Aston Priority Simatupang Hotel & Conference Center recently appointed a new General Manager S. Aulia Masjhoerdin, since July this year. To get to know him better, What’s New Jakarta sat down with the energetic gentleman himself.
Hi Mr. Aulia, thanks for having us! Why not tell us a little bit about yourself to our readers.
I was born and educated in Australia, though I had always wanted to come back to Indonesia at some point. Although my dad would urge me to be a doctor or a lawyer, I knew what I want and told myself I wanted to be in the hotelier industry. So I did a management degree in Canberra University, with a diploma in hospitality management. During my long college breaks, I would do part time jobs in restaurants to earn extra cash; as a waiter, cook, even a cleaner, all I’ve done hands on. Sometimes 2-3 jobs at once, so I’ll have enough money to travel for vacation, sometimes to Indonesia.
After I finished school, I went to Sydney and even worked for Pizza Hut and worked my way up as Restaurant Manager. But then I decided to move to Indonesia. My first job in hotel was in Sahid Jaya back in 1991 in sales, when there were only a handful of hotels. My career then developed, and I continued some time working for some other multinational companies as sales; in TNT, UPS, and Securicor, and I positioned myself quite high. But somehow I missed the hospitality industry. So I joined Aston Sudirman in 2002 as Sales Manager. From that point on I have been with Aston. That time, we only had 3 hotels. Now, we have about 120 brands operating throughout Indonesia. So here I am!
What do you love about the hospitality industry?
First, I love meeting people. Second, for me if you are in this industry, you meet a mix of people from all over; expats, locals. I also like to motivate people, especially my subordinates. I started from the bottom, and worked my way up. If I can do it, why can’t you do it?
Hospitality industry is a service oriented business. Being an hotelier is to make everybody happy and to serve the guest the best you can. We have a motto in Aston: delightful moments of heartfelt service. This is very meaningful to me, because guests have certain expectations, and we need to do better than that. This industry is getting more and more demanding. As more and more competition comes each year, which is healthy in my opinion as we are going to have be better and better each year, and that’s very challenging.
To you personally, what are Aston Priority Simatupang’s strong points?
The hotel is young, only 1.5 years old. It is an amazing property and we have had very good reviews from users. It has a really good location that is not as saturated with hotels as in the city center. We have a spectacular ballroom at the top floor, with a sweeping view of the city. I think this kind of problem is second to none in the city, for weddings or business events. We also have good F&B outlets, with Canary Coffee Shop that serves sensational international cuisine and Momiji for Japanese. For four star rated hotel, we have a pretty good set of amenities and facilities: swimming pool, spa, a gym, so I think we’ll grab quite the sizeable market for this area.
What’s your style of management?
It’s very simple. I look after my staff. If we look after our staff, they will give the best service to everybody. Leaders need to realize that we are nothing without our staffs. So HR is very important. Selecting the right people for the right jobs is very important. You have to make sure that you and your staffs have the same vision & mission, and make sure they know the definition of ‘being a hotelier’ is.
Throughout your experience, what’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned?
I learn by doing. I always tell my subordinates, if there’s a bad experience, you learn from it and make sure that it becomes a lesson well learned. And when it comes to subordinates, they do need to have initiatives, but we as a management also have to be able to support that.
What are your Favorite pastimes?
As I’ve mentioned, I love traveling but I also have a fascination towards sports cars. I guess boys will always be boys! In my life, I’ve had more than 50 different cars. In Australia especially, I enjoy buying a used car, modifying it, and selling it. I have once bought a car for 400 AUD and sold it 1800 AUD after doing a lot of modifications to it. So whoever buys my car is still a lucky person for the amount of upgrades!
What are your favorite things to do in the weekends?
I do enjoy going to the mall with my family, go to the movies, and visiting friends. I occasionally go out of town, Bandung, Yogyakarta. But the bottom line, I treasure my spare time. Because I believe there needs to be a balance between work and leisure.
How does growing up abroad affect your personality?
So I like to say that I have a ‘bule’ mind but with an Indonesian ‘case’. I highly regard both culture; both very important in my life. My family came from Padang, West Sumatera Sumatera but my immediate family lives in Australia. I think it is good to have a multicultural background, wherever you are. So it is interesting that I call Australia my ‘kampung’, which I try to visit at least once a year. So if other people go to other cities in Indonesia for pulang kampung, I go to Australia instead!
Five things that describe you!
Honest, loyal, diligent, hardworking, value friendship.
Thanks again for your time, and we hope you the best of time with Aston Simatupang!
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