Time is money? Time is quality of life! In recent years we have all experienced how precious our time is, and we think more carefully about how, where and with whom we spend it. We don’t want to squander it with pointless activities but use it for the things we really enjoy and which are important to us. Values are being redefined. And we want to go to places where we feel at home and that are good for our soul. Such as the hotels from Genesis Automobile’s partner, The Living Circle. I meet up with General Manager Jörg Arnold for a trip on Lake Zurich and to philosophise about the times we are living in.
The Genesis 'We come to you' promise & the Partnership with THE LIVING CIRCLE
The Genesis brand represents a new and exciting alternative in the premium mobility sector. Genesis has set itself the aim of redefining the ownership of a luxury vehicle and the standard of service offered. The core principle of the Genesis difference is to put customers centre stage and treat them as guests, in accordance with the Korean 'son-nim' principle. With a superb service offer, Genesis creates trusting and sustained customer loyalty. 'We come to you' – Genesis travels to the customer, and not the other way around. Whether it’s a test drive, the delivery of a new vehicle, regular maintenance or warranty work, Genesis collects and returns the vehicle as well as taking care of other details, so that customers can travel carefree and enjoy their driving. According to the principle, 'It’s about time', respect for the busy schedules of its customers is central to their relationship. From the Genesis Personal Assistant that accompanies customers on their personal Genesis journey, to a comprehensive 5-year service promise as well as transparent driving and financing models, Genesis does everything to ensure that its customers don’t need to worry about anything and can simply enjoy their time.
Genesis’ partnership with The Living Circle makes it possible to for them to keep their 'We come to you' brand promise, delivering the new vehicle/courtesy car or carrying out test drives directly at the customer’s residence, but also, if desired, at one of The Living Circle’s five star hotels in Zurich, such as the Widder Hotel, the Storchen Zurich or the Alex Lake Zürich. This allows the Genesis Personal Assistant to exceed the expectations of its customers by providing a luxury service experience as part of its vehicle handover. Business travellers also have the opportunity to collect their new Genesis vehicle or their courtesy car 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – around the clock – at one of the Living Circle hotels.
THE LIVING CIRCLE GROUP
The group is made up of four hotels, three agricultural enterprises, a restaurant and a rustico. These are the Castello del Sole in Ascona, the Widder Hotel and the Storchen Hotel in Zürich and the Alex Lake Zürich in Thalwil. They are joined by the Buech Restaurant in Herrliberg, the Rustico del Sole in Ascona and the agricultural enterprises Schlattgut in Herrliberg, Terreni alla Maggia in Ascona and the Château de Raymontpierre in Vermes. The Living Circle Group has also been partner of the Caminada Group since March 2022. The Living Circle Group is Swiss family-owned. All The Living Circle members have a strong link to nature. Experiences for guests take centre stage, accompanied by the 'Farm to Table' philosophy. www.thelivingcircle.ch
The weather is perfect for a boat tour. The sun’s rays put us in the right mood for our interview about time and the really important things in life. We start at the Hotel Storchen and allow ourselves – in wonderfully relaxed style – to drift across the lake to the Hotel Alex Lake Zürich in Thalwil and onwards to the Buech Restaurant in Herrliberg. I want to find out from Jörg Arnold how he came up with this new and special hotel concept that he is offering his guests. He tells me about his experiences of the empty streets in the city, his empty hotel and how he felt when he wasn’t allowed to welcome any guests. But Jörg Arnold wouldn’t be Jörg Arnold if he hadn’t seized the chance to turn a crisis into an opportunity. How did he use the quiet time?
He and his strategy team, made up of his closest employees, developed the idea of creating synergies from different projects, which were already in the planning stage, developing them and combining them into a unique system. A system that is future-proof and fulfils the new and changing needs of the guests. Hotel Alex joined in and so the City Lake Resort was born. The starting point was the fundamental presumption that guests primarily come to spend their leisure time in the hotels. Their valuable leisure time which they do not simply want to fill with some kind of material luxury, but with a new luxury that understands their time as a valuable resource, and leads to sustainable experiences and memories. Jörg Arnold and his team therefore developed the concept of 'Moments', which incorporates beautiful moments and gestures in all three establishments, using the lake as the unifying element. They create islands of time for their guests which they can spend with their nearest and dearest.
You can, for example, experience nature on a boat trip between the Storchen city hotel, the Alex lake hotel and the Herrliberg landing stage (with chauffeur service in a Genesis car to the Buech Restaurant), enjoy time together with a relaxing dinner-for-two, try out the bar tour or the food tour, or have an urban picnic. Guests can choose from among these many possibilities and do what they like the best. You can do everything completely spontaneously and in great locations. This makes staying in the hotel even more enjoyable and exciting; guests go home with fulfilling memories that they’ll always enjoy looking back on.
'It would be wonderful if I could live outside of time. I try to be very efficient and productive, to create free time for myself. Then I can enjoy not living by the clock, having no plans for the day, or spending valuable time with family and friends.'
For Jörg Arnold the term 'time' and its perception has changed substantially. Time is something very precious to him. But having more time also means knowing how to use it valuably, so that you don’t waste it on senseless things. Good time for him is time spent with people he likes – either professionally or privately –, or time when he can immerse himself in his own thoughts, enjoy music, nature and tranquillity. Or be out-and-about with his wife on his Harley, allow himself to be surprised and react spontaneously, experience life more consciously, break free of the rat race, take a slowed-down pace of life into the future. In the process, well-being and personal fulfilment are of central importance. Jörg Arnold also uses the concept of precious time when working for the hotels. Here he regards himself above all as a coach to his employees, giving them what they need to carry out their job in the best possible way and to organise this themselves. In doing so, he always has a sympathetic ear for questions and problems. His recipe for success is to organise everything in such a way that upcoming tasks are carried out as efficiently and productively as possible, and to stay in control. This means that he never succumbs to time pressure and says he is never stressed. In addition to his staff, he gives his time above all to his guests, takes care of their wishes and concerns, and makes them feel welcome. He is interested in finding out how they are and what they have experienced. For him this is a natural part of The Living Circle Group’s corporate culture of luxurious understatement. And the hotel group shares this approach to service with Genesis, a company that aims to offer its customers exceptional services and time for the important things in life.
Jörg Arnold, General Manager Hotels Widder, Storchen, Alex Lake Zürich, Restaurant Buech
The 62-year-old hotelier from the Canton of Uri briefly studied medicine before attending the School of Hotel Management in Lausanne, directly following this with a management studies course at Cornell University, USA. After various positions in hotels, he came to Zurich’s Hotel Storchen in 2001, initially as Deputy Director, and has been General Manager there since 2006. He discovered his fascination for hotels before he had even taken his matura (school leaving certificate) while jobbing over the summer at his uncle’s hotel in the canton of Valais. Married with six children, this passionate host acts as an experience & time-giver and a coach to his employees. He applies his experiences to his work with various organisations including Swiss Tourism and Zurich Tourism. In old age he would like to have a timetable-free life.
Genesis GV60
The future of the premium manufacturer Genesis lies clearly in electric mobility. The GV60 and the electrified G80 are already on the road; the electrified GV70 SUV will follow them later this year. By 2025, the brand will be completely electrified. 'Athletic Elegance', Genesis’ design language, meets the beauty of a white room – a concept from Korean architecture that defines its interiors. This creates the perfect balance between individual freedom and pioneering technology. Comfort, connectivity, driving dynamics, safety and a long range are leading the way to an electric future. The fast recharging time from 10 to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes is impressive. Meaning that you save valuable time.
