St. Regis Tianjin GM Martin L. Leclerc Photo: Courtesy of St. Regis Tianjin

General manager of a large hotel can be a demanding job, so it is not surprising that many of them end up married to their work. Martin L. Leclerc, however - the general manager of St. Regis Tianjin - has his own approach for balancing life and work.

"I have a lot of hobbies," Leclerc said. "I do things with my family, and I enjoy stuff like music, exercise, hockey, fishing, history, reading and community involvement. I take every opportunity I have to travel with my family. It's important to be able to have that kind of balance as general managers are always on, 24/7."

A dual Canadian and Belgian citizen, Leclerc has 20 years of experience in hospitality and 15 years of experience as a hotel manager that span North America and Asia. He arrived in China three years ago, and prior to taking over at the St. Regis, worked as the general manager of the Fairmont Nanjing and Fairmont Residences Nanjing. With that depth of experience, Leclerc is an elite member of the hospitality industry with a boundless energy for improving his guests' experience.

Leclerc now works as general manager of the St. Regis Tianjin, a landmark building located at the center of Tianjin that is known for its unique architecture.

"In addition to the beautiful views, our hotel also offers unique service," Leclerc said. "Everybody is a VIP in our hotel. You will definitely have a memorable experience here."

Leclerc regards trust and respect as the key to managing his staff. "Never ask someone to do something you would not do yourself - that's what I've learned in my years of working," Leclerc said. "My team is just like my family, and I give them my trust and respect. Every week I meet with one department in the hotel to talk and get a sense of how things are going. We provide delicious staff meals for our employees, as well as promotion opportunities and career planning assistance. When you put all of these things together, it makes a big difference. Our staff is happy with the environment and passionate about their work."

For Leclerc, learning is a life-time process. "I think that learning is very important, so my management philosophy is based on putting people in an environment where they can be creative, where they can be energetic and where they can be entrepreneurs. And my job is to remove any barriers in their way, because if they have barriers, they cannot perform. In my career, I've been a mentor to many people and I have had great mentors as well."

Leclerc believes that what makes an excellent hotelier is a love for his work. "I'm passionate about what I do and make sure that we have a meaningful operation. I am happy to drive my staff on an emotional level. If you see your leader being passionate and engaged in what he or she does, then obviously you're going to do the same thing. So it's very important to do what you love and I'm lucky that I do."

Though China's hospitality industry is seeing growing competition, Leclerc said he believes that natural selection allows the cream to rise to the top. He added that as long as a hotel delivers the best service, it will be able to weather whatever comes its way.