Catherine Racsko’s appointment a first for women in local hospitality sector
Less than two years after opening as the first 5-star, internationally renowned hotel on the beach in Vietnam, Sheraton Nha Trang has notched another first in the country's march to maturation as a tourist destination with the appointment of a female general manager, Catherine Racsko.
Though women have managed at least two other upscale hotels in Vietnam, those properties don't have the global reach of the Sheraton brand. And while a female GM is nothing out of the ordinary in more established tourist destinations, Racsko's appointment is remarkable in Vietnam, and a bellwether of sorts.
"We are pleased to have Catherine on the team, and I know with her experience in Asia and strong sales and marketing background she will be a tremendous asset to Sheraton Nha Trang," said Wayne Buckingham, regional vice president for Starwood Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. "It is also good to see an increasing number of female GMs heading Starwood hotels in the Thailand-Vietnam-Cambodia region, where she joins three others currently in place in Thailand."
Trailblazing is nothing new to the Australian hotelier. She was the first foreign female to pick up the reins at a Starwood property in China where she worked at Le Meridien She Shan Shanghai.
While it's tempting to dismiss the differences between the sexes when it comes to managing a hotel, Racsko insists there is a difference — not better, not worse, just different.
"The so-called 'female touch' can be a very positive characteristic for a GM," she said. "We tend to pay closer attention to detail and can multi-task better than most men. It's also, I would say, easier for us to convey a contagiously enthusiastic spirit!"
For other reasons, too, Racsko expects to feel right at home in Vietnam where, like many foreign travelers, she's already observed the prevalence of a hard-working female workforce, both among the ranks of the blue collar and white collar workforces.
"There are a lot of really influential women in this country," Racsko said, just weeks into her appointment. "Maybe this is a legacy of the Hai Ba Trung sisters, or of the crucial role women played during Vietnam's struggle for independence, but it is immediately apparent."
The 30-story Sheraton Nha Trang debuted in March 2010 as the first Sheraton in Vietnam outside of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
In less than a year, the seaside hotel - indeed, all 284 rooms include balconies that seem to hover over Nha Trang Bay - won recognition fromConde Nast Traveller India ('Top 5 Beach Spas in Asia') and made Travel + Leisure's list of the 'Best Affordable Beach Resorts' in the world.
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