Chapter 168 What Business to Do

Of course, you still need to conduct research before acquiring the land.

Lin Ruoyan gave the relevant data of the Yuhang project to Zhao Xingxing and asked the design department to discuss what to do first.

She spent another two days in Hangzhou, and the design department submitted a streamlined set of reference documents with both illustrations and text. She hadn't expected the design department to be so capable, having come up with such a result without even using an external consulting firm.

One of the answers gave Lin Ruoyan great inspiration.

The idea was to build a boutique hotel. It was Hua Mengmeng who first suggested it, and the design department spotted it as something worth exploring.

Hua Mengmeng is not a professional, but she has been looking for a suitable location for a B&B branch in Beijing recently. She has been thinking about the operating logic of small-scale hotels. Seeing this kind of land and this size, she couldn't help but have some ideas.

Zhao Xingxing also feels that if a commercial street with a floor area ratio of 0.5 is used, it can only be a less concentrated antique-style commercial street with two floors or less, with a small bridge and flowing water next to the wetland park, pursuing a good environment.

But without a commercial atmosphere and a small scale, what good is a beautiful streetscape? It would be better to build a boutique hotel, tucked away next to the wetland park, where it would be secluded yet not isolated.

Zhao Xingxing also used his connections in the design industry to research the long-term plan for Xixi Wetland, which promises to be a massive park. Frankly, a person couldn't explore it all in a day, and leaving the park for a meal wouldn't be an option. Most people would choose to eat inside the park or bring their own food.

So, running a shopping street has no future, so it’s better to run a hotel. If guests can’t finish the shopping in one day, they can stay in a hotel next to the park and continue shopping the next day.

Due to the height limit, the hotel’s style cannot be novel. It is better to imitate the style of Jiangnan gardens, with winding paths and changing scenery.

Lin Ruoyan liked this idea very much. The cost department also provided a cost estimate for each suggestion. The style and cost were acceptable. A hotel mainly consisting of one floor would be built and it would open next summer vacation, so there would be no need to worry about customer sources.

The Siheyuan B&B has accumulated a lot of customers who prefer to deeply experience traditional culture, both Chinese and foreign. Since they like traditional folk houses like Siheyuan, would they also like to experience the exquisiteness of the Jiangnan water town gardens and the Hangzhou sightseeing tour?

In Hua Mengmeng's vision, the courtyard B&B is just one key component of Lin's real estate's hotel business, from which different hotel products will be expanded in the future. Boutique hotels near tourist attractions are a must, as is the designer B&B crowdfunded by Zhang Huanyu.

If that can be done, many beautiful places near big cities can also do the same in the future.

So before Lin Ruoyan left Hangzhou, she negotiated the 75 acres of land in Yuhang District and signed an agreement. When she returned to Beijing, she would receive the stamped contract and payment would be made in January next year. Now the design work could be started ahead of schedule.

She insisted that the design institute hire an internationally renowned hotel team. Boutique hotels differ from standard B&Bs in that they must consider the operational needs of high-end hotels while also incorporating authentic traditional cultural concepts. Professor Qiao's team could serve as a consultant or co-designer for the traditional design, but the lead designer must have experience with successful international boutique hotel projects.

This wasn't a problem for Zhao Xingxing. She had previously accompanied Professor Qiao on a public trip to the European Architecture Awards ceremony, where she had gained a lot. She had established connections with top architects in various fields, and with a sufficient budget for design fees, her work was easy to carry out.

The last time, Zhao Xingxing and Hua Mengmeng went to Country Y together and met Li Yiqi.

On the other side, Li Yiqi took over the acquired company safely without delaying his studies, sorted out the key technologies and related equipment, and shipped them all back to China.

The old factory had been vacated, and they were worried about what to do next. So, just as Lin Ruoyan had envisioned, they started by looking for a design company based on the concept of a city boutique hotel.

Converting an old factory into a hotel was a significant challenge. Zhao Xingxing approached several companies, which gave him early access to a team of international boutique hotel professionals. However, the pace of work overseas was incredibly slow. A design cycle of two months in China might take the international team six months to complete, so there was no rush.

Now that the Yuhang project was in demand, Zhao Xingxing had no problem finding a design firm. She also immediately found a suitable designer for the hotel in the Yicheng urban complex and extended an invitation.

Lin Ruoyan asked the cost department and the finance department to strictly control monthly expenditures within 100 million yuan, and she would use bonuses to adjust it. The monthly spending target of 100 million yuan was steadily completed, and she didn't have to worry about anything extra.

This is of course thanks to the money in her account, which allows her to "squander" so easily.

The Spring Festival in 2003 was on the first day of February. Lin Ruoyan asked Lao Jiao from the engineering department and found out that the construction companies usually had their holidays in mid-January.

The weather is too cold and not suitable for construction. In mid-January, several projects of Lin's Real Estate entered a state of rest and recovery. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month next year, those who do interior decoration will come back first, and those who do outdoor projects will have to wait until the thaw in early March.

Lin Ruoyan herself started her winter vacation in mid-December. Feeling a little sorry for her colleagues who were still working on the front line, she decided that the real estate company would also start a holiday from mid-January, with paid leave, and would go back to work on the 16th day of the first lunar month after the Spring Festival.

As soon as this idea came out, it was dissuaded by Wen Erya, the director of the Human Resources Department.

Lin Ruoyan didn't listen to any other reasons. She thought that since the construction team of the real estate company had stopped, why were they staying here? They couldn't let their employees go to the construction site to move bricks.

Wen Erya tried to persuade him earnestly, saying that the Engineering Department could do whatever it wanted, but didn’t the other departments all have their own problems?

The design department had to move forward with the design plans for several projects, but the foreign design institutes had already celebrated Christmas and New Year's Day, and they didn't have a holiday for Spring Festival. This time, Lin Ruoyan realized the downside of hiring an overseas design firm. How could the foreigners' Christmas be over so quickly? What a mistake!

The same goes for the Information Department over there. They have to monitor the website and software maintenance all year round and respond 24 hours a day. They even have a duty schedule for the Spring Festival.

The cost department explained that they had more than just construction contracts to deal with. They also needed to review accounts before Spring Festival, and they also had to sort out various sales contracts from other departments. They also had to evaluate supplier platforms. In short, even if the company was on holiday, they'd likely be working overtime, and they'd be lucky to get seven days off during Spring Festival, the legal holiday.

The marketing department's reasons were even more convincing. It was the end of the year, and everyone had more money. Some clients who had previously wanted to buy luxury homes had been waiting for their funds to be paid before the Spring Festival, but now they could finally pay in full.

The period before the Spring Festival is the golden period for sales. The marketing department wishes they could work two days in one day, taking care of four groups of customers during the day and two or three groups at night. On weekends, they work non-stop. Not only at the sales office, but now they can also visit luxury homes and clubs, run around the city and along the Fourth Ring Road, and are so busy that they even use their own private cars to pick up and drop off customers.

They're so diligent, closing one sale after another. How could they possibly give up their job and just go home and relax? The sales department's base salary is high, but the commission from selling a house is even higher.

The sales champion of January has changed to Jiang Fang. She is indeed good at selling houses and has brought in many high-end customers from other places.

She told her clients, "This is the best and most expensive house in Beijing. Even if you don't live in Beijing, you should buy one and keep it as a haven. The price of this house is rising every month. It's currently 40,000 to 50,000 yuan per square meter, and when it's ready, you won't be able to buy one even at 50,000 to 60,000 yuan per square meter."

It happened to be before the Spring Festival when everyone had enough money, and banks were also lending money smoothly in the new fiscal year. In short, we signed contracts for 20 units and sales reached a new high.

With so many departments still working, the HR and Finance departments certainly couldn't afford to rest, so the plan for an early holiday fell through. Lin Ruoyan simply said that everyone could apply for family leave for as long as they wanted.

But no one responded. Even the engineering department, which could have been taking a break, felt sorry for their colleagues who had been working all this time and spontaneously stayed at the construction site.

The construction workers had all left, but that didn't stop them from inspecting the site, just in case there were any hidden dangers. With so many projects halfway through construction and so much expensive material sitting on the site, someone needed to be on the lookout.