September 2008
Hotel revenue management: today and tomorrow
Hotel revenue management needs stronger support from human resources policies, according to this survey of 186 revenue managers. At the same time, respondents to the survey anticipate that revenue management will extend to other areas of the lodging business, including spas and function spaces.
The principal human resources issue involves career paths for employees involved in revenue management. At the moment, the route to promotions for revenue managers is not clear. Some may move up from a single hotel to a group or division, but others may simply find employment in another lodging chain to move up.
Moreover, many executives pointed to the difficulty of finding qualified revenue managers. With regard to the extension of revenue management to other hospitality areas, respondents commented that an integrated approach will be necessary. Although revenue management is largely viewed as a technical or quantitative process, pricing strategy and competitive tactics have become strong elements in revenue management.
In all categories, respondents living in Asia thought revenue management techniques and issues were in greater need of improvement than did the revenue managers in North America. The dichotomy was particularly pronounced regarding human resources issues, but was also noticeable for technical issues, such as forecasting, optimization, and overbooking, as well as pricing and distribution.
Macau, the fastest-growing destination in 2008
More than 1.5 million international visitors have come to Macau in the first six months of this year, a 46.5 % jump over the same period last year. This does not include the 8.8 million Mainland residents who visited in the same period, according to the Macau Government Tourist Office.
At a press conference entitled "Macau Tourism Industry - Diversified Development&New Challenges", deputy director of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes introduced the latest development of Macau's tourism sector to Mainland and overseas journalists at a press conference in Beijing, together with the director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr. Victor Chan Chi Ping.
Ms. Fernandes said of the more than 1.5 million international visitors, arrivals from East and Southeast Asian countries surged most notably, with growth that ranged from 29% to 82%. The figures showed the increasing diversification of Macau's tourism market, she said.
On exploring tourist markets, she said the government would continue to break ground in reinforcing the present major visitors base - the Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, China - while reaching out to develop international markets.
In the first half of this year, the total number of tourist arrivals amounted to 14,925,604, a growth of 18.1% over the same period last year. Visitors from the Mainland were central to Macau's tourism industry and totaled 8,776,232, making up 58% of the total tourist arrivals in this period.
The purchasing power of Mainland visitors was also the highest among all visitors, with a per capita spending of 3,461 patacas - almost double that of other visitors.
The number of Mainland tourists who visited Macau under the Facilitated Individual Travel (FIT) scheme totaled 3,736,726, which accounted for 42.6% of total Mainland visitors.
Despite the Mainland authorities having started to adjust the FIT scheme last May, the most up-to-date figures showed no signs of decline in the number of Mainland visitors. It is believed that these adjustments provided an opportunity for Macau to refine its strategies in developing a healthier and more rational tourism industry, Ms. Fernandes said.
As Macau's tourism industry continues to expand, MGTO would continue to focus on fostering the development of tourism diversity and enhance the economic effects of tourism on the society and economy as a whole.
Top 10 tips when moving to Dubai for a hotel job
YoungHotelier.com catches up with Craig Cochran, who is the Director of Human Resources for Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts, Middle East and Asia and obtains 10 valuable tips every hotelier must consider when moving to Dubai for a hotel industry job.
The tips are quite simple yet often overlooked by budding hoteliers. Seasoned professionals will also find the run-through a good refresher on the checklist to go through before that big move!
While the information is presented from a Dubai perspective, the tips apply to almost every country in the Middle East and across industries as well.
Click the link to see the short version
Michelin launches new Asian Guide
Michelin has announced the launch of a new Asian guide, confirming rumours sparked after inspectors were spotted visiting restaurants in Hong Kong earlier this month.
The Michelin guide for Hong Kong and Macau will be released in December in Chinese and English.
Its launch marks the second guide in Asia after Tokyo, which last year became the world-leader in terms of Michelin accolades, with nearly twice as many starred restaurants as Paris and more than triple that of London.
The publication of the Hong Kong and Macau book brings the number of Michelin guides to 23 cities and countries across three continents including Europe, North America and Asia.
Hong Kong’s InterContinental Grand Stanford communications director Tina Di Cicco told news service APF the hotel was “really excited” about the launch of the guide.
“To have a Michelin guide for Hong Kong will help us measure the quality of our culinary experience and keep us up to the standard with international gourmet cities such as New York and Paris,” she said.
However, Hong Kong celebrity food critic Hugo Leung said he was concerned about having foreign palates judge Chinese cuisine.
“It's good to have a guide like that, but we can't take it too seriously,” he told the South China Morning Post. “Chinese cuisines have so many varieties and even a guide like Michelin can't represent everybody's tastes in food.”
View the top Michelin-starred restaurants here
Video: Silvano Giraldin - the end of an era for Le Gavroche
Silvano Giraldin, who has worked at the two-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche for 37 years, is retiring from the iconic Mayfair restaurant next week. He spoke to Kerstin Kühn about his long-serving career.
This month marks the end of an era for London's restaurant scene as one of its best-loved luminaries retires after nearly 40 years on 30 August.
For longer than most London restaurants have been around, Silvano Giraldin's name and presence have been as synonymous with Le Gavroche as the existence of a Roux in its kitchens.
A Catey Special Award winner in 2000, he is one of the longest-serving managers in the history of the capital's restaurants and an institution who will, no doubt, be sorely missed.
Early age
Giraldin was born in Padua, Italy, in 1948, and started his career at a very early age by enrolling in the local catering college. He left to travel Europe and - via a working stint in France - arrived in London aged 23 where he joined Michel and Albert Roux's Le Gavroche as a commis waiter in 1971. He quickly worked his way up to maître d' before becoming general manager in 1975, and the rest is, as they say, history.
Looking back at his career, Giraldin said that so much has changed over the years and not just at Le Gavroche. "Of course, many things have changed at the restaurant, but to me the biggest change has been the food culture in Britain," he said.
"Back in the day you could count the number of great restaurants on one hand, and the British public wasn't as sophisticated as it is today. People didn't want to eat their steak rare, and we had to fight to get our diners to embrace the French culinary culture.
Tom Aikens' restaurant closure reinforces problems with local authorities
Last week’s high profile closure of Tom Aikens’ eco-friendly fish and chip restaurant in London has reinforced concerns over difficulties operators face when dealing with local authorities.
Michelin-starred chef Aikens was forced to shut Tom’s Place in Chelsea just six months after opening following concerns by local residents, who complained to the council about the smell of chip fat coming from the restaurant’s kitchen.
The residents claimed the smell had “halved the value of flats” in the area and their complaints prompted environmental health officers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to launch legal proceedings against Tom’s Place forcing it to shut down.
The restaurant’s closure is one of a series of recent cases in which hospitality operators have had problems with local councils. These have included a pub landlord in York who was ordered to knock down a gazebo put up for smokers in his garden or face a £20,000 fine, as well as a Hertfordshire-based publican who was ordered to refuse to serve customers who smoke on the street outside the pub.
Starwood Capital says hotel sale rumours are “hogwash”
Starwood Capital has refuted claims that it is to sell the Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France for €450 (£358m).
It was reported in Property Week that the sale of one of the most prominent hotels on the Cannes conference circuit was being handled by investment firm Alexander Associates Group.
Alexander Associates was said to have sent out sales particulars for the 411-room, on the famed Boulevard de la Croisette, late last week saying Starwood Capital was selling.
But chief operating officer of Starwood Capital Desmond Taljaard, said the claims were “absolute hogwash”.
“I’d like to see a mandate from Alexander Associates for this sale, because it’s the first I’ve heard of it”, he added.
The Hotel Martinez, which is operated by Concorde Hotels & Resorts, was built in 1929 and refurbished in 2003. It features a beach, heated pool and meeting rooms totalling 27,000 sq ft.
Hilton to launch new boutique brand in the UK
Hotel giant Hilton is planning to launch a boutique brand in the UK in an effort to tap into the lifestyle and leisure market, Caterer can reveal.
The company has poached Ross Klein and Amar Lalvani, who developed the premium W brand for rival group Starwood Hotels & Resorts, to head up the unnamed project.
As well as the new boutique venture, Klein is taking charge of the Waldorf-Astoria and Conrad brands, while Lalvani is also assigned to developing global luxury brands.
In an exclusive interview with Caterer, Simon Vincent, UK and Ireland vice-president at Hilton, said: “Bringing in Klein and Lalvani is a real coup and a major statement of our intent in the boutique sector.
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The company owns the relatively non-branded Trafalgar hotel in central London and, according to Vincent: “New properties will be along the lines of our current boutique offering, with unusual buildings in major city locations.”
Vincent admitted that Hilton had to target new customers to avoid overreliance on the business market. “Boutique is a growing market, and we want to reflect the fact that our customers are looking for something different to luxury, a new kind of brand,” he said.
“Hilton is geared to a corporate market with banqueting and conference events, but we want to tap into the lifestyle and leisure market.
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Michael Wale, director of operations for north-west Europe at Starwood, admitted that the departure of Klein and Lalvani was “disappointing”.
“You never like to lose good people,” he said. “But it’s a big wide world out there, and we understand that people will be attracted to Hilton. The way we see the new brand is that imitation is the strongest form of flattery.” |
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Thomas Bellec has moved over to the Four Seasons Boston as Executive Sous Chef, taking over for Mark Richardson who is now the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons San Francisco. For the past three years Bellec was at the Four Seasons Lana'i at Manele Bay and the Four Seasons Lana'i The Lodge at Koele. He joined the company in 1999 at the Four Seasons Toronto as Chef de Cuisine for Truffles Restaurant.
Sylvain Ercoli has returned to the Royal Monceau in Paris as General Manager, taking over from Dagmar Woodward. Ercoli was once briefly the General Manager of the hotel, under previous ownership in 1995. For the past two years, he served as General Manager at the Hôtel de Crillon and had previously managed Claridge’s in London and the Martinez in Cannes.
Bernard Granier has returned to the Concorde Lafayette as General Manager. He had held that position from 1995 to 1997, and was most recently the Vice President, France and Africa, for Mövenpick. At Concorde, Granier is also in charge of the group's seven hotels in the greater Paris area.
Olivier Thomas has been appointed Hotel Manager at the Four Seasons Amman. He was most recently in the same position at the St. Regis New York. He previously served as Executive Assistant Manager at the Westin Excelsior in Rome and in held food and beverage management positions at the Hotel Plaza-Athénée New York and the Savoy in London.
Thomas Klippstein has been transferred by Kempinski to open its new property in Bahrain. He previously served as General Manager of the Adlon Kempinski in Berlin.
Karl Hala has been named General Manager of the InterContinental Nairobi and Director of Operations – Africa, for InterContinental Hotels Group. He joined IHG in 1991 and has worked in several InterContinental and Crowne Plaza properties in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Europe. His most recent positions were as General Manager of the InterContinental Budapest and General Manager of the InterContinental Warsaw.
Martial Thévenaz has joined the Anassa in Cyprus as General Manager, replacing Stathis Mavromatis. The Lausanne graduate was most recently the General Manager at the Kiana Resort the Villas at Playa Dominical in Costa Rica. He previously served as General Manager of the Hotel Bora Bora after joining the resort in 2002 as Resident Manager.
Detlef Winter has been selected General Manager of the Al Bustan Rotana Dubai. He previously held positions at the Columbia Beachotel on Cyprus and the Marriott Royal Garden Riverside in Bangkok.
David Daguise has joined Le Prince Maurice on Mauritius as Resident Manager. He was most recently the Rooms Director at Discovery at Marigot Bay on St. Lucia. Daguise previously served as Resident Manager at Jalousie Plantation.
The Four Seasons Doha has named Marco Zanolari Director of Food and Beverage. A Lausanne graduate, he has held the position of Director of Food and Beverage since 2006 at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens.
Luciano Scelza has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage at the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino. He joined the property last year as Assistant Director of Food and Beverage.
The new Director of Finance for the Four Seasons Seychelles is Patrick Van Pee. Since 2006, he had been the Director of Finance at sister property the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. Van Pee previously served in various financial roles at the Four Seasons Maui, the Pierre and the Four Seasons Boston.
Christophe Hilty has transferred to the Four Seasons Seychelles as Director of Rooms. Since 2007, he served in the same position for the Four Seasons London. After joining the company in 1999, he held various positions at the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh, the Four Seasons Riyadh and the Four Seasons Los Angeles.
The Morgans Hotel Group has appointed Howard Wein Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage. Wein, a Cornell graduate, was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of Starr Restaurants and founder and President of the Starr Restaurants Hotel Group since 2004. Previously, he worked for Starwood, most recently as Corporate Director of Food and Beverage for Westin.
Dan Normandin has been promoted to General Manager at the Four Seasons Atlanta. He joined the company in 1997, at the Four Seasons Vancouver, as Hotel Manager. Most recently, he held the position of Hotel Manager for the Four Seasons San Francisco.
Francisco Gomez has moved as Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Fairmont Banff Springs. He replaces David Roberts who has been promoted to his new role as Executive Vice-President, Asia/Pacific for Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, based in Singapore. Gomez was most recently serving as Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Fairmont San Francisco. His successor there is Thomas Klein.
Florent Gateau has been appointed General Manager of the Viceroy Miami. Most recently, he was the Managing Director of Jules Trump’s Acqualina, a former Rosewood property. Gateau previously served as Hotel Manager at Miami’s Setai, following seven years with Rosewood at Las Ventanas Al Paraiso and the Mansion on Turtle Creek.
Robert Barclay has joined Sage Hospitality as Vice President Finance, Water Park Hotels. He was most recently serving as Director of Finance for Kerzner International Bahamas in Florida.
Louis Zanni has been promoted to Corporate Director of Rooms at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in Toronto. Zanni was most recently in Hawaii as Director of Rooms at the Fairmont Orchid.
Marriott International has promoted David Marriott, the youngest son of Chief Executive Bill Marriott, to Regional Vice President of Hotel Operations. Marriott, 34, was most recently serving the company as Senior Vice President of Global Sales.
The Mandarin Oriental Boston has tapped French Chef Nicolas Boutin for its in-house restaurant, Asana. Boutin's most recent post was at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and he previously cooked at Lameloise in Burgundy and Troisgros.
Lausanne Hotelier Roland Fasel will be leaving his post of General Manager at the recently reopened InterContinental London to become the General Manager of the Dorchester. He will be taking the hotel over from Dorchester Collection Chief Executive Officer Christopher Cowdray, who has been operating the hotel for the past four years. Fasel is no newcomer to prestigious hotels, and also ran Badrutt’s Palace in St. Moritz, following five years with Shangri-La in Asia, first as Manager of the Shangri-La Singapore, eventually as General Manager of the Shangri-La Jakarta.
Patrick Mossu has been named General Manager of Le Richemond in Geneva. He is the former General Manager of the Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva and previously served as Hotel Manager at the Kempinski Ciragan Palace in Istanbul.
Roberto Amodei stays in London to take over as Director of Finance for the Hyatt Regency London-The Churchill. He was most recently acting as Group Financial Controller for Emaar Hotels & Resorts, before their decision to relocate the corporate offices to Dubai. Amodei previously served in various financial management roles with Baglioni Hotels and the Dorchester.
The Savoy has appointed Vincent McGrath Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently the opening Food and Beverage Director for the Four Seasons Hampshire. He previously oversaw food and beverage operations at the Four Seasons London, the Conrad Dublin, and the Dorchester.
Oliver Bonke has been appointed Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, for Starwood Europe, Africa and Middle East. Prior to this new role, he was Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing for Starwood Asia Pacific. He has been with Starwood since 1989, serving in various sales and marketing assignments, including Director of Sales and Marketing at the Sheraton Key West and Vice President, Sales and Product Development, for the Luxury Collection.
Concorde Hotels & Resorts has recently appointed Jérôme Billy Director of Sales for the group's Hotel du Louvre and Hotel Lutétia in Paris. He previously served in sales and marketing positions at Le Méridien Montparnasse, Le Méridien Dakar and, most recently, the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Mauritius.
The Boscolo Hotel Plaza Nice has promoted Simoes Alexandre to Food and Beverage Manager. He joined the hotel in 2005 as Restaurant Manager before being promoted to his most recent position as Restaurant and Bar Manager. He previously held various food and beverage positions at the Palais de La Méditerranée in Nice, the Radisson Nice, and the Conrad Brussels.
Stéphane Masse has transferred as General Manager to the Westin Dhaka in Bangladesh. He was most recently the Resident Manager at Le Méridien Angkor. Masse is also a former Shangri-La man.
Alain Piraux has been promoted to Hotel Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. He joined the company in 1997 as Executive Chef at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. He has previously overseen food and beverage at the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn and, most recently, the Ritz-Carlton Tyson’s Corner.
Giorgio Olivotti has joined the Shangri-La Ningbo in China as Resident Manager. He had previously served as Resident Manager at the One&Only Le Saint Géran and Executive Assistant Manager Food and Beverage at the Hotel Mulia in Jakarta and the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong.
Colin Wang was recently named Executive Assistant Manager of the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore. He joins the hotel from the Millennium Gloucester London, where he was the Front Office Manager.
Dominique Bonnel has moved across town to the Mandarin Oriental Beijing as Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently serving in the same position for the St. Regis Beijing. Bonnel has previously held the post of Director of Food and Beverage/Executive Chef at the Four Points by Sheraton Pudong and the Sheraton Guilin.
Andrea Sacchi has been promoted to Executive Chef at the Conrad Shanghai. He was most recently the Executive Sous Chef at the Four Seasons Tokyo.
Michael Poutawa has returned on-property with the W Hong Kong as Executive Chef. For the past four years, he has been the Executive Chef at the American Club in Taipei. Poutawa previously oversaw the kitchens at the Fuchun Resort in China and the Evason Resort and Spa in Phuket.
Rocco Bova has been appointed Executive Assistant Manager Food and Beverage at the Aman New Delhi. He was most recently with the Hilton Kuala Lumpur and previously served in a variety of food and beverage roles for the Four Seasons Singapore and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai.
The Four Seasons Macau has appointed Pernille Baumann Director of Human Resources. She was most recently in the same position at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva. Baumann has held various Human Resources management positions at the Four Seasons Cairo, the Four Seasons Sharm El-Sheikh and the Four Seasons Boston.
The Four Seasons Bora Bora has promoted Christel Artaud to Director of Human Resources. She joined the pre-opening team of the hotel as Human Resources Manager last December from the same position at Le Méridien Tahiti.
Kerstin Poetzsch has been named Director of Sales at the Regent Maldives. She was previously the Director of Sales at the Kanuhura Resort, also in the Maldives.
Hervé Potus has been named Area Executive Pastry Chef for the Shangri-La Singapore. For the past two years, he had been the Executive Pastry Chef at the Imperial New Delhi. Potus is also a former Pastry Chef from the Four Seasons Cairo and the Four Seasons Singapore.
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