Interview: Domain Bahrain's Amy Soon

Amy Soon, front office manager at The Domain Bahrain, tells Hotelier how technology allows the hotel to respond to issues that arise at the property more efficiently

When did you join The Domain Bahrain and what is your career background?
I joined The Domain Bahrain team in December 2012. I graduated with a Diploma in Electronics Engineering, however, I soon realized that industrial training was not for me and decided to pursue my true passion, which was to work in the hospitality industry.

I started as a receptionist at Traders Hotel in Singapore, worked as a concierge, moved to guest relations and later became in-charge of the Traders Club Lounge. My next career opportunity was to be part of the pre-opening team for The Fullerton in Singapore, after which I decided to go back to school to obtain a qualification in tourism management.

I then joined The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa in Bahrain as guest relations officer and was promoted to guest relations manager and then assistant front office manager. I moved to Abu Dhabi, where I took on the role of assistant front office manager for the Grand Millennium Al Wahda. I missed Bahrain a lot though, and when the opportunity to join The Domain team came up I didn’t hesitate for a second, as this hotel is such a revolutionary concept.

What are your responsibilities at The Domain?
I manage a team of domain managers who manage every detail of our guest experience. One of my main responsibilities is to develop standard operating procedures for our front of house operations. The training of our team of domain managers and ensuring a consistent delivery of our standards takes a lot of my time. I constantly observe my colleagues in their daily work and provide feedback as well as guidance. Another responsibility is that of procurement of our departmental operating supplies and equipment.

What are the biggest challenges of the role?
In my current role, I am also a mentor for my younger colleagues. Many of them are new to the industry as they were selected for their personality and passion for service, and not necessarily for their work experience. Bringing 10 different nationalities of young adults, who are coming from different cultures and backgrounds to work together, with some of them working outside of their home-country for the first time, can be a bit of a challenge.

How do you train and motivate team members?
We do a lot of training in small groups in which we role-play a variety of different scenarios. On a daily basis, we discuss the guest feedback that we receive, we reinforce the positive feedback and ensure we correct anything the guest was not happy with as this helps us to improve our service and the guest experience. I think it is important to empower people; give your team the opportunity to make their own decisions and take responsibility for their actions. You need to let them do their jobs and be there as a mentor and coach to guide them.

How do you use technology in your role?
The Domain is a social club. We are encouraged to use social media to interact with one-another. Whatsapp, Facebook, Skype, Viber, and WalkiTalkie are used side by side. We use Whatsapp for a lot of in-house reporting. For instance, adding a picture with a short description of the issue and the location provides a quick response mechanism. We are also working on The Conversation, a custom-built in-house communication platform that connects The Domain colleagues with The Domain guests and The Domain members.

Which department do you work closest with as front office manager?
I work closely with all departments: housekeeping, engineering, F&B service, kitchen, sales and marketing, reservations and stewarding. We are the ones that are at the front of the house; however, it is the team in the back that is our support, and as long as we all have fantastic teamwork, our guests will also be happy with their stay at the hotel.

Your five tips to ssucceed in the front of house department:
1. Be a people person.
2. Have a flair to communicate.
3. Be ready to multi-task and manage your time.
4. Be ready to handle emergency situations.
5. Live by the “stay, work, play” mantra.