots of people.

“When I served on the Orient Express, I learnt the intricacies of dealing with people, and they were people of various nationalities and it was further complicated as the train crossed international borders in its journeys.

“People were alighting from the train when they weren’t supposed to, just to have a look and feel the air in a different country,” said Nessman, rolling his eyes in disbelief of how things were then.

Living in Venice and travelling to London in that one year of his training, said Nessman, was nevertheless a unique experience that he will forever remember fondly.

The 182cm Zambia-born German national, who pursued his studies at a Swiss hotel management school, said the German side of the family who were in the hospitality industry would probably have been his only influence to start a career in the industry.

There were no immediate members of the family who were working in a similar industry.

Nessman said that even with paper qualification — he has undergone basic apprenticeship in Germany that helped him fast-track his time in the hotel management school — one usually starts at the bottom of the ladder, a norm in the hotel industry.

“That foundation helps tremendously as one moves up the ladder into senior management. That learning experience helps one to say the right things at the right time especially when tensions run high,” he said.

After London, he was posted to the Middle East. His first Asian posting was to Shanghai in 1984. After that, it was back to the Middle East, in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

He had his first contact with the Shangri-La group while he was in Shanghai. Although he was given the opportunity to join the group back then, he “never bit the apple”.

The offer to join the group was once again presented when there was an opening at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur.

Nessman, who had never been to this part of the world, asked his wife Mandy, a British Airways stewardess back then, to check out Kuala Lumpur on her next stop here.

When Mandy came back with a good review, Nessman decided to go for it.

In 1993, he became the resident manager of Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur.

Fatherhood also came a knocking for Nessman as his daughter Josephine was born while he was here.

Some 2½ years later, he moved to Taiwan. Then it was off to Singapore for two years before going back to Abu Dhabi for four years. He returned to Taiwan and three years later, he was off to Hong Kong, for four years.

He returned to Kuala Lumpur just two months ago as its general manager and vice president.

Just how much has his former workplace changed from the last he was here in 1993?

Nessman says even though Kuala Lumpur’s skyline has changed dramatically, he still remembers the 150 employees who are still with the hotel.

“Shangri-La still stands proud and tall for its honesty and integrity in doing business. Our employees are customer-focused and they have a can-do attitude. We’re here for the long-term. We want our customers to return,” he said.

Nessman said Shangri-La has a special guiding principle when it comes to training.

Called Shangri-La CARE, the focus is on being hospitable, from showing the simplest genuine care to overall concern.

“That’s why our people never say ‘No’ to our guests. Our employees are also regularly sent to other Shangri-La properties abroad for training, so their exposure to various situations and people is good,” says the head honcho, who regularly is seen at the heart of the hotel.

An avid fly-fishing enthusiast, Nessman goes for his fishing trips abroad every year.