A spotlight on staffing

Radisson SAS Dubai Media City rooms division manager Cristina Polo, food and beverage manager Marco Aveta and HR and training manager Poonam Verma tell Hotelier Middle East about their plans for the property and explain why the hotel's most precious commodity is its employees.

Rooms Division Manager

Cristina Polo joined the property in 2005, in the pre-opening stages.

"I had been working in sales in Paris," Polo says. "I was very happy with Rezidor but I wanted to be a revenue manager, so I was delighted when they offered me the chance to come here to take up that role."

 

However Polo explains that with a background in hospitality, she was keen to return to a more operational role, an ambition fulfilled by her new role as rooms division manager.

"We have 246 rooms and I have five teams which I oversee: reservations, banquet sales, spa and gym, front office and housekeeping," says Polo.

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"At the moment I'm still really in the discovery phase of the job, but it's basically all about meeting people and getting involved in daily concerns and operations. It will be my role to help not only to improve quality, but also to be a support for the staff," she continues.

"I've only been in the role two weeks so at this stage it's more an observation phase. There may well be some changes to things in the future, but I don't think starting a revolution after two weeks in the job would be smart!"

Polo believes that her biggest challenge in this new role will be dealing with so many more people.

"To find the time for everyone and still be approachable, that will be the biggest challenge," she says. "You have to make sure you build relationships carefully; it's important to create a sense of trust and approachability whilst still finding time for everyone."

But the team at Radisson SAS is a great one to work with, according to Polo. "If I had to choose one word, I would describe the team here as 'motivated'," she says.

"It's fascinating working with them - there's a nice mix of nationalities which means a constant source of different ideas, so it's constantly interesting and different."