Interview: Timothy Goddard

The contrast between Six Senses Zighy Bay and Imperial Springs in Guangdong, China could not be starker. The private members club is bigger than Monaco and comprises 200 villas and three golf courses. Though it now also caters to families, Zighy Bay was originally conceived as a honeymoon retreat and was built to cater to only 100 to 150 guests. It was Aaron McGrath who had worked with Timothy Goddard at Imperial Springs who suggested the change of scenery.

And that’s exactly what drew Goddard to the property: “I always say to guests here when they ask me where I’ve come from, I always say the old place I used to work at was all gold and marble everywhere, so I’ve gone from marble and gold to sticks and stones.”

Talking about his move to the Middle East, Goddard says: “The off-beat nature of this group and the trajectory that they’re taking is fascinating. It allows people to be people. It allows us to think outside of the proverbial box and use our products and develop menus that aren’t just your club sandwich and your cookies.”

Goddard joined the resort in February — peak season — with the property operating at triple occupancy: “When I arrived, we basically wanted to get the team together and get through our peak season, develop some camaraderie amongst the team, find out or strengths and weaknesses and capitalise on both of them.”

His priority and perhaps his biggest challenge was generating awareness and purpose within his team: “You can train and help with their weaknesses but what’s even better is to put someone where their strengths are truly harnessed so they can go home at the end of the day and feel like they’ve done a fantastic job.”

Zighy Bay’s remote and dramatic cliff-side setting is the main reason guests flock to the resort but it also poses some logistical obstacles for the chef: “We’ve overcome the location. We’re building a farm so we’re getting our cows, chickens, goats and all of our vegetables. We’re aiming for about 60% of what we produce to be integrated into all our menus here.”

For produce that can’t be sourced from the resort’s farm in nearby Dibba or the on-site organic garden, Goddard says that he is a fan of building hands-on relationships with his suppliers: “I’m going to Canada at the end of August with one of my meat suppliers to go and visit all the farms. It’s all boutique farms and abattoirs throughout the prairies and up into Alberta. I’ll go and say hi to my cows, explain to them about the circle of life and then bring them back to this property.”

When it comes to working with producers and suppliers, Goddard underlines that he’s keen to foster practices that are mutually beneficial: “A lot of people in business take a very aggressive standpoint and try to always find that win-lose. I’m not a financial Wall Street broker. Maybe there they do things differently. But in hospitality where you think about people’s feelings, emotions, wins and losses and building relationships for as long as possible, this is key.”

With occupancy slowing down over the summer, Goddard wants to strike while the weather is hot: “June, July and August is our down time so we can take strong actions now. We’re doing our trainings, our new menus, our HACCPs, our new PMPs, and our SOPs, combined with giving everyone their leave. So the quiet time is actually our busy time.”

Goddard has already started making his mark on the resort’s F&B offerings, revamping the menus at most of its seven outlets: “We’ve changed our breakfast menu and our Zighy Bar menu, our Sense on Edge (SOE) menu which is being changed and will launch on August 20, our Summer House menu begins on August 24 for lunch and dinner begins on the 25th. Our new in-villa dining menu will launch in mid-August as well.”

In addition to refreshing the existing dining venues, a new concept called Mezzeria is set to open in October: “It’s a really exciting project. What we’ve done is take an Italian osteria, Greek tavern and a shawarma shack and rolled them all into one. We’re building a huge wood-fired oven, an Omani oven and a shuwa pit. You’ll have pide breads, carpaccio, saganaki, grilled half chickens, really casual, fun, relaxed dining,” says Goddard. “Guests will gaze out to the Arabian Sea and look over to Iran while having your homemade infused olive oils, maybe drinking some limoncello.”

The resort places great importance on food but, just as important, is the atmosphere. Goddard has created menus and concepts that complement and take inspiration from the local environment. However, other factors must also be taken into consideration: “From a fiscal point of view, it’s also about listening to your market and giving them what they truly need and want. I have my GCC clientele, my English clientele, my Swiss, my Germans and a handful of others so I’ve got to listen to them and find out what they want. It’s integral to listen to our guests and what they want so Patricia (Yeo, the resort’s executive sous chef) and I make sure to touch as many tables as possible.”

Six Senses resorts all over the world are known for finding that middle ground of running a commercial chain while meeting the demands of a luxury hospitality market which is moving towards a preference for boutique properties and bespoke experiences. Speaking about the brand’s philosophy, Goddard says: “We focus on sustainability, we focus on wellness, and we focus on living your life to your optimal whether you want to be a bodybuilder, whether you’re spiritual, whether you just want to come and drink good wine and eat good food.”

Still, Goddard concedes that the brand isn’t for everyone. Travellers who are accustomed to cliché luxury might not be enamoured with the Six Senses’ down-to-earth approach to hospitality but this ethos is exactly why he finds himself in the northern tip of Oman.

He explains: “It’s very nonchalant, off the cuff and no frills and you don’t encounter this at your other five-star resorts. It’s service from the heart and not from the mind. Feng Shui, letting everything flow, the right time, right place, it’ll all come. This is what Six Senses embodies and why I felt I would work well in this group.”