What is the cornerstone of a world-class hotel experience? Perhaps it’s locally sourced food and wine, or a room with a view by the water or above the city. For some, it could be the impossibly comfortable pillows that you just can’t seem to replicate at home (take it from someone who has tried). 

Regardless of the answer, there’s one thread that knits all these elements together: service. The beating heart of a memorable experience. Service is what gives a moment in time or short stay meaning, impact, and motion – one that you, as the guest, are keen to live over again. 

For Anna Chen of BresicWhitney Lower North Shore, there’s a parallel between hotels and selling houses, and it runs deeper than you may think. “The cornerstone of real estate is service. If we’re not 100% committed to that, what are we doing?”. It’s a poignant question to be asking before 9am, but Anna is uniquely qualified to be doing so, given she spent six years immersed in the luxury hotel industry before entering real estate. “I pride myself on caring about the whole experience that clients have when working with me, right from the first time I meet them. Sometimes I care a little too much,” she laughs, acknowledging the perfectionistic tendencies that underscore her work ethic

Care and quality of experience for those she encounters are attributes that Anna had instilled in her from a young age, reflecting on her parents’ successful Taipei-based business in the coffee industry. Her time in hotel sales cemented this further; a diverse role which saw her act as an ambassador for the hotel she represented and by extension, Sydney as a destination. It’s a job that took her places too, with frequent international roadshows and stays across Asia. “On paper, I was showcasing the opportunities available if they were to hold an event or conference at the hotel. But I was also an ambassador for Sydney as a destination for clients and the potential for their business here.”

 

While it taught her much about the need to pack light (there is an art to it apparently), it more so honed the craft of connecting with cross-border clients. Learnings that are also very relevant to real estate. “Whether a buyer or investor is based in Asia or whether they are an Australian that speaks English as second language, they want to trust that you understand their ambitions and how these may be different or more nuanced from someone who might live around the corner. Basically, they want to know that you speak their language.”

She’s not only referring to ‘speaking their language’ in a literal sense, I clarify, but fluency in English, Mandarin, and Hokkien is also one of Anna’s talents. Born in Sydney and raised in Randwick, Anna’s upbringing was a marriage of Australian and Asian cultures and communities. Time as a family was spent in Taiwan, where she learnt to read and write in Mandarin as a child. Her parents and brother currently live in Taipei – a city Anna is fond of, but not one she calls home. 

“Having grown up in Sydney while having a strong Asian cultural and family influence is something I’m quite proud of. I think it’s shown me that regardless of the work we do, where we live, or the language we speak – what we all crave is connection. And to be able to do that in Sydney real estate is a bit of pinch me moment.” One that is likely strengthened by her involvement in multi-million-dollar sales in some of the North Shore’s most prestigious waterfront suburbs. 

Anna’s humility makes you think her success in real estate could have happened by chance. However, that’s not at all the case. “I would go to open homes when I was looking to buy my first home with my partner [on the North Shore]. Often the agent took quite a hands-off approach. In my experience, it didn’t seem like there were any real attempts to connect with the people coming through the door,” she says. Those observations would turn out to be the driver of why she entered real estate, after a two-year journey spanning over 250 less-than-inspiring interactions. “Honestly, it kept me up at night thinking about how much of a better experience there could have been for prospective buyers, how much more rewarding it could have been for the agent, and the potential results that a different approach could have delivered for their seller.” 

 

The pandemic then hit, and like many others, Anna took the chance to make a change. She gained experience in real estate business development with a Lower North Shore agency, and within 12 months, became the firm’s record holder for bringing the most new clients on board in any given timeframe (150 to be exact). 

“I really enjoyed the thrill of making those first connections and then building on them and evolving them over time. Being able to see people’s trust grow is special. It’s one of the biggest things I’m looking forward to as I continue to make a name for myself.” With genuine excitement, she adds, “The market will fluctuate. Not every year is going to be a record in terms of performance. That’s the nature of the industry, but I just can’t see any aspects of connecting with people, and getting to know them, getting old.” 

Turns out, ‘good old-fashioned customer service’ is a saying for a reason.

Until next time.