Uniform designers and suppliers explain why their main aim is to dress your teams to reflect your hotel’s image and highlight the common mistakes that could stop your staff from shining
EMILE RASSAM
For Elie Rassam, managing director of Emile Rassam, uniform is a word that doesn’t even come into the equation when partnering with hotel companies — instead, the approach is to design wardrobes to reflect the hotel’s image. And with 60 years in the business, this focus is clearly a successful one.
Rassam explains: “Our approach is simple, we design wardrobes. Uniform is a word we try not to use, the way hotels today avoid calling their associates ‘staff’.
“The value of designing a wardrobe is that in essence it’s a reflection of the hotel’s image. I like to think of it as the way that an actor goes to wardrobe before going on stage to assume their part — an associate dresses the same way before their performance.”
Rassam says that themed wardrobes in hotels is a trend that has been dominant for five years and while he expects this to continue, Rassam observes: “Personally, I feel it is becoming more difficult to really identify the theme of certain projects, as they seem to be an accumulation of many others”.
“If you want your wardrobe to be unique you need to challenge the designer and dare to be different,” says Rassam.
As a result, he says “innovation is really the name of the game”.
“We are now able to manufacture fabrics that are specific to the hotel as part of their objective to create a unique wardrobe,” says Rassam.
However, he maintains that despite the fact every hotel now wants to design its own wardrobe with a unique look to stand out from the rest, it is important to exercise some caution with creativity.
“If it isn’t managed well, [it] can result in a complete disaster, no harmony in the hotel and a wardrobe that simply shouts at the interiors,” observes Rassam.
He also points out that the most challenging uniforms to design are those for the door service staff — doormen, bell boys and valets.
“These positions distinguish the hotel and set the stage for the other positions,” says Rassam.
So what hotels have the best wardrobes? “This is a very difficult question to answer, there are so many to choose from, but my personal preference are the more classic wardrobes of Four Seasons and Le Gray,” says Rassam.
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TOP DESIGN TIPS
1.Keep it simple — try to work with one unique idea and then work it into all areas of the hotel; this builds the identity and most importantly puts guests at ease as they do not struggle to identify associates.
2. Try to always keep in mind the nationality of your associates — skin tone and height play a big part in the wardrobe’s success.
CONTACT
Emile Rassam — Beirut
Tel: +961 (0)5 451 732
Email: info@emilerassam.com
Web: www.emilerassam.com
Emile Rassam Trading — Dubai
Tel: +971 (0)4 432 8563
Email: Dubai@emilerassam.com
Web: www.emilerassam.com
ESN — Kuwait
Tel: +965 2471 0122
Email: info@esn-kwt.com
Web: www.emilerassam.com
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