Hong Kong Movies: You Hongxingzi, what the hell is the charity king?

Chapter 885 Hong Kong Island Side Story 4: A Visit to a Domestic Tour Group on Ctrip, Guan Zu Calls for Service Attitude to Start with Me!

It was also in 2000.

In an office of more than 100 square meters in the Shanghai Xujiahui Astronomical Building.

(Photo: Old photo of the building)

at this time,

The four founders of Ctrip.com, later known as the "Four Gentlemen," are having a meeting.

at this time,

The four sat together, with crumpled financial statements spread out on the table.

Mr. Liang, 31 years old this year, can be described as being in his prime. He graduated from the Fudan University Junior Class and holds a PhD from Stanford University. He previously served as the Consulting Director for Oracle China. At this moment, he is frowning:

"We only have less than $500,000 left in the account. The $500,000 from the angel round won't last three months. Our expenses are too high..."

Mr. Ji, 34 years old, holds a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and previously worked at Oracle and Cisco.

He picked up a pen and made a list.

"Office rent, server purchase, website development, outsourcing and equipment costs 7 yuan, three months' salary plus social security payments, marketing expenses including advertising on Sina and Sohu, plus offline promotion..."

"And there are also travel and business expenses related to negotiating partnerships with over 200 hotels..."

Mr. Fan, 38 years old, was formerly the general manager of Shanghai Xinya International Travel Agency and is familiar with tourism industry resources.

He didn't want to join at first.

However, he couldn't resist the constant enticements from the other three founders and eventually joined.

His addition, coupled with his familiarity with tourism resources, gave Ctrip wings.

"In the three months since the website went live, it has accumulated more than 2000 orders, and its hotel partnerships cover 12 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen..."

"Goldman Sachs and SoftBank China have both expressed interest in the online travel sector and are willing to look into our projects."

"But the conditions were not lenient. Goldman Sachs made two demands: first, they wanted to send a CFO to oversee the use of funds; second, they required that the annual growth rate of orders over the next three years be no less than 300%, otherwise they would dilute our shares. SoftBank China was even more direct, demanding 35% of the equity and also requesting priority liquidation rights, so that if the company's valuation declined in subsequent financing rounds, they could get back the principal and interest first."

"It's too harsh! Giving away 35% of the equity would mean the founding team would lose all say, and Goldman Sachs' performance-based earnout is putting us in a very difficult position."

"We're still refining our business model, how can we guarantee a three-year growth rate? We simply can't agree to that condition."

Mr. Liang tapped his fingertips on the table, and after a moment of silence, said, "We can't put all our eggs in one basket. Besides Goldman Sachs and SoftBank, are there any other options?"

Mr. Shen's eyes lit up: "By the way, last year both Alibaba and Tencent received investment from Hong Kong's Five Star Group. Mr. Kwan, the owner of Five Star Group, is very powerful. He not only has financial strength but also has access to industrial resources in Hong Kong and the mainland. When they invested in Alibaba and Tencent, they didn't mention so many harsh conditions, according to rumors."

“Five Star Group?” Boss Liang perked up. “That’s right. If they can invest in us, not only will it solve our money problem, but they might also help us expand our hotel resources in Hong Kong Island.”

"Another point is that Five Star Group has a very good reputation in the country, which may be able to accelerate our development."

Boss Ji immediately chimed in, "Then let's give it a try! Old Shen, don't you have friends in Hong Kong? Could you ask them to submit our business plan to the investment department of Five Star Group?"

Mr. Shen nodded: "I'll contact him tomorrow. But we need to make sure the materials are solid first, so that when we report back, Mr. Guan can see our potential."

"it is good!"

"that's all!"

"We need to speed up!"

Ring ring ring~~~~~
At that moment, Lin Xiaru from Goldman Sachs called to ask about the investment.

Then Mr. Leung said he needed to take a break because he was going to Hong Kong Island.

Lin Xiaru: "???"

I'm %￥#%￥-&…*#￥!
Why is it always you!
……

the next day,
The three men, including Mr. Leung, arrived at Hong Kong Island.

Old Shen's connections in Hong Kong came in handy, and he got in touch with the Five Star Group. He quickly received a reply from the Five Star Group, saying that Mr. Kwan was willing to meet with them.

So, the three of them flew to Hong Kong Island with great excitement.

……

On the third day,
morning,

At the top floor of Central Plaza, the elevator doors opened, and Mr. Liang, Mr. Shen, and Mr. Ji straightened their suits and stepped out of the elevator.

Then Hong Sheng took them to Guan Zu's office.

Pushing open the office door,
Guan Zu's office is a full 200 square meters, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing Victoria Harbour. Under the blue sky and white clouds, ferries shuttle back and forth on the sea.

A ten-meter-long aquarium sits in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, where many colorful fish swim.

One word!

This office made them so envious they cried!
At this moment, Guan Zu, dressed in a black suit, was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

For some reason, the three of them felt an immediate sense of familiarity and trust when they saw Guan Zu.

"Welcome, all three of you. You must be tired from your journey."

"Mr. Guan, you are too kind. It is our honor to receive you."

Mr. Shen was the first to step forward and shake hands, followed by Mr. Liang and Mr. Ji, who also exchanged pleasantries with Guan Zu.

After the four people sat down, the assistant brought over freshly brewed Longjing tea, its aroma wafting through the air.

"Mr. Kwan's office has a really wide view; the scenery of Hong Kong Island from here is quite unique."

“When this building was being built, I reserved the top floor, because I wanted that kind of open view.”

After exchanging pleasantries,
It's basically about introducing the resumes of the four major players at Ctrip.

The founder's background is also something investors value.

Coincidentally, all four of them have very impressive resumes.

Guan Zu: "I know Mr. Liang is a PhD from Stanford and previously worked as a consulting director at Oracle. What made you decide to get into the online travel industry?"

Mr. Liang sat up straight and answered seriously: "Mr. Guan, when I was in the United States, I found that online travel booking was already very common, but in China, it is still basically dominated by traditional travel agencies. With the development of the Internet, young people are becoming more and more accustomed to doing things online, and there is a huge market gap here. What we want to do is to integrate hotels, air tickets, and tour packages online, so that users can handle all their travel bookings without leaving home."

Mr. Ji added, "Our website has been online for three months now, with over 200 partner hotels covering 12 major cities, and we've accumulated over 600 orders..."

The presentation lasted about thirty minutes.

Guan Zu remained noncommittal: "How much funding do you need now? How do you plan to use it?"

Mr. Shen continued, "We plan to raise $450 million. The funds will be used in three main ways: first, to expand our technology team and optimize website functionality; second, to expand our hotel and airline partnerships, increasing the number of partner hotels to over 500 and establishing flight booking channels in major cities across the country; and third, to increase marketing efforts by placing advertisements in mainstream media and internet platforms to enhance Ctrip's brand awareness..."

He wrote at length, as if recounting a treasure trove of knowledge, but in reality, his back was soaked with sweat.

As Guan Zu listened, he was thinking about something else.

Actually, Guan Zu doesn't value Ctrip very much.

But he changed his perspective and thought of something else—Hong Kong Island tourism!
The tourism industry has always been a key part of Hong Kong Island's economy.

Currently, there are not many tourists from mainland China visiting Hong Kong Island.

So... could I invest in Ctrip and then let Ctrip attract mainland tourists to Hong Kong Island?

As he thought of this, the damned memories of Guan Zu's past life began to assault him—

Service quality on Hong Kong Island!

It's absolutely terrible!
They treat locals on Hong Kong Island extremely badly!

Not to mention those for the mainland!

With such terrible service, who would want to come here? Even locals can't stand it, let alone people from inland areas.

In its previous life, Hong Kong Island attracted tourists from all over the country for more than a decade due to its developed economy.

However, in the following decade, the number of tourists began to decrease significantly.

So... damn it, we still need to change this lousy habit of the service industry on Hong Kong Island.

Guan Zu looked at the three of them and said, "Investment is no problem... but before investing, you two can help me conduct a survey of Hong Kong Island."

The three of them: "Huh??"

Kwan Cho didn't hide anything: "I've always wanted to attract mainland tourists to Hong Kong Island, but the service staff there are really awful. I need you to send 100 people, including staff and tourists, to experience the service for a week and record it, creating a report on their service attitude for me... Of course, the Five Star Group will reimburse the expenses."

The three of them looked at each other.

Does this work too?
"No problem, Mr. Guan!"

"I'll send someone over right away!"

Boss Liang patted his chest and agreed.

What he actually wanted to say was that we would cover the costs ourselves to show our sincerity in the cooperation, but Ctrip is too broke right now and has no money.

Oh no~~~
Guan Zu laughed heartily: "Great, it's a pleasure to cooperate!"

"I'll treat you to chicken stuffed in pork belly!"

Chicken stuffed in pork belly, let's go!
I wonder if a rumor will spread in the future that anyone who wins Mr. Guan's favor will definitely get to eat chicken stuffed in pork belly!
(Jack Ma: "???" I didn't get to eat any~~~)

noon,

The three of them enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken stuffed in pork belly.

……

On that day, a group of tourists (family members of employees) arrived at Hong Kong Island.

I wandered around Hong Kong Island, exploring and eating my way through various places...

Then record what you see and hear.

……

A week later, a 20-page report, along with a thick stack of original documents, was delivered to Guan Zu.

Service attitude
A good proportion, only 3%.

Only 10% of the samples passed the test.

The percentage of bad cases is 87%!

Guan Zu felt a sudden darkness before his eyes.

Didn't see it!
Kwan Cho made a phone call to ATV; he wanted to chat with the people of Hong Kong Island. Soon...

Lok Hye-jung has arrived.

Guan Zu: "…………"

……

……

That evening, Kwan Cho's interview was broadcast on ATV's 20:00 PM program.

Guan Zu's prestige is now extremely high.

It has been two years since Kwan Cho has appeared in front of the camera, and this interview has attracted the attention of the entire Hong Kong public.

"Mr. Guan is on the show."

"I heard there's an exclusive interview."

"What interview? What major event has occurred?"

quickly,

It's 20:00 PM.

Guan Zu and Yue Huizhen appeared on the front of ATV channel.

They were each sitting on a sofa, facing the camera at an angle.
The two pretended to be professionals who were not familiar with each other.

All Hong Kong citizens: (_)
"Mr. Kwan, it's been two years since your last interview. What would you like to talk about with the people of Hong Kong Island today?" Lok Wai-ching spoke first.

Kwan Cho looked directly into the camera and said in a serious tone, "I'm very sorry to take up everyone's TV time... I'm here today just to talk about one thing - the service attitude in Hong Kong."

As soon as he finished speaking, viewers in countless households across Hong Kong were stunned for a moment.

In a tea restaurant in Mong Kok, the owner, Ah Keung, put down the dishcloth he was holding: "Service attitude? What's there to talk about?"

The diners, however, started making a fuss.

"It really needs to be rectified. Last time I went to buy milk tea, the clerk had a sour face as if someone owed him money."

"Yeah, boss, your service is terrible!"

"Boss, I can't eat because I see your sour face all day long."

"Last time, the waiter even slammed his fist on the table at me."

The boss, A-Qiang, lost his temper and slammed his fist on the table in anger: "You bastard, if you're so tough, don't come here to eat!"

Diners: "…………"

The service attitude of everyone is bad, it's the same everywhere.

If there were truly good service, no one would bother eating here.

丟！
In the studio, Kwan Cho continued, "I recently commissioned a team to conduct a survey of 200 tourists from mainland China and Southeast Asia who spent a week on Hong Kong Island. The results were then compiled into a report..."

“The survey results shocked me – in restaurants, retail stores, tourist attractions, taxis, and other places on Hong Kong Island, only 3% had ‘good’ service, 10% had ‘acceptable’ service, and the remaining 87% were ‘poor’.”

Lok Wai-ching looked surprised: "Is this ratio really that high? In what specific ways is it reflected?"

“There are too many.” Guan Zu gave examples one by one: “Restaurant waiters are impatient when taking orders, and they get angry if you ask them a few more questions; shopping mall sales assistants mutter ‘poor bastard’ when they see customers not buying anything; taxi drivers deliberately take detours and won’t let customers ask questions, and they even curse at people…”

When all the citizens of Hong Kong hear this,

Feel the same.

These are all true.

The service was absolutely terrible!
Kwan Cho said with a serious expression: "People may think that service attitude is a small matter, but for Hong Kong Island, it is not!"

"Hong Kong Island is a world-renowned tourist city and an international icon. Visitors come here to experience not only the sights and food, but also the warm hospitality of the locals."

He emphasized, "If tourists from outside encounter poor service, they will think 'Hong Kong Island people are of low quality,' and they won't come back next time. They will also tell their friends not to come. Over time, Hong Kong Island's reputation will be utterly ruined!"

All the citizens of Hong Kong heard this.

"It's really possible!"

"If I were to travel to a place with poor manners, I would never go there a second time."

"Mr. Guan is absolutely right!"

"The service industry on Hong Kong Island definitely needs to be reformed!"

Inside the studio, Lok Wai-ching asked, "So, how do you think it should be changed?"

"I hope that it starts with each individual."

Guan Zu spoke firmly, "Restaurant owners need to train their employees to greet customers with a smile; shopping malls need to establish service standards; taxi companies need to assess drivers' behavior..."

He paused for a moment, his gaze softening: "I hope that when tourists come, they will feel the warmth of Hong Kong Island. The people of Hong Kong Island have always been hardworking and enthusiastic, and they should not be tarnished by 'poor service attitude'."

All the citizens of Hong Kong took this to heart.

There are supporters of Kwan Cho all over Hong Kong.

"Mr. Guan is right!"

"I support!"

"I totally agree! I've had enough of that awful service!"

At last,
Guan Zu spoke sincerely to the camera.
"Starting tomorrow..."

"If you work in the service industry, smile more, be more polite..."

"If you are a citizen, please report any poor service you see..."

"Let's work together to make Hong Kong Island full of smiles and warmth..."

"I hope that after these tourists leave Hong Kong Island, the impression they will have of it is one of civility and warmth, not rudeness, indifference, arrogance, or bitterness..."

"Do you want a beautiful harbor island that the world will praise?"

"Or should we have a Hong Kong Island that the world finds ugly?"

"I know that every citizen of Hong Kong Island hopes that Hong Kong Island will become a better place!"

"so……"

"I hope to start from today..."

"A good service attitude starts with me!"

"We hope that all citizens of Hong Kong Island will work together to make Hong Kong Island the most dazzling calling card in the world!"

"We won the battle to defend the financial sector and made Hong Kong famous overnight... Do we really want to bring shame to Hong Kong because of our service attitude?"

As soon as this word comes out,
The entire population of Hong Kong was shocked.

The battle to defend the financial sector is a source of pride for all Hong Kong citizens.

If Hong Kong Island is truly brought to shame again, it would be to trample on their pride and keep crushing it.

"Yes, we absolutely cannot let Hong Kong Island be disgraced again!"

"A good service attitude starts with me!"

"From now on, if anyone has a bad service attitude, I'll curse them out!"

"For Hong Kong Island!"

At this moment, all citizens of Hong Kong are fully mobilized.

……

the next day,
The three members of Ctrip went to a tea restaurant for breakfast and then noticed a change in the service attitude.

Their attitude became more enthusiastic.

She no longer has a sour face.

The diners were delighted.

One waiter had a sour face and was subsequently cursed at by the entire neighborhood.

This scene unfolded throughout Hong Kong.

The Ctrip trio experienced firsthand Mr. Kwan's terrifying influence in Hong Kong.

I'm stunned!

In the following days, businesses with poor service noticeably saw a decrease in foot traffic.

Meanwhile, businesses that improved their service saw an increase in foot traffic.

Rolled up.

This forces us to improve our services.

This is precisely one of Guan Zu's purposes.

Roll it up!
……

……

A new day,
Guan Zu, Ctrip, and their team officially signed an investment agreement.

US$500 million for a 30% stake, along with various terms including pre-emptive rights, management participation rights, and requirements that Ctrip must bring a certain number of tourists to Hong Kong Island annually, with a certain annual growth rate…

With the support of Ctrip and the improved services on Hong Kong Island, it is likely that Hong Kong Island will not follow the path of "deserted homes, deserted streets, and a desolate and miserable state" that followed in later generations.

……

Goldman Sachs, Hong Kong Island branch.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Xiaru closed her eyes in despair.

They robbed me again!

The Five Star Corporation is truly an inherently evil entity!

(End of this chapter)