Mark Lee, GM of Media One Hotel Dubai, believes that softening of employment laws has put pressure on employers. Mark Lee, GM of Media One Hotel Dubai, believes that softening of employment laws has put pressure on employers.

General manager of one of the most successful independent hotels in the region, Media One Dubai, speaks to Hotelier about his expectations for the year ahead

How will the recruitment landscape evolve in the Middle East hotel industry in 2015?

I think it’s about how the Middle East hotel industry can best retain talent as I believe the standards found here, particularly in the UAE are second to none and the people who make the hotels a success need to been retained within the region rather than returning to their country of origin. With the opening up of the employment laws over the last few years it is now much easier for people to move jobs and this creates an additional pressure on employers creating the right/best environment for their teams to operate.

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Moving forward in 2015, we are concentrating many of our efforts on talent retention and one of our strategies is to be recognised within the industry as being a ‘great place to work’. We want to grow and develop all enthusiasts (staff) at Media One either personally, professionally or preferably both!

In 2014, the onslaught of competition, balancing stakeholder requirements, and the decline in traditional markets such as CIS has been reported as major challenges for GMs. What will be the major challenges for GMs in 2015?

The strengthening of the dollar against other major currencies, the improving conditions in Egypt and some other Middle East locations, Ebola & ISIS will all play key roles in determining how successful our hotels will be in 2015 and all of which we, as GM’s, have no direct control over.

What we can control are the constant improvement of the guest experience in our properties, keeping up with the latest technology and the consistency of service levels within our hotels. Competition is good and it keeps us all on our toes to continuously find ways of improving value for our guests year after year.

What new/existing markets will be most important to target next year?

We are seeing a slight shift from OTA’s and are strategically choosing to replace this with increased corporate business which is key for Media One. Aside from this, we are looking at what Millennials want for each area of the services and facilities that we offer. At the same time we are also reaching out to the local Dubai residents to identify their needs and look at how we can fulfill them. New markets will depend on the ever expanding Emirates routes, and I believe that some of the African countries have a huge potential as well.

Interview continues on next page...