Singapore-based Pan Pacific Hotels Group plans to open its first hotel in Europe on Sept. 1, and general manager Anne Golden is leading that endeavor.

The 237-room Pan Pacific London will comprise a 43-floor tower and Devonshire House, which dates back approximately 150 years.

For Pan Pacific, the hotel — located in the Bishopsgate/Liverpool Street district in the City of London — marks a milestone in the brand’s evolution. For Golden, who started her position in July 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, it's her chance to finally showcase her and her colleagues' hard work.

“Everyone in Pan Pacific is looking forward to planting a flag in such an important market," Golden said. "The last 18 months have been a learning experience; the teamwork has been brilliant, despite the fact that the majority of the team had not met in person until recently.

“The hardest thing was not being able to go on-site and see the progress being made throughout lockdown as construction carried on. The inability to show event organizers or prospective guests around the hotel has led to a lot of virtual tours being given by the sales and events teams."

While the COVID-19 pandemic has driven guests to book vacations outside of city centers and urban markets, Golden said London is such a vital market for the luxury hotel segment.

“London is the most important hotel market in the world for 5-star and luxury properties and has been a key target for Pan Pacific for the last decade," she said. "We do expect [meetings, incentives, conventions and expositions], corporate and group events to return, and in addition we are targeting the leisure market both domestically and internationally."

To help with that lofty goal, Golden said her property team plans to bring “sincere Singaporean hospitality to London and to create a haven in the heart of the city with boundary-pushing well-being and destination bars and restaurants.”

The brand is "not as well-known in this part of the world; however, travel between London and Asia is prolific, and many of our confirmed bookings are from loyalists who have enjoyed our brand in Asia, Oceania or the Americas,” she said.

The Pan Pacific London features a “smart” ballroom, which Golden said can host 400 people and is the most technologically advanced and largest ballroom in the City of London.

Diversity is also a focus for Golden, who has built an executive team that she said “is predominantly female” and international.

“We hold a weekly forum to learn about our backgrounds, cultures, traditions, et cetera, to promote understanding and acceptance. Agile working has been introduced where possible, and well-being for mind and body built into our routines,” she said.

Building a culture has been a huge challenge during her two years as general manager, Golden said.

“[That] is the most critical issue facing the hospitality industry today, and we are hoping our strong culture will help promote longevity and attract others to our brand,” she said.

Golden has spent her career at such hotel brands and firms as Le Méridien, GLH Hotels and Mondrian. While learning her trade, she remained curious and eager to grow as a hotel leader.

“It has been an amazing learning experience to work for some of the most interesting brands, and a privilege to work with great leaders who have imparted their knowledge and philosophy for driving authentic guest engagement," she said. “The greatest lesson I have learned is no great secret — just simply, your people are your greatest asset, and that if you hire the right team, and share your vision and passion with them, then anything is possible."

The brands and people in the hotel industry and the stories that come with them, as well as those of guests, are the most inspiring, she said.

“There is nothing like the energy that you feel when you are hosting a large event and running at 100% occupancy, with all the restaurants and bars full of guests. It’s electric,” she said.

Golden considered a career as a hairstylist before joining the hotel industry.

“I didn’t get into hotels until my late 20s, but this industry and its people got under my skin, and I can’t imagine wanting to do anything else,” she added.

Hotel News Now asked Golden three fun questions about her hotel industry career:

What’s the craziest request you’ve ever met for a guest?

Working for Morgans Hotel Group for almost 12 years we had crazy requests on a weekly basis but also a policy that we didn’t ‘kiss and tell.’ However, our concierge once had to find someone who could safely dye a guest’s dog a different color and arrange — with two days’ notice — a surprise anniversary celebration in a mainline [rail] station with four cellists and a spontaneous crowd of 30 dancers performing. All the best stories are the ones we can’t share unfortunately.

If you weren’t working at a hotel, what would you be doing?

Possibly working in the airline or travel industries. I love hospitality, and I have been so lucky to work with people from all four corners of the globe, and so a role in travel would definitely appeal.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Always bite more off than you can chew and then learn to chew it, which simply means don’t be afraid to do something that scares you. I love this because it has encouraged me to push myself out of my comfort zone on many occasions without being sure of the outcome. I now understand that fear of failure holds a lot of us back from reaching our true potential.