“You must not settle with what you have but always come up with new ideas and concepts. We do need to keep our fundamentals, principles and passion but we also need to soften the messaging.”
The hotel’s fifth anniversary is a gift in that regard. “We want to create a buzz,” says Derbas, “but it is even more important for me to reward the team members. Almost 100 have been here from the start, out of a total staff of around 700. The ones who opened the hotel are very close to my heart. We will have a gala dinner on 26 March for all the staff and reward one-, two-, three-, four- and five-year service. I have been selecting the gifts for them — we will give them watches with their names and ‘St Regis Five-Year Anniversary’ engraved.”
The next day, the hotel will host a gala dinner for 450 local dignitaries and business leaders, at which Derbas will no doubt remind his guests that St. Regis Doha was recently named among the Top 100 hotels in the world at the Condé Nast Traveller 2016 Readers’ Awards.
| Advertisement |
“That’s one of our biggest accomplishments,” gushes Derbas. “You work your whole career for that achievement, and we made it.”
But Derbas is refusing to rest on those laurels, saying: “You strive to get there, but it is just as challenging to stay there. People will benchmark you with the top hotels and that is the challenge I give to myself and my team on a daily basis.”
“We are going for a level of service and value that is not available in the comp set. A lot of international brands are coming into Doha and there are more luxury rooms in the market. But the winner will be the one who stays focused on their guests and their demands, provides more value for money, and provides a premium service for a premium price.”
Derbas admits that there is an impact on the business from discounting in the market, but insists the the solution for The St. Regis Doha is not to drop its own rates, but to stimulate demand. “If the demand is not there, you are just leaving money on the table,” he cautions.
He is equally dismissive of four- or five-star hotels posing as luxury brands. “If you are in the Champions League, play in the Champions League. If not, play in your own league.
“You should not position yourself as a luxury hotel but sell as a five-star. You are not doing yourself any favours. I’ve seen four- or five-star hotels in Doha offering butlers and Rolls Royce drop-off services. But you cannot put it to the market that you are offering the same facilities and services as me and then sell at half my rate.”
Although Derbas admits that 2016 was soft and 2017 is unlikely to improve until Q4, he says: “What is so great about the owners of The St. Regis Doha [Alfardan Group] is that they understand this is a long-term investment. They are building equity for the future. We are fortunate that our owners are the icon of luxury in Doha. They understand luxury more than we do, so it is a privilege dealing with them. The feedback we get from them is something you wouldn’t get from any other owner in the region.”
According to Derbas, creativity is encouraged in all areas of the hotel and from all levels of staff. He says: “I host a GM’s table every Monday — the staff, they come for lunch. They love it — they get to know me personally and we talk about our families. That brings us closer together, and then we talk about their ideas. They feed me with all their lovely ideas.
“I may have 25 years’ experience but they have 2,500 years’ experience.”
[[baner]]
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
