Wolfgang Emperger, Senior Vice President for Europe, Africa, UK & Ireland at Shiji Group, exemplifies every trait of a good leader. He is neutral, passionate about work, calm under pressure, and humble in his approach. His open-door policy, approachability, and commitment to empowering his team to think and act like entrepreneurs create an environment where new ideas, problem-solving, and innovation thrive. For him, leadership is about guiding others – and not ordering them – to find their own solutions, which is why he coaches his eleven direct reports.
Customer satisfaction is paramount for Wolfgang, believing it creates a happy and successful environment. “One should focus on doing one’s best and not on exact outcome in terms of pennies,” he says. “Focus should be on customers and the service deliverables, and the success will follow automatically along the way.”
Wolfgang is successful not only because of his focus on customers, his empowerment of those around him, and his positive demeanor but also because he truly enjoys what he does.
The Professional Journey
Wolfgang’s journey in the hospitality industry didn’t begin with a grand dream. Still a teenager, he stepped into a local bar and restaurant near his school to earn some money. But, along with making money, he discovered his passion for the hospitality industry. “I loved it so much that I dropped out of school, although my parents weren’t too happy about that,” he says. He then took a full-time apprenticeship at a hotel in St. Anton am Arlberg, nestled in the Austrian Alps. This was Wolfgang’s first job in a real hotel.
After a couple of years in the industry, Wolfgang realized that he would need additional education to advance his career in hospitality. He enrolled in a hotel management college for advanced studies and followed up with an executive MBA.
Wolfgang’s career path then took him to the Westin South Coast Plaza in Orange County, California, where he joined Starwood’s operations. His return to Europe marked a significant shift in his career, as he transitioned to the vendor side of hospitality. This move allowed Wolfgang to combine his passion for hospitality with the opportunity to innovate through leading technology solutions and approaches. His interest in technology was ignited when the first automated revenue management systems were introduced.
“I wanted to stay in the industry, focusing more on IT, but keeping the touch point with the day-to-day hospitality,” Wolfgang says. “And that’s where I am today.” Despite his move to the IT side, Wolfgang continues to be passionate about hospitality.
In June 2022, he joined Shiji Group, where his focus was on transforming the organization from a service-revenue-heavy company into a true SaaS player. Under his leadership, the organization’s annual SaaS revenue has significantly increased.
About Shiji Group and Its Enterprise Platform
Shiji Group’s mission is to help its clients better serve their guests through a fully integrated network of hospitality systems. Its platform, Shiji Enterprise Platform, is a ground-up new development, built without legacy code; and its foundation is built for large enterprises – global operations with thousands of hotels. The platform is built on four core principles: enterprise first, security first, guest-centric, and API everything.
One of the key pillars of Shiji Group’s success is the “API everything” approach. Its solution internally consumes all its APIs, which are also accessible through its integration partner approach. “We believe in a complete open industry approach, both from technical and political perspectives,” Wolfgang says. “So, our competitors of today may become our partners tomorrow.”
While the company’s enterprise platform encompasses a wide range of services, certain components, like professional revenue management, can be offered to specialized partners. A deliberate choice was made by the company to leave those areas to the experts. The platform will continue to grow and feature PMS, Meetings & Events, Activities, Spa, Golf, Analytics, and more. According to Wolfgang, since all microservices are integrated, adding new functionalities will be easy; this will ensure the platform’s long-term success as a lasting technology solution.
“Historically, our software was heavy to implement,” Wolfgang says. “We now apply modern deployment methodologies to reduce service efforts and focus on ARR growth.” He explains that the key to shareholder value is a good ARR base with minimum churn, which requires proper customer service engagement. After all, state-of-the-art software is only as good as the ongoing service that accompanies it.
“One of my guiding principles is that we are all in customer service,” Wolfgang says. At Shiji Group, it is an organizational mindset that is embraced at all levels, starting with the CEO and senior management team.
Overcoming Mindset of the Past
It is not easy to transform a legacy on-premise business. One significant challenge that Wolfgang continues to face is the outdated “mindset of the past.”
He explains that they may sell something today and book a large chunk of revenue, which looks great for the current month or quarter, but it is not sustainable and does not enable long-term growth. The way to overcome this is by being open, he adds.
“Show the revenue, the overall P&L results, and make people accountable while encouraging them to participate in the growth,” Wolfgang says. He firmly believes that if a leader wants to cultivate entrepreneurship in their company, they need to be open and empower people, and make that part of both the success and the strategy.
Open and Fair Industry Player
Wolfgang is known for being a very open and fair industry player, a reputation he considers one of his greatest achievements. He is also proud of their holistic, highly integrated product offering and open-industry approach, which allows them to collaborate with others.
“In some areas, we may be competitors, and in other areas, partners,” Wolfgang says. “It is about collaboration and working together for the benefit of the customer, the hotelier, and ultimately, the guest.” According to him, the open-industry approach is driven by a focus on finding the best solution for their customers.
Throughout his career, Wolfgang has been passionate about building and empowering his team, and he continues to do the same at Shiji Group as well. “I have around 11 direct reports, but the structure beneath is relatively flat,” he says.
“We recently posted a strategic role and are currently interviewing candidates internally,” he adds. “It’s about giving people empowerment and opportunities to advance within the company, which is deeply appreciated by the team as they grow with the organization.”
Wolfgang is approachable and encourages everyone to be an entrepreneur who is running their own business and ideas.
Donning the Hat of a Coach
Wolfgang is more of a coach than a boss to his “fantastic” team. He believes in empowering and trusting his team. “If I try to control everything myself,” Wolfgang points out, “I’d become the bottleneck, and the company would probably come to a standstill.”
So, instead of giving orders, Wolfgang coaches and guides his team, who, according to him, are all entrepreneurs running their enterprises. When they come to him for advice, he doesn’t show them the direction to follow, but asks them, “What would you do?” This leads to healthy discussions, generating great ideas and conclusions. Wolfgang shares that his team usually takes the right direction on their own, while his answers have been wrong in the past.
An exemplary leader, he is patient and open to input from others. For one of the roles they are currently interviewing for, Wolfgang shares that they are defining the position collaboratively with the candidates. By asking for their input, they hope to shape the role in a better way. “People who are in a certain job on a day-to-day basis know it much better than I do from the outside,” Wolfgang says.
He is not involved in the day-to-day approval or sign-off activities at Shiji Group. But from a legal standpoint, he has to provide some of the approvals and signatures. He, however, likes to keep his focus on the bigger picture, such as “Where do we go from here?” He prioritizes making small, continuous improvements every day – this is also where he wants to direct his efforts.
Wolfgang is a frequent traveler, spending 50% of his day traveling. During his travels, he interacts a lot with their customers, the hoteliers, and the dedicated people behind the desk who are passionate about the industry and always strive to do their best.
“One of the particular things I really like about my role is that it’s not a global role,” Wolfgang says. “It’s focused on Europe — the regional area where I’m home most of the weekends.” This allows him to strike a balance between his personal and professional life, although he is constantly working – even in private mode. Since he is passionate about his work and truly enjoys it, he actually looks forward to his travels after the weekend. For him, it is more “Thank God, it’s Monday” than TGIF.
Positive customer feedback motivates Wolfgang’s team, driving them to innovate rather than simply offering another “me-too” solution in the market. Wolfgang, however, is never short on motivation because he genuinely loves what he does.
“Work is not just work for me; it’s my passion,” he says. “I also work alongside an engaged and inspired team, which makes it fun.”
What Is Next for Shiji Group?
Wolfgang and his team are striving to make Shiji Group the number two player in their segment within the next five years, and number one within the next ten. “We will achieve this with state-of-the-art technology that continuously evolves,” he says. They don’t intend to stand still, not even for a day.
“Our key to success is bringing together all guest activities during a trip into one itinerary and one system,” Wolfgang says. For nearly two decades, the industry has struggled to deliver a seamless guest experience. With the Shiji Enterprise Platform and its various submodules — all on the same platform, using a single guest profile – it is now possible to provide a unified guest view and experience. According to Wolfgang, this is crucial for planning the guest’s stay, offering upsell opportunities, and delivering the ultimate guest experience.
Changing Landscape of the Hospitality Industry
The hospitality industry is undergoing significant changes, with automation increasingly placing more control in the hands of guests. While working in the luxury space, Wolfgang had noted reluctance to adopt self-service options. However, this is now starting to change.
“Just recently, we went live with one of the leading health resorts in Switzerland,” he informs. Previously, this customer had been hesitant – they still write guests’ orders with pen and paper. “We also implemented a digital self-ordering option on guests’ phones,” Wolfgang shares. This doesn’t mean they won’t receive high-touch service with pen and paper or from a direct server. They will, but if they’re by the pool or in one of the cabanas, they also have the self-ordering option to use.
Wolfgang highlights that the type of experience guests want varies across generations. For example, his parents still prefer the high-touch service, considering it as part of what they are paying for in a luxury setting. On the other hand, some millennials might choose not to interact with a server at all. There are also practical considerations, like the language barrier – travelers from countries like China or Japan may prefer to use their mobile devices for self-ordering rather than communicating in a foreign language.
“What I love most is the flexibility and diversity,” Wolfgang says. “One day, after a long flight, I might just want to go straight to my room with minimal interaction. But two days later, over the weekend, I might want to fully enjoy the hospitality experience.”
He points out that preferences for automated self-service versus high-touch service cannot be divided by age group. “You can’t really define that a certain age range wants automation and another wants high-touch service. It depends on the guest’s purpose of travel or needs, feelings, and mood at the moment.”
Advice to Aspiring Leaders in Hospitality Industry
Wolfgang advises aspiring leaders not to shy away from any job in the industry, saying that every learning experience will benefit them over time. He warns them against becoming arrogant or snobby. “And don’t stand still,” he adds.
Although the hospitality industry is not typically known for rapid technological adoption, guests often bring technologies they use into hotels. “You need to adapt and provide them with that experience,” Wolfgang points out. He sees particular promise in cloud systems, which, according to him, make it easier for hoteliers to upgrade and adapt and not be “stuck for 7-10 years with heavy on-premise systems.”
