General Manager, The Plot Hostels
Age: 38
Derik is instrumental in transforming an old shop house into a luxury hostel that will make a difference in the hospitality industry in Singapore. This was achieved by someone with only four years of experience in the hospitality business and from the IT industry. Derik’s grounded and innovative approach coupled with strong leadership and resourcefulness enabled Santa United to launch The Plot Hostels to add to the portfolio of Santa Grand chain of heritage hotels.
When 259 Outram Road, a four- storey premises within a preserved building in Tiong Bahru was acquired by his employer, Santa United, Derik was tasked to spearhead the launch of the company’s first hostel from scratch to delivering a compelling product to the market.
Determined to create a significant differentiation and impact in the segment and with foresight and a vision, Derik appointed a branding agency to study in-depth the hostel market. This led to positioning The Plot Hostels as a high end luxury hostel catering to young global travelers who are tech-savvy flashpackers. To realise this positioning, Derik appointed an award-winning interior designer to turn the old shop house into a hostel accommodation that provides lavish indoor and outdoor communal spaces, modern well-equipped kitchen, secured private bed spaces with personal secured storage and ensuite baths, Macs, high speed internet connectivity, access control security, all presented in a hotel-standard casual ambience.
With a strong commitment to take the concept to reality, Derik personally led the construction and procurement of fixtures and furnishings, despite having no prior experience in this area, demonstrating his hands-on leadership quality expected of him in order to deliver the product on time.
Derik, on top of being an astute marketer, is also the company’s Technology head. No wonder, The Plot Hostels is full of tech-stuff like Macs, security access waist band, and interacts with consumers on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like. Almost 100% of the bookings come through the internet, exactly the type of consumers the hostel was meant to attract! With sixteen years of technology experience, he understands well how technology and technology-based marketing are to be leveraged towards greater value for his customers and his employer.
The Plot has been growing steadily in terms of occupancy and revenue since it opened its doors in Dec 2013 and the company is confident of this successful trend. After all, only two months into opening, it has garnered numerous commendable and positive reviews on Trip Advisor, ranking at 31st in Singapore over such a short time. The Plot is poised for success and impact in the accommodation space in Singapore, and anticipates setting the pace for high end hostels. The Plot Hostels has the potential to redefine the accommodation options for visitors to Singapore consistent with the overall strategy in the tourism space guided by Singapore Tourism Board. Derik is certainly part of this contribution.
Derik belongs to that rare breed of young, passionate, visionary leaders the company treasures- someone with his business pulse on the market, aware of the latest technological demands of his consumers. As a leader, he works closely with his team in his unassuming ways, engages his management intelligently and is resourceful in enlisting external expertise to enable him achieve his deliverables. As a great asset to the organization, Derik is planned for a key leadership role in Santa United in the future.
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