Welcome to our live coverage of the Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate, which is taking place at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai.
The fifth edition of the event features a stellar speaker line-up and a full day of presentations, debates and workshops. For a full preview, click HERE.
Don't forget to also follow our Twitter account - @HotelierME - for the latest pictures from the event and follow #GMDebate14
04:30pm And that brings to an end the Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate 2014. A great day and plenty to digest. Keep your eyes on HotelierMiddleEast.com for all the news from the event.
04:25pm What the panellists' ambitions? Chaudet is enjoying what he's doing, Moenkedieck feels there's no reason for his career to end at this current point, Paul only immediate goal is the opening of the next phase of Madinat Jumeirah.
04:15pm Is moving around brands good or bad? Casson says it depends on whether you love the brand, Chaudet says it can be good to get a feel for different brand cultures. Moenkedieck says it is about finding the brand that inspires passion and Paul believes it is important to feel comfortable with a brand and share its values.
04:05pm What would you look for in a GM? Casson would seek a track record and ability to create human interactions and tenacity/perseverance. For Paul it is about passion, quality and varied experience, as well as business acumen. Moenkedieck would also want resilience and a good commercial sense, as well as the ability to excite a room of people. Chaudet would want someone who shares the vision of the owner, as well as someone who matches the characteristics of the brand.
04:00pm Casson not a fan of affirmative action, in terms of getting more women and Emiratis in GM positions, but says important to create a level playing field. Paul touts success of Jumeirah's various Emiratisation programmes. Moenkedieck says new generations views hospitality very differently to previous generations as a career choice and is seeing a healthy number of Emiratis coming into industry.
03:50pm Margaret Paul stresses importance of identifying individuals with potential and developing them, and also having a succession plan. She says key to having great GMs in the future is ensuring they have an understanding of the Jumeirah culture.
03:45pm Singular element that has changed is the relationship with asset management, says Casson. If you don't have collaborative relationship with the owner, difficult to be an inspirational leader.
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03.35pm The final panel session of the day is on the evolution of the GM. Rupprecht Queitsch returns to moderate and we also have Simon Casson, regional vice president & general manager, Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah
Beach, Margaret Paul, general manager, Madinat Jumeirah – The Arabian Resort, Laurent Chaudet, general manager, Pullman Dubai Deira City Centre and Jan Moenkedieck, general manager, Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah.
03:10pm We ought to have transcended the 'bigger is better' attitide to social media follower numbers, believes Kubler. He says it is about the level of engagement.
03:00pm If you have to prioritise on social media, do it on the basis of which one your guests are using the most, explains Kubler. However, you still need to make you monitor them all.
02:50pm Take time with a dedicated team to answer to social media users to turn a bad experience into a good experience, says Patel. Tripadvisor reviews very different to comments and discussions while guests are still on property, says Gee. He adds that hotels need to be proactive.
02.45pm The third panel session is on social media in hospitality and the GMs' responsibility to reputation. Contributors include Marko Janssen, General Manager, Melia Dubai, Stephen Gee, Director of Operations, Zaya Retreats and Martin Kubler, Director, Iconsulthotels and Kempinksi Hotel Mall of the Emirates marketing communications manager Elodie Patel.
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