The beginning: the O-Zone initiative
Our employees are just as important as our guests (Jan Goessing, General Manager of the
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok).
In late 2009, Jan Goessing reflected on how employees’ working conditions could be
integrated into their well-being at the hotel. This reflection led to a concept that could bring
together the idea of a place where people could relax and participate in activities that are
different from their daily work, such as playing games or listening to music. Moreover, this
supported the idea that when people become closer they can achieve great teamwork in a
natural way. This thinking was translated into the creation of a physical space to be known as
a ‘‘hotel within a hotel.’’ This would be a place that employees could identify as their own and
have all elements of a real hotel. The next challenge was to define a list of needs and come
up with a convincing proposal for the board of directors.
The general manager of the hotel would need to persuade members of the board of directors
that the project would generate long-term benefits through employee well-being. In addition,
the project constituted an investment with no immediate financial returns. In order to
overcome any hesitations, Jan Goessing would have to go to Mandarin Oriental Group
headquarters in Hong Kong with strong arguments to approve an estimated project cost of
US$1.5 million. In the boardroom, located in a skyscraper overlooking Victoria Harbour and
Kowloon, he argued to investors that this new concept would provide long-term benefits for
the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in two main ways. First, the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok