One of the best things about Hyatt is that our coworkers are our extended family. And we're always here to help one another. So when Andaz Shanghai opened last year, Hyatt associates at the new hotel leaned on their fellow associates in Hyatt hotels around Shanghai for guidance and support. It's helped to form a close friendship among the hotels and staff that's still going strong.

For example, Simon Graf of Andaz Shanghai recently invited his counterparts Mariano Silvestri of Park Hyatt Shanghai, Tina Yang of Grand Hyatt Shnghai and Jeremy Niu of Hyatt on the Bund and their team members to a dinner on the terrace of HaiPai, Andaz Shanghai's neighborhood-style restaurant. It was a great opportunity to thank each other for ongoing support and continue momentum with their already close relationships. The night of networking and team building surrounded the theme of "Welcoming Andaz's Best Friends to their Best Friend's Home in Shanghai." 

Simon, who has been with Hyatt for more than 10 years, joined Andaz Shanghai's pre-opening team in early 2011 and played a critical role in introducing the Andaz brand to China. He said the support of successful Shanghai sister hotels was crucial, both professionally and personally.

"Opening a new hotel in a new city is daunting but to have the support of our sister hotels truly helps when it comes to amenity programs, sourcing products, finding vendors for airport service, and always having someone close in similar markets to discuss Hyatt Gold Passport," Simon said. "Although each of our hotels has its personal style, the united presence of Hyatt's brands and the awareness in Shanghai is beneficial to each of us."

The hotel teams have established a solid base towards sharing feedback and exchanging best practices. In fact, they often welcome the very same guests across Hyatt's more than 1660 rooms in the city.

But it's not just business. "I do not only see Tina, Jeremy and Mariano as my colleagues, I consider them my best friends," Simon said.