Cottan鈥檚 out to transform Shan
Summary: These are not the best of times to be managing a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, a city that is still trying to find its feet in the aftermath of September 11. For Michael Cottan though, who arrived in Malaysia?s capital city in January t鈥？Tags: hotel cottan we its from kuala I& These are not the best of times to be managing a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, a city that is still trying to find its feet in the aftermath of September 11. For Michael Cottan though, who arrived in Malaysia?s capital city in January to lead the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur as its general manager and area manager for West Malaysia, it is a challenge he is prepared to meet head on..Corinne Wan finds out what Cottan has up his sleeve. /i&P& I& 1 March 2002 /i&P& It was the seventh day of the Chinese New Year or 鈥測ang yat鈥？(everybody鈥檚 birthday) when this reporter met Cottan. He had to excuse himself for a 鈥渓oh hei鈥？at a 鈥測ue shang鈥？(raw fish) lunch with his management staff. As all true-blue Chinese will attest, 鈥渓oh hei鈥？(Cantonese for 鈥渕ix and rise鈥？ is a must if one wants to be blessed with good luck and good fortune in the year ahead. The higher you toss the raw fish, the greater your fortune will be. P& Obviously, Cottan鈥檚 three-year stint in China has taught him well in the ways of the Chinese. And luck and fortune is probably what he needs in Kuala Lumpur.P& Fresh from his stint as general manager of Pudong Shangri-La in Shanghai and area manager of South China, Cottan鈥檚 main mission is to 鈥渕ake Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur the number one hotel in the city鈥？ P& When asked whether Shangri-La has slipped as Kuala Lumpur's leading hotel, Cottan said, 鈥淭he proof of the pudding is in the eating. In people鈥檚 terms, we are still number one, but we cannot be complacent as new properties are coming up. A hotel is not just 鈥榖ricks and mortar鈥？but people too.鈥漃& Primarily, a hotel needs to be proud of its position, Cottan says. 鈥淥ccupancy and room rates are Herve Leger Bandage-lacing High- by-products of good service and that鈥檚 where the profits come from. The way to get there (be profitable) is through service.鈥漃& Cottan counts himself fortunate in that the Shangri-La is already known for its good service. P& 鈥淭he natural hospitality comes from the hotel鈥檚 core group of 700-odd staff. The rest is in the hiring process. We will employ people with the right attitude, teach them the skills and combine them with intensive training. We鈥檒l be spending a lot of time in training. I am a big believer in training.鈥漃& Another factor in Cottan鈥檚 favour is the major re-imaging programme the hotel is undertaking. The estimated RM100 million (US26.32 million) exercise sees almost the entire hotel given a new look. The number of Horizon Floors will be increased to five from three, with a total of 107 rooms. P& The exercise is expected to be completed this month.P& 鈥淭here is a lot of excitement among the staff as it鈥檚 like waiting for a new hotel to emerge without actually opening a new one. This 鈥榥ew鈥？product will definitely give us a competitive edge.鈥漃& Cottan disagreed that such a massive renovation could be considered extravagant in the current business climate.P& 鈥淚t鈥檚 good timing to carry out the renovations to get the product in its proper standing. We will be ready when the good times return. Moreover, the decision (to renovate) was made before 911.鈥漃& Cottan said that business and leisure traffic has dropped from the US and Europe markets. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not so tied up with the US we鈥檙e more concerned with the European market. It鈥檚 not just the issue of customers
rather it鈥檚 airlines pulling out. For example, the pullout of British Airways from Malaysia has hurt us a bit.鈥？P& About 22 percent of its business mix is from Europe and 12 per cent from the US.P& On the positive side, 911 has opened up the hotel to new shorter haul markets such as the Middle East. Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur will join its counterparts in the group on a roadshow to the Middle East after ITB in March. To shore up its European markets, the hotel will intensify its participation in Herve Leger Strapless Bandage key European events.P& On lessons learned from 911, Cottan said, 鈥淣ever underestimate the security situation. As a public establishment, we have a high responsibility for the safety of clients. Most companies also learned how fragile business is. We have to re-emphasise where we are and how small the world is and how quickly we can be exposed to difficulties.鈥漃& About 70 percent of the hotel鈥檚 mix is from the corporate sector. As this segment has also been badly affected, it will make a slight shift to concentrate on leisure traffic. For this, it will look to the Middle East, Australia and Asian countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore.P& Another area Cottan is looking at is the meetings segment. Having worked in Shanghai for three years, he witnessed the city鈥檚 swift transformation into a MICE capital. P& 鈥淲e can learn from Shanghai and bring some MICE business to Malaysia, specifically to Kuala Lumpur. I plan to work more closely with other hotels in the city to nurture the MICE business.鈥漃& Cottan believes there will be no significant increase in rates until year end in Kuala Lumpur. 鈥淭he whole city will then move towards a rate increase. This is based on the current high occupancy in January and February of around 70 percent, which is good by regional standards.鈥漃& One potential glitch could be the opening of the Westin Kuala Lumpur later this year, which could put pressure on rates again. P& Of course, at the end of the day, it is still the man at the helm and his working philosophy that will make the product stand out in a city full of deluxe properties. P& 鈥淚 run a hotel with heart. I spend a lot of time with the various departments, talk to the staff to break down barriers, foster good internal customer relations as this will then extend out to our external customers. People make the product and it鈥檚 all about teamwork and communication.鈥滳ottan also describes himself as a believer in changes. 鈥淚 am not afraid of upsetting the status quo and breaking the mould.鈥漃& Changes he鈥檚 now planning will involve a re-imaging of the hotel as well as changing its style.P& 鈥淔or the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, the F&B outlets will become the 鈥榮hop window鈥？of the hotel. P& 鈥淭his has never been the approach of Shangri-La hotels and they have not been known for their restaurant concepts. The whole hotel will be different in looks and feel. We will give it more flair and make it the 鈥榟appening hotel鈥？in its F&B concepts.鈥漃& For example, the award winning Restaurant Lafite will be given a whole new look. Top designer Adam Tihany, Rv Fresh Water System the man behind the successful creation of Le Cirque and Spago, has been brought in to remodel the restaurant, making it more stylish and contemporary. P& Changes will be in a walk-in cigar humidor and a dedicated wine-tasting room.P& 鈥淓ach F&B outlet will offer our guests something different and contemporary, for the avante garde as well as for traditional diners.鈥漃& Cottan is confident the new image and style will stand the hotel in good stead in such trying times. This confidence is boosted by healthy forward bookings.P& 鈥淲e鈥檙e full in March due to strong bookings for the Formula 1 Grand Prix and as the host hotel for the conference of the Society of Petroleum Executives.鈥？France鈥檚 strikers run dry ahea
p&With just under two months to go before France鈥檚 opening World Cup match against Uruguay in Cape Town, Raymond Domenech is no doubt sat in a rickety old caravan on the French seafront. He has his headscarf on, incense burning, and the lights down low. /p&p&He is poring over his horoscopes, humming to himself, while looking up inquisitively at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the caravan鈥檚 ceiling for a cosmic indication as to who should make his 23-man squad for the finals in South Africa. /p&p&After his revelations in the build-up to Euro 2008, The French Connection knows Domenech doesn鈥檛 like having a Leo in defence. /p&p&So why, we ask, did Ray get all in a tizzy when French football鈥檚 most famous Leo, Arsenal defender William Gallas, suffered a relapse of a calf injury after being rushed back to play against Barcelona last month? /p&p&Surely, the stars were aligning in Ray鈥檚 favour. But no, The French Connection was wrong. 鈥淚鈥檓 livid and p*ssed off,鈥？he raged. 鈥淚t鈥檚 outrageous and irresponsible to have played him so early after the injury. It鈥檚 scandalous. He鈥檇 better be fit for the World Cup.鈥？p&p&br em&&There there, William, I won't let that nasty Mr Wenger hurt you again&/em&/p&p&Could the pressure, or God forbid the sheer scale of his unpopularity, finally be getting to the unflappable Ray? Surely not! /p&p&But last month鈥檚 2-0 defeat at home to Spain has yet to be swept under the carpet, partly because his players had their confidence shot to pieces and are using interviews with the press like a shrink鈥檚 patients use his couch. /p&p&A hack from the newspaper Le Progr猫s practically found Lyon midfielder J茅r茅my Toulalan hunched up in the foetal position, saying: 鈥淎re they gone yet?鈥？/p&p&OK that鈥檚 not quite true, but Toulalan was certainly emotionally scarred by the experience. 鈥淭he federation is doing nothing to help us. There was no worse choice than Spain for our confidence. I have never felt so humiliated and helpless than against Spain and Barcelona last designer handbags 2010 season.鈥？/p&p&It wasn鈥檛 long before Nicolas Anelka, the striker formerly known as Le Sulk, reprised his old moniker and had a truly epic moan even by his own high standards. /p&p&Speaking to Orange Sport last week, Anelka said: 鈥淲e can鈥檛 continue to take lessons in football like we suffered against Spain for example. We have to work to find an answer, if not it鈥檚 just not possible, we鈥檒l be coming home after the three (first round) matches.鈥？/p&p&Having only just got started, Anelka grabbed the microphone and spat a few more barbed lines perhaps inspired from former France international Youri Djorkaeff鈥檚 recent foray into rap, although even the hip-hop loving French Connection concedes that such an eventuality is distinctly unlikely 鈥？I mean just listen to Vivre dans ta lumi猫re... /p&p&br br 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 go and lose 2-0 like that 鈥？it was truly ridiculous,鈥？Anelka grimaced. 鈥淲e were 鈥榢illed鈥？on the pitch. It was a case of Division One against miu miu bags Division Four. That鈥檚 the truth 鈥？it was like professionals taking on amateurs.鈥？/p&p&And while it鈥檚 easy though not unjustifiable to hold Domenech completely responsible for France鈥檚 uninspiring performances, such a viewpoint would also be akin to blaming a pilot for a plane crash in which the engines failed, as the country鈥檚 strikers have also been misfiring this season. /p&p&A recent article in France Football asked: 鈥淲here have all the French goalscorers gone?鈥？/p&p&A year ago, three Frenchman, Andr茅-Pierre Gignac, Guillaume Hoarau and Karim Benzema, all finished in the top four of Le Championnat鈥檚 scoring charts. They were hailed as a new generation of French strikers, capable of replacing Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Nicolas Anelka. /p&p&Now there are only three in the top 10, and Gignac and Hoarau aren鈥檛 among them, essentially because they have both had an injury-ravaged season in Ligue 1. /p&p&This in itself wouldn鈥檛 have caused Domenech too many sleepless nights had France鈥檚 first choice strikers been scoring freely in Spain and England. However, Henry (3), Benzema (7) and Anelka (8) have scored just 18 League goals betw the former two aren鈥檛 even regulars at Barcelona and Real Madrid. /p&p&A growing reliance on foreign centre-forwards is partly to blame, according to the recently retired Steve Savidan, France鈥檚 favourite former dustman turned cult striker./p&p&br em&&Let's just start punching them in&/em&/p&p&鈥淭he big clubs have turned towards foreign players to reinforce their attacks,鈥？he said. /p&p&鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 mean to say that they are not focusing a lot on French strikers. It means that there are also very interesting merchandising prospects behind foreign players. And that these players generally possess more experience of big competitions miu miu handbags like the Champions League.鈥？/p&p&A cursory glance at Ligue 1 reveals Savidan to be right. Of the 20 teams in Le Championnat, 13 have a foreigner as a top scorer. Lyon are a case in point, favouring Lisandro L贸pez to Baf茅timbi Gomis for reasons pertaining to experience, how they fit in the team鈥檚 system with the Argentine almost always favoured in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and perhaps, as Savidan points out, their marketability. /p&p&All of which gives Domenech a bit of a headache ahead of this summer鈥檚 World Cup. /p&p&And while it鈥檚 romantic to think that Ray might take Kevin Gameiro, Lorient鈥檚 instinctive 22-year-old striker who is the best placed Frenchman in Ligue 1鈥檚 scoring charts or even Nice鈥檚 Lo茂c R茅my, the bottom line is France have uncertainty up front ahead of the finals. /p&p&Of course, a prolific striker isn鈥檛 a pre-requisite for World Cup glory as Aim茅 Jacquet showed in 1998, relying on the much-derided St茅phane Guivarc鈥檋 who didn鈥檛 score a single goal. /p&p&He nevertheless played a crucial and undervalued role in the French side, holding the ball up to play in the likes of Zinedine Zidane while also acting as the team鈥檚 first defender. /p&p&However, depending on goals from positions other than those up front is a risk and one Domenech will be looking to somehow avoid in South Africa. /p&p&br em&&Maybe things will go better for me at Newcastle...&/em&/p&p&The French Connection鈥檚 Amuse-Bouche.../p&p&1) When you鈥檙e fighting a relegation battle, everyone needs to be on the same page, especially if there is ever to be a famous Great Escape. /p&p&The players need faith, a glimmer of hope. It can come from anywhere, only in Grenoble it鈥檚 unlikely to come from the president. Asked to sum up their situation last week, Pierre Wantiez said: 鈥淒epressing. Our fate is already sealed. I鈥檓 not really a believer and I don鈥檛 know if anyone believes we will stay in Ligue 1 but I don鈥檛.鈥？/p&p&Wantiez was put out of his misery on Saturday, as Toulouse inflicted a 4-0 defeat on his side, making their relegation a certainty. /p&p&2) While Lyon and Bordeaux contested the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, Marseille hosted Sochaux for what Didier Deschamps termed their own Champions League match. /p&p&His side won 3-0 and went top again on Sunday night with a convincing 4-1 victory over Nice. Five 3 quick and easy ways to build a profitable opt in list consecutive victories make Marseille the favourites to win their first League title since 1992, and an impressive double. /p&p&3) PSG did Marseille a favour by recording their first win over Bordeaux for nearly two years. Micha毛l Ciani, the Bordeaux centre-back, was once again in the headlines for the wrong reasons. /p&p&Ciani tried to be clever on a routine clearance and ended up putting his goalkeeper Ulrich Ram茅 under such pressure that the veteran made a last ditch challenge and got sent off. Bordeaux lost 3-1, suffering their fourth defeat in five matches. /p&p&Laurent Blanc鈥檚 side now lie fifth and have the third worst defence in Ligue 1 in 2010. Unfortunately they look likely to be dismantled in the summer. /p&p&4) Lyon booked their first ever place in the Champions League semi-finals where they will play Bayern Munich. Les Gones have a good record against the German giants, having lost just two of their six encounters since the 2000-01 season. /p&p&They also tend to do well in Germany, winning at Werder Bremen, Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern all in the last nine years./p&p&em&RESULTS Sat Apr 10 Le Mans 2-2 Montpellier, Lorient 1-1 Rennes, Monaco 2-1 Valenciennes, Toulouse 4-0 Grenoble, Sochaux 0-2 Saint-脡tienne, Lens 3-0 Boulogne, PSG 3-1 Bordeaux Sun Apr 11 Lyon 1-1 Lille, Nancy 0-1 Auxerre, Marseille 4-1 Nice/em&/p&p&i&More from The French Connection br /i&/p&p&France: News * : Features * News * Interviews * Homebr Interact: Twitter *Facebook * Forum/p&&&您当前的位置：&>&&>&&>&
Jokes- Twenty Dollars joke
A drunk in a bar pukes all over his own shirt, which was brand new before he came in. 鈥淒amn,鈥?he says. 鈥淚 puked on my shirt again. If the wife finds out, she鈥檚 gonna kill me.鈥?
鈥淣ot to worry,鈥?says the bartender as he sticks a $20 bill in the drunk鈥檚 pocket. 鈥淛ust tell her someone puked on you and gave you some cash to cover the cleaning bill.鈥?
So the drunk goes home and tells his wife about the guy who puked on him. She reaches into his pocket and finds two twenties. 鈥淲hy are there two twenties?鈥?she asks.
The drunk replies, 鈥淥h, yeah, he crapped in my pants, too.鈥?
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