Newsletter No. 32

No32 July 1992 CUHK Newsletter Yali Guest House The New Guest Houses The two youngest brothers of the UGH system are each named after their respective donors: the Chan Kwan-tung Building after Mr. Chan Kwan-tung, and the Chiang's Building after Dr. Chiang Chen, The former comprises 31 guest rooms on five floors) while the latter houses 64 twin rooms on its nine storeys. In terms of the number of rooms available for hire, the capacity of the two new guest houses is more than treble that of the three old guest houses put together. Designed by the Buildings Office, the new guest houses share a similar outlook: a stepped structure that corresponds with the sloping landscape nearby, and ashy blue outer walls which blend pleasantly with the natural environment. Architects have spent a lot of time and effort to design the position of windows so as to allow most rooms a sea view. The internal layout is modelled after a simple hotel. All curtains, chairs and bed covers are made of the same fabric of patterned pastel. A ll units are carpeted and equipped with TV sets and mini-fridges. How the Guest Houses Were Run When the Yali Guest House was still the only member of the UGH system, its management was vested in a committee, on which the University Secretary served as chairman, and the head of the PR and Information Section served as secretary. Day to day operation was supervised by the PR and Information Section. When University Guest Houses I and II joined the system in 1980 ， an enlarged UGH Management Committee was formed at the same time. The supervisor of the three guest houses was still the head of the PR and Information Section. As the number of visitors continued to grow, the UGH Management Committee decided to appoint a full-time manager in 1984 to assume overall responsibility for the operation of the system. Under the manager were a dozen staff members, who took care of reservations, cleaning, and catering services. The UGH System thus began to evolve slowly from its early family- style operation into a more modem management with staff striving to provide comfortable, affordable accommodations and friendly service. Management Reorganized Entering into the 1990s, the University vigorously strives to expand its linkages with overseas institutions, and the Office of Academic Links was established in 1991 to coordinate efforts made in this direction. The construction of new guest houses on the campus was also commissioned to prepare for the anticipated increased volume of guests. With the completion of the new guest houses this year, the managerial structure of the UGH system has also been reorganized to cope with expanded facilities and to improve service. In the new UGH system, the supervisor of all the guest houses, old and new, is Mr. Mark Sheldon, who is concurrently director of the Office of Academic Links. Reporting directly to him is the guest house manager, Mr. Donald Ng. Under Mr. Ng are 23 staff members, working in four major divisions: • The Front Office at the Yali Guest House which handles reception work for the Yali Guest House, the Chan Kwan-tung Building and the Chiang's Building. • The Housekeeping Division which is responsible for all cleaning and maintenance work. • The Catering Division which operates the Staff Common Room restaurant and the function rooms. • The Kitchen which takes charge of food and beverage supplies. New Facilities and Services Efforts of the new management arc now focused on providing better and more efficient service. Areas for improvement have been identified and 7