F&B professionals divided on service standards
Hospitality industry professionals have agreed that decent out-of-work treatment is essential for staff to provide top quality service — but are divided on what this says about the
Staff living conditions “definitely have an impact on the standard of service within establishments” according to Arin Maercks, executive vice president for Gulf Housing Solutions (GHS), a provider of staff accommodation in the GCC.
“As F&B service staff are customer-forward, their overall demeanor comes through in service levels, therefore if they are not well-rested and comfortable in their living environment this will have a definite effect on the service received,” he expanded.
“In many conversations with hospitality and service staff we have found that if they are unhappy with the quality of their living conditions or have extended travel times to their place of employment, it has a substantial impact on their general mood and performance.”
The Oman-based National Hospitality Institute’s principal, Robert MacLean, agreed: “If employees have to be up at 6am, looking smart and ready to go, they need to be comfortable and happy outside work. If you’re expected to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.”
According to Ron Hilvert, managing director of
“I think service standards do vary but in general, in the Gulf, they are very high,” he commented.
“But the answer’s always the same: if a company has high standards, such as Jumeirah or Hyatt or Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton, their standards don’t drop anywhere in the world; they stay the same.
“Those companies that want to cut corners and drop standards, they’ll always suffer.”
Aidan Keane, founder of the leisure and retail design firm Keane, agreed the region’s service staff were “good on the whole,” but still lacked “depth, variety, personality and intelligence”.
“Don’t get me wrong about the people we have now; shoddy standards are not their fault,” he said.
“We can’t expect someone to deliver top-notch service if we are holing them up in a glorified work camp in the middle of nowhere every night, paying them the minimum wage and not offering them any training or career progression.
“They need to see, smell and taste the lifestyle they are meant to be serving up.”
“My background is in human resources, I was probably the first recruiter of labour into this country in 1978, so I’ve recruited tens and tens of thousands of people into the country and I get frustrated when people make these types of comments — particularly in the hospitality sector, because in this sector I think the staff accommodation and benefits are very good,” he said.
“I think [people who make such comments] might be confusing us with other sectors where, although it’s not for us to comment, perhaps the standards aren’t as high,” he said.
“All I can say is that if you take the top companies and go and look at their employees’ accommodation and benefits, they’re good. But if there are companies that want to cut corners, then they won’t be good.
“And my answer would be that in the hospitality sector, I am not aware of poor conditions anywhere in the UAE.”
GHS’ Maercks added that although there was “substantial variance in the quality of staff accommodation across companies” in the
“As density allowances per room have reduced and amenity and recreation requirements have increased, the overall standard has continued to improve to a reasonable level,” he stated.
EAHM’s Hilvert said he felt it was important to also consider the conditions that some employees were coming from.
“I’ve recruited in a lot of these cities and I can’t think that anybody coming here isn’t in a far better situation in their accommodation here and is probably earning five or ten times what they would back home.”
Keane maintained that this may not be enough in certain cases.
“As I don't know where the workers have come from, I cannot see it through their eyes,” he said.
“Maybe it is a sizeable jump up in standards for them, but if it is, perhaps we should consider whether we are getting the right people in to run our businesses.
“Paying someone a wage equal to two years’ salary in a small village in northern
“We need free-thinking, empowered teams of young people and I can tell you here and now that it won't happen until we start to pay people a living wage that allows them to get a life of their own in a part of town that means they are part of the community at large, a member, an asset even.
“They need a sense of worth, value and belonging in the city they live in, not the one they come from.”
But GHS’ Maercks said there had been a steady increase over the past few years in the standard of hospitality staff accommodation.
“There is a substantial variance in the quality of staff accommodation across companies based on specifications and the age of facilities, as some are several years old and some are relatively new,” he admitted.
“But for the most part, the standard has improved drastically over the past few years.
“It has also become a rather important factor in attracting and retaining key personnel, as the allure of better quality and well-located housing has been seen as a benefit that staff members consider quite highly as an important element to consider as far as which hotel property or group they would like to be employed with,” he explained.
The shortlist comprised Fairmont Dubai, InterContinental PortGhalib, Hyatt’s
For more information on the award, visit: www.arabianconference.com
The Best Staff Accommodation Award
This year’s Arabian Hotel Investment Conference will see the first awarding of the Best Staff Accommodation Award.
Established to recognise excellence in the field of staff accommodation, the award emphasises the value that hotel operators put into looking after their own teams as well as their guests.
Kirk Kinsell, president — EMEA, InterContinental Hotels Group:
“Great staff housing assures comfort, safety, a place of belonging and a sense of pride — all necessary to deliver great service and increase retention through engagement that helps drive owner profits.
“We commend the organisers of AHIC for recognising the importance of staff accommodation through this award.”
Jonathan Worsley, chairman, Bench Events:
“The reason for launching the Best Staff Accommodation Award was to raise awareness amongst developers and operators the importance of looking after staff.
“We are keen to promote staff welfare which is integral to guest experience and an efficient operation.”