Michael, how long has your destiny been connected with the hotel industry and, in particular, with the One & Only chain?
I started my career in 1987 as a food and beverage manager at the Hyatt International hotel chain. I was lucky enough to work in the most exotic countries - from Hong Kong and Seoul to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Melbourne and, finally, Dubai. For the past nine years I have been working on the One & Only Resorts network. Moreover, this is the second time in Dubai - at first it was One & Only Royal Mirage, and now, after several years of work as the general manager of One & Only Reeti Rah in the Maldives, One & Only The Palm. Here I started to work in September 2009, that is, with the process of building a hotel.
What distinguishes the resort on The Palm Jumeirah from all other hotels of this chain?
Any boutique hotel, such as ours, with an asset of only 90 rooms and four guest villas, builds its policy on establishing good relations with guests. While working in the Maldives, I made many friends among our regular customers, many of whom were from Russia and the CIS countries. I still maintain a good relationship with most of them, so they fly to a resort in Dubai.
Of course, our hotel is different from all others located today on the man-made island of The Palm Jumeirah, and in Dubai in general, but this is a special charm. Our hotel is the smallest of the "five-star" and even its location on the westernmost tip of the "crescent" encircling the "palm island" is unique. Here a person can really feel detached from home and from the "mainland".
Michael, what contributed to attracting tourists to your resort?
Since the One & Only The Palm Hotel was opened only a year ago, tourists drew attention to it, largely due to the strong long-standing reputation of the One & Only Royal Mirage resort complex, simply imbued with the traditions of Arabia.
When we worked on the project of our island hotel, we decided that it should be small and become a follower of the One & Only Royal Mirage tradition in the constant care of each guest, providing a personalized service and the opportunity to stay in a private setting.
Who are the main guests of One & Only The Palm?
Today we live in a world with an ever-accelerating pace of life. Our guests are people who want to escape from the hustle and bustle of life for a little while, finding themselves where business partners, friends and relatives will not bother them.
I would say that often the main group of our guests are very wealthy businessmen who are forced to travel a lot and therefore value privacy every minute. Celebrities who do not want to be recognized. People who need an inconspicuous and unobtrusive service. Today they all are well aware that living in our resort is comfort, tranquility and privacy.
How to achieve a similar situation?
I and all my employees treat the hotel not as a place of work, but as their own home. That is the difference. Any person inviting guests to their home will do everything possible to make them feel good and comfortable. So we try to work so that our guests feel at home.
In this regard, the question arises, but how to recruit a staff that would relate to work this way?
The first question I ask myself is who I hire. Many managers of new hotels, of which a great many are opening in Dubai, will tell you about the same thing - we need professionals, people who are charismatic and enthusiastic. I will not be an exception, but we were lucky in that, by opening One & Only The Palm, we were able to attract part of the staff who worked for several years in the One & Only Royal Mirage team. They did not need to explain the basics of the philosophy of our hotel chain and what Dubai is, but new members of our team were trained on their example. The most important thing for me, as a leader, is a person’s dedication to his work, passion, if you like. Today, walking around the hotel, I can clearly say that my employees treat the work as much as I do.
I have enough energy, and I do not accept anything that does not fall under the concept of "best." Moreover, I do not believe that there is something impossible to accomplish. If I can do this, then others can too. If humanity today flies to the moon, then everyone is capable of serving coffee or tea. But this is not all, in our business it is important to create a special atmosphere, even if during ordinary tea drinking. That is what is valuable. And that is the difference.
Michael, do you consider yourself a strict manager?
My hotel is part of my life. I do not come here to work. From my colleagues and subordinates, I expect such an attitude. We must anticipate the desire of each of our guests, so that he remembers our hospitality for a long time and is sure to return again. A modern boutique hotel is not only and not so much an overnight stay with breakfast, it is a whole complex of little things that you need to pay attention to. For example, the guest praised the cookies served to him with a cup of tea, and upon returning to his room he found a vase with the same cookies on his desk. A trifle? Yes. But she will be remembered more than even a city tour or shopping.
Answering your question, I’ll say - I’m a very demanding manager, but fair. I never demand the impossible from people and always try to support each of my employees. I enjoy spending time with my guests. And I do not believe in the leadership from above, because I can not manage the hotel alone. With this scheme, communication with the team begins to be lost, and this is fundamentally wrong.
People should feel like a single team, then the whole hotel will be imbued with this spirit of unity, mutual respect and mutual assistance. Every person is important to me - be it my employee or my guest. And, in my opinion, everyone understands this.
What impresses you the most in people?
Character and kindness. Any person can be taught to serve tea and make a bed, but it is impossible to teach him to be kind, caring, attentive, polite. The hotel business is people, not luxurious buildings or landscaped gardens. Only success or failure depends on them.
What is ahead?
Over 13 months of work, we have achieved excellent results, and I have the right to be proud of them. They know about us in Europe, Russia and the CIS, the Gulf countries. These are our main markets, and thanks to them, almost all year round we observe an increased demand for rooms. In the summer, occupancy is slightly lower, but I expect that over time travelers from the countries of the Arab region will come to us. For them, heat is not a frightening factor.
Good luck to you and your team, Michael. All the best in the new year.
