Quite simply, you have to put the bartenders here on a higher level. Right now, only bar managers get the high benefits; if other senior bar staff saw some additional benefits, I think it would work extremely well as a motivational tool.

Hopman: At Fairmont we do make sure we have our bartenders on a higher scale. They are at the same level as supervisors. Then there’s more prestige associated with being a bartender, so people may start as a normal bar server and aspire to moving up the ladder. That’s how we develop them and encourage them to progress within the company.

Today’s consumers are being more careful with their money as a result of the economic downturn; how has this impacted bars?

Story continues below
Advertisement

Milovanovic: Looking at our bar 1897, it was doing extremely well, showing consistent growth over the past three years.

But now we have seen a decrease in the number of covers compared to last year, due to the large number of good spenders who have just left the country. And those guests who have stayed tend to go for cheaper options.

Hancock: But I’m fairly optimistic about how things are going; recently, maybe in the last week, I think things have been picking up.

Hopman: We have a very strong presence here and a loyal customer base, however nowadays their spending is different; they are very much looking for value-for-money offers — it’s not the easy spending that it was before.

So we’ve created value-adding experiences for them such as wine and spirits tasting sessions with industry experts, so it’s an education for the guests.

Really, this whole economic situation has challenged us to be more creative in our offerings and encourage the guests to come back. I think people are still there and they are willing to spend — they’re just more cautious about what they’re spending money on.

Hancock: When I first came out here, I’m not going to mention names but there were certain places where you’d get a terrible drink and terrible service, then you’d go somewhere else and pay exactly the same price for the same product, but it would be decent service and made better.

And now, with all this competition, hopefully the standards will increase overall, so that’s good for the industry and the consumer.