|
| Heiko Kuenstle |
REPORT FROM THE U.S.—Unlike many hoteliers, Heiko Kuenstle didn’t follow his ancestor’s footsteps into the hospitality industry. Instead, ever since his childhood in Southwest Germany, Kuenstle has been diving headfirst into new opportunities and “learning by doing.” Now general manager at one of the most prolific luxury hotels in the world, Kuenstle brings worldly experience in service culture to his team at The Pierre in New York City.
“I really fell into this profession unexpectedly,” he told HotelNewsNow.com on a phone interview. “When I was a teenager I met somebody at an event and it turned out to be the president of a local government in Germany. He asked me what my plans were for the future. I mentioned banking and other financial-related things. He said ‘absolutely not;’ he thought I was predestined to be in the hotel business.”
Kuenstle took the stranger’s advice and began a hospitality apprenticeship where three years of learning was divided into one year in school and two years on the job. He learned housekeeping and other duties, but what stood out most was his knack for finding his way around a kitchen.
Kuenstle worked his way through various positions at Michelin-rated restaurants in Europe. After serving in the military—a requirement for German male residents—Kuenstle served as manager of the Hotel Domizil. Throughout his time in Europe he says he was exposed to immense talent. He credits one manager with exposing him to “unwavered dedication to not only service, but to the guest.
“Service was done with pleasure, and it came from the very top,” Kuenstle said. “I learned that if I want to impact something it has to come from the top. One has to set the vision and the tone of the operation by being as sincere as possible.”
The bright lights are calling
After some time at various small hotels that simply didn’t provide the luxury service culture for which Kuenstle yearned, his interest in moving to the United States grew. In the early 1990s, he applied to all of the hotels that were affiliated with The Leading Hotels of the World. The Pierre came calling in 1994 with an opening for assistant manager of housekeeping, and Kuenstle moved to New York City.
“I quickly came to the understanding that my language skills were totally inappropriate,” he said. So, his commitment to perfection shining through again, Kuenstle spent less and less time with his friends from Europe. He immersed himself in the English language and, again, he learned by doing.
“Not only did (the back of house position) help me learn how a luxury hotel operates, but it gave me time to develop my language skills,” he said. “Guests are more patient with the housekeeping staff.”
Kuenstle asked for as much exposure to the hotel’s different positions as possible—he worked overnight property maintenance, did laundry and eventually became guest-relations manager and then front-office manager.
In 1998, an opportunity to join the staff as rooms division manager at New York’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée presented itself. With his affinity for New York luxury at its peak, he decided to broaden his horizons and left The Pierre.
“New York is such a world in itself. It requires a rather specific knowledge just of the market,” Kuenstle said. “It’s such an expensive place to be represented because of the high costs of labor and real estate, and the union situation, which most managers struggle with. One has to manage within those boundaries.”
Kuenstle worked three years at the Plaza Athénée until he was offered the GM job at The Lowell Hotel in New York. He managed The Lowell for four years until Taj Hotels & Resorts bought The Pierre, piquing Kuenstle’s interest. Taj’s apparent dedication to capital improvements that would restore the hotel to its iconic stature swayed him to return to the hotel that gave him start in New York.
“When I got the call in 2005 and decided to come back it was only because Taj was committed to putting (US)$100 million into the hotel,” Kuenstle said. “It was disappointing to see the product had deteriorated. I would not have come if (a renovation) wasn’t planned.”
Work-life balance
Kuenstle is no stranger to the importance of renovations. About eight years ago, he and his partner of 10 years bought a “beautifully architecture” house in Harlem Heights and renovated the entire thing themselves, from stripping the wood to painting every wall. The home renovation gave him a “sense of sensitivity to something older.”
“You realize that you’ve become more of a caretaker than an owner,” he said. “Somebody owned it before you and someone will own it after you.”
He took the same approach when asked to direct the two-phased redesign of The Pierre. The lobby, he said, was his first priority.
“It’s a fairly small lobby. When you walked in there was very little eye contact; everything was behind walls and columns and it bothered me,” Kuenstle said. “So when we did the renovation I said I would really like that space turned into a ballroom or lounge. The concierge, which for me is one of if not the most important guest contact, was always tucked behind walls. I wanted them to be in center of lobby, so we did that. We relocated that desk and it made such a difference.”
Kuenstle works long hours and on most Saturdays. “I do it not because I have to—not because I don’t trust my managers—but because I like the contact with the employs and the guests,” he said.
Mentoring his employees is a priority, and at The Pierre he has set up more of a flat structure rather than a hierarchy. That way, he said, members of the staff don’t have to wait in line to speak with him, they can just approach him at any time.
He interviews each and every hire because he wants to assure new employees will fit in with company culture. “Does that person fit into what I perceive the team to be and where the team should go? Are they sensitive to environmental issues and social responsibility?” he said.
Recently he was named to Leading’s quality committee—a global group of less than 10 members that watches member hotels closely and reviews their standards.
“We decide things like the importance of having free Internet access and even environmental issues,” Kuenstle said. “It’s very rewarding to be a part of that.”