HOTEL JHL SOLITAIRE: LEADERSHIP IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

by
Nadia Elkristo, Icut Zulfiani, Nur Fita Sari

In the biography book that was made about the life journey of Jerry Hermawan Lo (JHL) so that
he could successfully become an entrepreneur who has businesses from various lines of business,
the most successful of which is his hotel property business. Born in 1957, Mr. Jerry lived in Medan
since he was a child and helped his mother sell cakes and nasi uduk, one day he had a dream to be
able to build his mother a magnificent house so that his mother would not need to sell anymore
and could support his 13 other siblings. Then Mr. Jerry decided to migrate to Jakarta with a modest
capital that was only enough for 1 ticket to go by ship to Jakarta. "My principle is, if you want to
be good at swimming, go to the sea, not to the river." that's what Mr. Jerry said as quoted from his
book called Life University.

Company History
JHL Solitaire Hotel is one of the business lines engaged in hospitality under the parent company
named JHL Group. The meaning of the name JHL itself takes from the name of the owner Jerry
Hermawan Lo. JHL Group has several business lines in property development, hospitality, mining,
lifestyle, wellness, automotive and media. JHL Group has several hotel properties spread across
several cities in Indonesia, specifically for the management that oversees its hotel properties called
JHL Collections, which consists of several hotel brands such as JHL Solitaire Hotel, Episode Hotel
Gading Serpong, Episode Hotel Kuta Bali, JSI Resort, and The Herloom Service Apartment and
Residences. Since JHL Group is a family business that still adheres to the principle of prioritizing
a sense of family, therefore important positions are still held by the children of Mr. Jerry
Hermawan Lo. His first child Mrs. Vinna Hermawan Lo serves as Director of JSI Resort. His
second child Mrs. Venny Hermawan Lo serves as CEO of PT Kontek Aja (JHL Group Head
Office). Her third child Mr. Tommy Hermawan Lo serves as Commissioner of PT. Kontek Aja.
Her fourth child Mrs. Vonny Hermawan Lo serves as Director of PT Veeh Kreasindo Jaya. In
August 2018, JHL Solitaire was officially opened and operated for public.

JHL Solitaire Leadership Styles

Mr. Jerry Hermawan Lo as the owner of JHL Group shared his secret of success in developing
every line of business including JHL Solitaire hotel. Where he has a very visionary vision and
mission. His vision is to make a local company that presents the best international services that
serve customer needs with innovation, unique products and personalized service. While the
mission is to deliver extraordinary services and products, intend to build our successful track
record and established network to grow the properties and markets, increase profitability through
successful revenue growth, cost management, people development and innovation programs.

Mr. Jerry Hermawan Lo has the following principles which he believes that if these things are
done then every individual can achieve success. He named the principle Panca Krida, which
contains opportunity, hard work, work smart, complete work, and loyalty. Here's the explanation,
what is meant by opportunity is that when we work in a place we must not waste it by just working,
we must work seriously because we never know what opportunities will come to us in front of us
by working seriously. Hardwork means the attitude of someone who wants to work beyond the
expectations of others and does not easily complain about the situation at hand. Work smart means
working smartly so that we can complete tasks faster and more accurately so that we don't waste
time just to complete one job. Thorough work here means completing the tasks we start until they
are finished, don't let our tasks and responsibilities cause trouble to others because they are not
completed. Loyalty is also very important because it is an attitude of loyalty to small things that
can lead us to be trusted with big things ahead and can also be loyal to the company where we
work as long as the company still provides us with welfare, loyalty is a form of gratitude itself.
In the scope of work in the field of hospitality where this industry is rarely engaged or interested
by millennials, there is a large age gap between senior hoteliers and newcomer hoteliers, therefore
the owner is quite aware that to pass on the skills needed in the hospitality industry, we must
implement regular training so that the knowledge and skills of seniors can be passed on to their
successors. In particular, Mr. Jerry advised the Human Capital Manager to recruit a Training and
Learning Manager as the person responsible for supervising the heads of department and
organizing training activities for new and existing employees so that the standard of service
provided is always in line with expectations according to five-star hotel standards.
One of the methods used to maintain the quality of a leader and employees is the coaching and
mentoring method. The coaching activities are carried out regularly in each department, where the
Head of Department (HOD) or supervisor provides coaching to his subordinates on how to serve
and carry out tasks according to applicable SOPs. While mentoring activities are carried out by the
Training and Learning Manger by gathering leaders (supervisor level and above) by providing
training on leadership skills, time management, problem solving skills, teamwork, etc.
Coaching and mentoring are important components of employee development in the hospitality
industry. The coaching process involves providing guidance, feedback and support to employees
to help them improve their skills, knowledge and performance. While mentoring, on the other
hand, involves a long-term relationship between a more experienced employee and a less
experienced employee, with the aim of developing the latter's skills, knowledge and career
potential. At JHL Solitaire, coaching and mentoring can be done in several ways, including:
1. On-the-job training: One of the most common ways of coaching and mentoring at JHL Solitaire
Hotel Serpong is through on the job training. This involves giving employees hands-on experience
while working alongside experienced coworkers. Experienced employees provide guidance and
feedback as less experienced employees perform tasks.

2. Formal training programs: Hospitality organizations may also have formal training programs
designed to provide coaching and mentoring to On-the-job training: One of the most common
ways coaching and mentoring is done at JHL Solitaire Hotel Serpong is through on the job training.
This involves giving employees hands-on experience while on the job.
3. Individual coaching sessions: Managers and supervisors can also provide one-on-one coaching
sessions with employees. During these sessions, employees receive feedback on their performance,
guidance on areas that require improvement, and support to help them achieve their goals.
4. Mentoring relationship: Mr. Revan serves as Manager of Learning and Training Program at JHL
Soliatire, established a formal mentoring program that matches experienced employees with less
experienced ones. Mentors provide guidance and support to employees, sharing their knowledge
and experience to help employees develop their skills and advance their careers. Overall, coaching
and mentoring are important components of employee development in the hospitality industry.
They help employees improve their skills, knowledge and performance, while building stronger
relationships between employees and management. The hospitality industry is a customer-centric
industry that relies heavily on employees to deliver quality services to customers. Therefore,
employee development is critical to the success of any hospitality organization. Coaching involves
providing employees with the tools and resources necessary to perform their duties effectively.
Effective coaching helps employees gain confidence in their abilities, make better decisions, and
achieve their goals. Managers or supervisors can provide coaching by monitoring employee
performance, providing feedback, and providing training as needed.

Critical Situation: Values Needed for Service Excellence

The hospitality industry is a highly competitive industry because there are various hotel property
brands in the Tangerang area, this is where the challenges faced by JHL Solitaire hotel begin,
where stakeholders collaborate with the General Manager and all Heads of Department to continue
to innovate, create and offer unique products, provide personalized service so that services reach
the hearts of customers. Therefore, Mrs. Hanny as General Manger at JHL Solitaire gave an order
to Mr. Revan as Manager of Learning and Training Program, to make routine mentoring activities
for all supervisor leader levels and above in order to sharpen soft skills and hard skills as a leader.
The mentoring programs created by Mr. Revan consist of several sessions, including Journey of
experience, Empathic sense of service, Welcoming guests with warmth & enthusiasm, Engaging
communication & collaboration, and Lifetime learner which is known as JEWEL.

From the sessions organized above, it is hoped that the knowledge provided can be implemented
in daily operational activities. The following are the value derivatives of:
Journey of experience means sincere, committed, respectful and reliable.
Emphatic sense of service means caring and attentive.

Welcoming guest with warmth and enthusiasm means warm, helpful, pleasant and fun.
Engaging communication and collaboration means agile, responsible, assertive, digital.
Lifelong learner means knowledgeable and inventive.

Results: Succeed
With the support of stakeholders to all employees who work at JHL Solitaire and apply JEWEL
values in their daily activities, significant changes have occurred. More than 90% of customers are
satisfied with the services provided as seen from Trip Advisor, TrustYou, Google Review reviews
regarding the level of customer satisfaction with the facilities and services provided. Of course,
this achievement is very good for JHL Solitaire's reputation as the only five-star hotel in Banten
Province and further strengthens its position as a strong competitor for various other hotel brands
in this industry.