BOH INTERVIEW: Crowne Plaza's engineering director

Crowne Plaza Doha — The Business Park’s director of engineering, Jamey Ford, gives Hotelier Middle East an insight into the challenges of pre-opening and the embarrassment of blowing up a Bentley engine

The hotel opened in August; how was pre-opening?
The engineering experience has been a steep learning curve for me as this hotel was my first pre-opening property. My previous property was InterContinental, Mauritius, which was a resort hotel set on a kilometre of beach on the Indian Ocean, so it was a very different engineering challenge.

Were there any particular challenges with this property?
There are, as always on preopening, many challenges. The biggest challenge I would say is settling in my team and taking charge and control of all the MEP systems. This cannot be rushed due to all the fine details that need to be learned in order to operate successfully.

What piece of engineering in the hotel are you most proud of?
For me the event centre is my particular favourite. It is not only very unique architecturally, but is packed full of all the latest AV equipment and systems. It is truly a beautiful space.

What innovative strategies have you employed to reduce waste?
Our kitchens and stewarding departments have tin can compactors and we flatten and segregate cardboard waste. We are currently trialling an oil recycling initiative where employees receive a bonus to encourage them to get involved.

What is your most essential tool?
The correct skill sets, as without this in each area of the hotel we will very quickly encounter issues that cannot be resolved.

How closely do you work with the hotel management?
Very closely indeed. Constant communications through meetings and discussions are key to ensure the management team understands all engineering challenges.

What are your plans for the next 12 months at Crowne Plaza Doha?
To ensure the hotel runs as smoothly as possible by maintaining and managing the property effectively, with a focus on achieving a high level of quality in all front of house areas.

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How big is your team?
I have a team of 17 colleagues from eight different nationalities.

How would you like your team to describe you?
I would like for them to regard me as a very open and positive engineer who understands and is always open to new suggestions and initiatives. Hopefully the best boss in the property!

Tell us the one thing your team doesn’t know about you.
That I can say this: “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch” (A famous place in Wales, UK, with an incredibly hard name to pronounce.)

My Best & Worst

• My best piece of advice is to be positive in all that you do.
• My best hotel stay has to be Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa near Pretoria in South Africa where I stayed for my younger brother’s wedding in 2009. It was a beautiful setting and was a great venue.
• My best meal was at my previous property at InterContinental Mauritius in their speciality Oriental restaurant – the Thai red shrimp curry is stunning.
• My worst boss was when I was an apprentice back in the UK and had a senior engineer who was not a good leader and could only shout when communicating — not very inspiring!
• My biggest engineering nightmare is seeing industrial injuries and I saw a few in my time when I was an apprentice in the power industry. It’s definitely the worst part of engineering for me.
• My worst mistake was when I was a commissioning engineer working with Bentley Motor Cars in the UK. I was setting up new R&D test cell for a new engine type, but I blew an engine whilst running some diagnostics. It was quite an embarrassing experience.