There to accept the award for Fairmont The Palm were (L to R) Karen Joyce executive housekeeper, Alain Gobeil executive chef, Elmira Gazizova marketing manager, Soumana Ammar director of rooms and Sue Wheatley director sales and marketing.
Fairmont The Palm took home the trophy for Hotel Team of the Year at the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2017.
With JW Marriott Marquis Dubai getting a highly commended nod, Fairmont The Palm faced fierce competition from the other shortlisted properties which included: Address Dubai Marina, InterContinental Jeddah, Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Media One Hotel, Raffles Dubai, The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai.
The award was presented to the team by Samit Sanyal, marketing director of category sponsor Diversey Gulf.
The property stood out for the judges by a long distance. Whether it was F&B, housekeeping, engineering, front office, every single department had achievements and accolades that contributed to increase in final bottom line. There have been new F&B launches, a number of training sessions for all its colleagues across various departments, a launch of a new wellness concept, a substantial increase in MICE revenue, cost and energy saving initiatives and a 15% reduction in staff turnover over the last two years.
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When asked about what makes a successful team, Fairmont The Palm executive housekeeper Karen Joyce said: "Hospitality. We treat our guests and we treated one another how we would like to be treated. This is a key factor in success for hotels.”
The hotel’s executive chef Alain Gobeil added: “In the case of our team - empowerment. Our general manager Mark Sawkins empowers all of us and that’s a big key to our success.”
When asked about the property’s new health-focused initiative, director sales and marketing Sue Wheatley told Hotelier: "I think it’s quite timely with what Dubai is doing at the moment. It’s called Be Your Best. If you’re an individual or a family, just be you best in what you do whether it’s fitness, holistic, yoga or wellbeing.”
Speaking about how the team has been motivated by the initiative, Wheatley concluded: “Be Your Best is a very big motto throughout our culture and that’s been something that we’ve been living definitely most of this year."
The fairy tale-themed event took place on October 25, 2017 at The Ritz-Carlton Dubai.
The event was supported by a number of industry partners, including silver sponsor SNS Haute Couture Furniture, category sponsors SIAL Middle East, A. Ronai, Diversey, Jung, OSN for Business, Dimara International, supporting sponsor Pulsar Foodstuff, event sponsor Party Social, floral sponsor Forever Rose London, coffee sponsor Dallmayr Coffee, water sponsor Acqua Panna & S.Pellegrino, and beverage sponsor MMI.
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