Tan Yifan
cicitan2011@gmail.com
THE first Futian International Etiquette Contest was held Thursday at Futian Shangri-La Hotel Shenzhen, attracting around 30 contestants from six Futian hotels. After three hours of fierce competition, The Pavilion Shenzhen scored the highest and won the top prize, Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel was the runner-up and Grand Skylight Garden Hotel checked-in at third place.
Held by the Futian District Office of Spiritual Civil Development Committee and co-organized by Shenzhen Daily, Shenzhen Tourism Association, www.eyeshenzhen.com and Shenzhen Hotel Business Association, the contest aims to enhance the development of civility and showcase the world-class services and etiquette among Futian hoteliers.
According to the rules, each hotel is required to select three to five contestants to compete in the three-round competition: etiquette-themed English speech, etiquette-related knowledge trivia and a scenario simulation.
Wei Huibang, an orator from Grand Skylight Garden Hotel, said in his speech that learning to smile is the key to offering home-away-from-home services to guests. “I think the best way to showcase etiquette is to offer smile service, which will not only help us to maintain a happy mood but can also leave our customers a long-lasting memory.”
“The word etiquette may sound a bit irrelevant to our daily lives. But a person needs high EQ to have civil manners. As for the hospitality industry, etiquette is like a screw to a plane, one improper behavior will cause unexpected consequences to a hotel,” said Lu Chunming from Shenzhenair International Shenzhen.
During the knowledge trivia round, the contestants answered required questions and raced to press their buzzers and accumulate points for their team.
The last round won the most laughter and applause from the audience as the six teams acted in different scenarios, showing how to react properly in different situations. Some of the team chose to simulate a scenario of receiving a picky celebrity and some presented how to comfort senior guests who have to take daily pills.
Liu Jun, a senior official of Shenzhen Culture Assets and Equity Exchange and a former anchor, said he was impressed by the performance of the contestants and thought Futian should do more to promote etiquette.
“China has a long history of setting up etiquette standards and practicing them. Today, there are many people promoting Chinese etiquette worldwide, such as those working at Confucius institutions. As the frontier district of Shenzhen, Futian can host more relevant activities to spread the spirit of goodness, civility and openness,” Liu said.
The Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen, Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen and Shenzhenair International Shenzhen all won the excellence prizes.