Vinzenz Rosa de Pauli: Asian Loyalty

August 31, 2022 Macau Casino & Hotel

Sits down with Vinzenz Rosa de Pauli, the Austrian hotel manager of Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16, to learn a little more about the man behind the scenes of the classic local venue.

Oscar Guijarro: Vinzenz, you’ve come a long way from Austria to reach Macau. What are your memories of childhood back home in Europe?

Vinzenz Rosa de Pauli: I had a beautiful childhood, but it was more like a very Central European childhood, with a very stable family situation, going to school, in the afternoon enjoying life, playing football, tennis, golf … and skiing and snowboarding in winter. I became a snowboard and skiing instructor. I was skiing and snowboarding my entire life. At the age of two it was the first time I was put on skis. That’s like in our blood. It’s a national sport.

At 15 or 16 I applied for a job in a skiing area because I wanted to be a snowboarding instructor. And this skiing school took me which had hotel restaurants and entertainment facilities. I was recruited as a snowboarding instructor for the entertainment division, but when I arrived they said they were also looking for a bar keeper, so from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4pm I was a snowboarding instructor, then I would have a rest and in the evening, at 8pm or 9pm when the bar opened, I would work behind the bar.

But I didn’t see it as work. I loved barkeeping and I loved skiing and instructing because it’s fun that you can teach people.

Then I was a bit naughty in high school and my father said, “Let’s send you a little bit further away to somewhere you’re not so comfortable.” And he sent me to one of his business partners in Hong Kong knowing that he had all his factories in Qingdao. The target was to send me to Qingdao to show me how life in China was back then. That’s now more than 20 years ago and it was a good learning moment for me, but in the end, it was not a punishment for me. It was such an amazing experience that I returned after completing my studies and work experience in Europe.

OG: So you quickly developed a passion for hospitality?

VRP: Well, my grandfather had a hotel not far from my hometown, but when he passed away my father was not interested in doing that. It remained in family hands but we didn’t manage it or visit it. But there was an anniversary celebration there which I joined and it kind of interested me. As a little kid, that was the first trigger for me becoming a little bit attached to this industry.

Then my parents’ best friend, who had several hotels in our city and a lot of restaurants, asked if I wanted to try working in his catering company to make some pocket money. So I joined him on a Saturday helping him out catering a wedding and I was immediately fascinated by how the organization worked. It was very specific. And after all those internships and part time jobs I had in bars, restaurants and clubs, I think my career path was very clear.

I went to the hospitality school in Klessheim, in Salzburg – Mozart’s hometown – which is the best hospitality school in Austria and also happens to be right next to the casino. I did two years there, went to a restaurant in London, then to Budapest, but I needed to go further abroad and ended up back in Qingdao. I wrote some letters to some hotels in Qingdao, and the Crowne Plaza thought I was a suitable candidate so three weeks later I was on a plane going to China.