Hotelier Awards 2018 shortlist: Hotel Team of the Year

A category at the Hotelier Middle East Awards which always generates a lot of interest: here are the eight hotel team finalists for the Hotel Team of the Year category in 2018.

Click through to find out who has been shortlisted this year... 

Address Dubai Marina

Address Dubai Marina opened in 2009 and offers 200 rooms and 442 residents. When asked why the team deserves to win, the answer was: “Dubai has seen an incredible growth over the years, and so do we in our 9th year of business, where we have accomplished significant milestones for our guests and employees. We are expanding our presence in international markets, and delivering our home-grown competencies in fast-growing GCC markets, but all these are only possible due to our exceptional workforce of 335 employees, whom we recognised as Experience Designers. Our people design the bespoke customer experiences, deliver them, and puts our guests at the centre of everything we do. Over the last year to present, our team has achieved positive occupancy levels, sustained strong ADR and RevPAR, implemented unique innovative spa and recreation offerings, made new record-breaking F&B sales, securing conversion of above 19,000 guests to our loyalty programme, attaining extraordinary guest happiness level month after month, whilst keeping Employees equally delighted.”

Crowne Plaza Bahrain

Crowne Plaza Bahrain has been in operation since 1979 and the five-star hotel offers 278 rooms and employs 206 people. When asked why the team deserves to win, the answer was: “Many companies in a struggling market may divert all their attention to driving revenue only, but not Crowne Plaza Bahrain. Our Leadership Team is certain on its top priority: Our people. We fully embrace the formula that our success comes from people, hence, it is imperative we give our utmost value to them. Crowne Plaza Bahrain team truly embeds a winning culture. We are not simply a business hotel but most importantly, we are a well-rounded organization that looks after all our stakeholders with equal importance: our guests, our owners, our local community and our people. Being in the industry for 2 decades, we have already developed the expertise of creating a “work-life balance” in business where we simultaneously deliver the expectations of our stakeholders. Most of all, our Crowne Plaza team does not compromise the company values for any business gains or winnings. Doing the right thing is the core of all our decisions from line colleagues up to the Leadership team. We live our IHG’s Code of Conduct and keeps it at the centre of everything we do. This is who we are… our values are our DNA. These are the reasons why we have to win…”

InterContinental Hotel Jeddah

InterContinental Hotel Jeddah opened in 1992, employs 400 people and offers 350 rooms. When asked why the team deserves to win, the answer was: “Our hotel offering elegance, and historic prestigious hotel, which rich in cultures with its tailored personal service and signature style. With warmth and charm, the 350 rooms with suites feature classically. Furnishing and details surpass expectations with state-of-the-art technology and a delicate scent of amber to heighten the senses of feeling. The year 2018 has been yet another productive year for our hotel team in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia. InterContinental Hotel Jeddah is perfectly delivering a “Great Hotels, Guest Love” that deserved to win the Hotel Team of the Year 2018. As it is well surpassing total Hotel revenue with increasingly high above the budget 2018 and exceedingly met guest’s expectation as always.”

Media One Hotel

Media One Hotel has been in operation since November 2009 and offers 264 rooms. When asked why the hotel team deserves to win, the answer was: “Media One, despite being an independent hotel, punches above its own weight. We don’t have the back up of a big corporate structure but we do have each other! You will notice as I prepared the points above so many of them could easily be added in multiple departments because we work together on everything we do. From the executive committee doing morning lobby duty and opening doors, or valet parking cars when we get busy to some of the most promising youngsters rising up through the ranks – it is clear that we don’t believe in hierarchy but in working together as a family. It’s been a hard 12 months in the market and yet we have ridden the storm well, adding new concepts, new markets and new partnerships to grow like never before.”

Palazzo Versace Dubai

With 215 rooms and 169 residences, The Palazzio Versace Dubai has been in operation since November 2015. When asked why the team deserves to win, the answer was: “The Palazzo Versace Dubai team have a strong foundation of values that sit at the heart of everything we do. Passion, Integrity, Intuition, Responsibility, and Unity – all of these are mirrored and displayed at various touchpoints for our team members. We firmly believe that if our team feel passion and unity, this energy communicates to the guests, helping all of us to deliver memorable moments and impeccable experiences. The foundation of our recruitment centres on bringing talented and skilled professionals together, yet also likeminded people who share our value set and further embed our culture. Our Vision is ‘’Your Inevitable Desire” for all. We all live and breathe our culture, focusing on the quality in the workplace. Learning pathways form part of the hotels learning & development strategy and are detailed for team members, supervisors and managers. Each pathway focuses on developing individuals, teams, and leaders. Ultimately, team members are inspired and motivated through activities to see themselves as experience creators who are responsible for making lasting memories through intuitive service and providing opulent hospitality to our guests and each other – front of house and heart of the house.”

Raffles Dubai

Raffles Dubai has been open since 2007 and offers 252 rooms with 339 staff members on board. When asked why the team deserves to win, the answer was: “Under the impassioned leadership of Ayman Gharib, Raffles Dubai is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Hotel team has excelled in all guest matrix scores; Reputation Performance Survey score of 94.6% (number one in the region); 91.3% in the Leading Quality Assurance, within the top five luxury hotels in the city and number one ranking on TripAdvisor in Dubai. Repeat guest ratio reached 40% through catering the individual needs of our guests and providing 'emotional luxury' to them. Raffles Dubai colleagues are loyal and passionate with over 30% have been with the property for more than five years and 14 colleagues since the pre-opening, showcasing high levels of colleague fulfilment and motivation; achieving the highest score on the Colleague Engagement Survey of 97%. Strongly supporting women empowerment, the executive committee members and key department heads are now 50% female. Raffles Dubai has an inspiring team that deserves to be recognized – because their passion, positivity and loyalty is exactly the kind of attitude that companies aspire to attract.”

Taj Dubai

Taj Dubai has been in operation in Dubai since 2015 and offers 296 rooms. When asked why the hotel team deserves to win, the answer was: “The Taj Dubai team have worked consistently together over the last year to improve guest experience and ultimately hotel revenue, through enhancement and implementation of new initiatives, reduction waste and therefor environmental impact and creating new and innovative activations whilst never waving from quality offerings, sincere care and unrivalled hospitality. Moving towards sustainability at the hotel, the team implemented environmental solutions to reduce energy costs by 10%. Taj Dubai has also recently eliminated the use of plastic straws at the hotel in line with the company’s ethos of weaving in sustainable and responsible practices in business operations. The team has also achieve an increased guest satisfaction in cleanliness NPS (net promoter score). A combination of engaging activities and communication channels has meant that in additional to all of the business related achievements, Taj Dubai associates are happier and more content in the work place with an increase of employee satisfaction.”

The Ritz-Carlton Riyadh

The Ritz-Carlton Riyadh has been in operation since 2011, employs 790 people in total, and offers 491 rooms. When asked why the hotel deserves to win, the answer was: “2017 is the most extraordinary year for The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh. November 4, 2017, when the biggest trial of the property has surfaced. It was the day when the hotel had to vacate the entire property from guests and visitors alike; the day when the hotel entered to a mission without clear indication of its end; and the day when the hotel was turned over to government’s full control. Indeed, it was atypical situation anyone could ever think of. The challenge didn’t stop from the end of the mission but it continued until the hotel reopened to public in February 11, 2018. In spite of all these, with everyone’s perseverance, trust and confidence to the process, the hotel has accomplished and recorded manifold of achievements shaped by the exceptional ladies and gentlemen, product and service excellence and superb hotel performance, all supporting the hotel's vision to inspire life’s most meaningful journeys.”