Sacha Jurva manages InterContinental hotels on Carnegie and Euclid Avenues.
Globetrotter Sacha Jurva helps other travelers feel at home
in Cleveland. For the past 16 months, he’s managed the InterContinental Hotels’ two sites
near the Cleveland Clinic.
A steamroom in the
foyer? Nice touch, especially with the weather we’ve had lately.
A hot water pipe burst a few minutes ago. We’d shut off the
cold pipes there; we were prepared for the cold weather. But, when it started
warming up again, a hot water pipe burst.
I guess our winters don’t surprise a guy from Finland, right?
Usually, it would be close to zero degrees Fahrenheit there this
time of year. Now it’s around 40. My mom was saying they’ve got roses coming
out. And it’s been below zero here. The world has gone on its head.
How does your
Romanian wife like it here?
She likes Cleveland, but maybe not the weather. Still, a
week after our honeymoon, I got moved to Moscow, so she got used to the cold.
Where else have you
worked?
This is my 11th country. I’ve
worked in Finland, Sweden, Germany, England, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,
Romania, Russia, Uzbekistan and the U.S. When I was young, my father worked in
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, so I went to American schools there.
Can
Cleveland compete with all those places?
I love Cleveland. It’s a perfect place.
There’s everything you need here, and the people are nice.
How
nice?
We live in the Heights. When we moved in,
our neighbors on both sides came by with cakes and gifts and said, “Welcome.” They
remember our kids’ birthdays. They bring over fudge. When we went on holiday,
they offered to look after the house. My parents were here for a few weeks; the
neighbors still send them cards.
You get that back home in the villages but
not big cities. In a bigger city like Cleveland. It’s magical.
Did local customs
confuse you at first?
When you have a red light, you can turn right. The first six months, I waited for it to turn
green. People were honking.
Everyone always carries coffee, and everywhere you have a
cup holder. We bought an extra push cart for the kids and a safety seat; they
have cup holders.
We like to walk; we’re still Europeans. Here you see people
running but nobody walking, enjoying the scenery. it’s a delight to look at the
houses here. Each and every one is different. Why not enjoy it?
Anything different
about InterContinental in Cleveland than elsewhere?
The majority of our guests are Clinic-related. We make a lot
of effort to help them in their difficult time. I have to remember not to say,
“Come back soon.”
We set up suites called pure rooms: hypoallergenic. We have a fair number of ADA
rooms. Some people use wheelchairs just to get around the Clinic. The skyway
goes from here, and the distances are so big.
Are your restaurants
healthy?
We’re trying to create healthy meals. We have green local
foods. We keep the sodium low. During the summer, we have our own herb garden.
We have three restaurants. Table 45 is world cuisine; we’ve
partnered with [local chef] Zack Bruell. North Coast Café is all-day dining. C2
is Mediterranean. We also have banquet spaces.
Last year, we did over 44 weddings.
Do celebrities stay
here?
We get some rock stars, but not as much for concerts, more
for the Clinic. We’ve had the vice president during the election.
Most celebrities who come for the Clinic really don’t want
to advertise that they’re here. They don’t bring security. We have our own
here. The greatest security is always anonymity.
I hear that some of
your workers are refugees from Sudan?
We have people from Sudan who work in the back. They’ve had
tough lives but still manage to keep that positive attitude.
Your website says the
staff speaks Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Croatian, Hungarian,
Italian, Chinese, Czech, German, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish and, of course,
Finnish.
We have quite a few different people from different cultures.
We need to approach different clients different ways.
Where do you send
guests who are healthy enough to see the sights?
Most people here go to Legacy Village or Eton or Beachwood
Mall. We’ve had shuttles going back and forth. They’ll have many choices there
but also the service level that quite a few of the guests can afford.
Where do you take your
family?
The zoo is fantastic and nicely done. We’ve been there seven,
eight times. My daughter likes the seals quite a bit and also the bears.
Where do you eat?
We like to order in; that’s a treat for us. In a lot of
places, it’s quite new. We order from Pizza Bogo.
We buy from On the Rise on Fairmount. They make Finnish rye,
which is real dark. They do fantastic croissants, authentic, with buttery crust.
You really feel back home in Europe.
People actually serve here. Elsewhere sometimes it’s more that
you ask if you need help. Here there’s more friendliness and willingness to
come and help you.