Tokyo' premier leisure
club in Jingumae is staffing up to meet the demands of its increasing membership. Daneeta Loretta Saft spoke with Mark Christie, General
Manager of the Tokyo Capital Club.
Photo by Mitchel Coster
Mark Christie of
the Tokyo Capital Club
I've heard your club
described as a country club without the country.
I like to refer to it as an urban athletic club, but it's more than just a fitness center
or a dining facility, although we do offer fitness activities and dining. We have a
full-service fitness center including weight-training machines, free weights, aerobic
conditioning machines, aerobics and other fitness classes and a pool. And we have a squash
court and an indoor driving range. We also have two dining facilities - one is a fine
dining restaurant and the other is a patio cafe with outdoor as well as indoor dining.
What else do you offer to your membership?
One important difference are our hours. Our fitness area is open from 6:30am on weekdays.
We have a fabulous bath area including hot and cold baths and a dry and wet sauna. We
offer massage, facials, manicures and pedicures and occasional specialty beauty and health
sessions. We have seminars on a wide variety of topics, wine tastings, whiskey tastings,
party and meeting facilities. We are also a member of a group of clubs located all over
the world that offer reciprocal usage of their facilities for our members. Most
importantly, we like to promote a club atmosphere where people can take refuge from the
urban environment, meet with friends, relax and be pampered.
And what kind of people are you looking for to pamper your members?
We're looking for people with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, people with a good attitude,
who are confident, creative, outgoing and service oriented. Except for some positions that
require certification, attitude is much more important than experience. Ideal candidates
will be bilingual and bi-cultural. Native-level Japanese is important because many of our
members are Japanese, and English language skills are important for our foreign members.
What positions do you need to fill?
Because we are growing so much, we need to fill positions in almost all categories. We
need an events/activities coordinator with good organization and people skills, computer
literate, and self-motivated. We need concierge and reception staff, food and beverage
staff, qualified fitness instructors, personal trainers, activities instructors (yoga, tai
chi, etc.), spa attendants and cooks. We're open seven days a week so there is early
morning, evening, and weekend work as well as nine-to-five hours. We need full-time
people, but are open to people who can work regular part-time hours.
For more information about vacancies at the Tokyo Capital Club, contact Mark Christie at
03-3401-3691 or fax your resume to 03-3401-3695.
