Clive Scott 

General Manager of Sofitel Melbourne on Collins

墨尔本柯林斯索菲特酒店总经理

Once likened to Alfred Hitchcock, especially his side profile, Clive Scott made a cameo appearance as the master of horror in a play in Sofitel, not so long ago.

Scott is fun and spontaneous, a worldly gentleman in the hospitality industry.  Those who know him will agree that he is also one of the most forward-thinking, effective and beloved general managers around town. With decades of experience, leadership and operational skills, any hotel should be so lucky to have him helm their property. Sofitel hit the jackpot for the last 15 years with Scott as their general manager.

His passion for hotel management stemmed from young when he was travelling the world with his parents who worked for United Nations Australia’s Colombo Plan. Although he lives in Melbourne predominantly, he spent a lot of time in Asia. He was schooled in three different countries before doing economics and hotel management in Victoria University. “At that time working in hotels was not so popular. People saw hotels as pubs for drinking, but I liked the environment. I was passionate about it and it has been a good career for me.”

Sofitel Melbourne on Collins is where French luxury meets epicurean indulgence in the world’s most exciting city.  Situated at the Paris end of Collins Street, in the heart of the premier shopping, dining and theatre district, just minutes from the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sofitel is built by the late American Chinese architect I.M.Pei, who also designed the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.  

Art is one of the major factors that maintain the society’s creativity and innovation. Youth should be exposed to art to turn on their minds. Art explains that not all lines are straight and black-and-white isn’t just black-and-white  

“Not only a beautiful venue, Sofitel has a special art programme where we organise 18 to 20 art shows every year.  Bringing art into the hotel promotes creativity and innovation amongst the staff. It makes the hotel look exciting, alive and different all the time. Art also expands the mind and enables us to learn about other cultures. The Sofitel French heritage is synonymous to art, gourmet food and excellent wine, demonstrating that the finer things in life are not just elitist but accessible as well.”

Being general manager to such an outstanding brand of hospitality is not a walk in park but Scott takes it well in his stride. “You need to be passionate, otherwise the long hours and busy environment can be daunting. A high level of communication and understanding of many nationalities are preferable. A lot of computer analysis goes on but when you get down to it, it’s really about engagement with the guests and how well they are looked after.” 

Stress is not healthy and medically bad for you.  I don’t think life should be easy, but you should look after yourself and make sure you enjoy life as you go along

Clive Scott一直被认为神似惊悚悬念大师希区柯克 (Alfred Hitchcock)，尤其是侧脸。不久前，他在索菲特酒店的一出戏剧中客串演出希区
柯克。

Scott在酒店领域中以有趣，欢快和世故的绅士格调而为人所知。了解他的人都会认同，他也是这个城市中具前瞻性、效率高、最受欢迎的总经理之一。凭借数十年的老道经验、领导才能和运营技巧，任何一家酒店都应该庆幸有他坐镇掌舵。因为有了总经理Scott，索菲特酒店过去15年犹如中了大奖。

而他对酒店管理的热情源于年轻时和父母一起环游世界的经历。他的父母效力于联合国澳大利亚科伦坡计划。虽然他主要定居墨尔本，但他在亚洲各国度过了许多时光。他在维多利亚大学攻读经济和酒店管理之前，曾在三个不同的国家接受教育。“那时，酒店工作不太受欢迎。人们普遍认为酒店是喝酒的场所，但我喜欢这里的环境。我对此充满激情，这对我来说是最好的职业。”

位于柯林斯河畔的墨尔本索菲特酒店让法国的奢华与美食家的放纵相遇在这个优美的城市。酒店位于繁华柯林斯街巴黎区的尽头，周边是著名的购物商场、餐饮和剧院区中心，距离热门的墨尔本板球场只有几分钟路程。索菲特酒店由已故的美国华裔建筑师贝聿铭(I.M.Pei)建造，贝聿铭还有令人赞叹的作品是巴黎卢浮宫的玻璃金字塔。

艺术是维系社会创意和创新力量的重要因素之一。年轻一代应频密接触艺术启发心灵，艺术完美诠释了并非所有线条都是直的，当然黑白也不纯粹是黑白。

“索菲特酒店不仅是一个美丽的地方，还充满特别的艺术项目，我们每年在这里举办18到20场艺术展览。将艺术元素融入酒店，促进员工的创意和创新思维。而这也使酒店更具有魅力，充满活力并且与众不同。艺术还能开阔思维，令人深入了解其他文化。索菲特酒店的法国传统是艺术、美食和美酒的代名词，这也显示生活中更美好的东西不仅是高级消遣，其实触手可及。”

作为一家如此优秀的酒店品牌的总经理，Scott并不轻松，但他能从容应对。“你需要有激情，否则长时间的工作和繁忙的环境会让人望而生畏。另外，必须拥有高超的沟通能力和多元民族的理解力，即使有许多电脑数据分析，但当你深入研究时就会发现，真正关键的是与客人的互动，以及他们得到了怎样的款待。”

by  Billie Ooi-Ng Lean Gaik