CN chats to Colleen Gray , director of sales at the DoubleTree by Hilton London Docklands – Riverside , about the venue ’ s recovery post-pandemic

olleen Gray has learned to adapt to a changing landscape post-pandemic as director of sales at the DoubleTree by Hilton London Docklands .

“ It has been a rollercoaster of a journey over the past two years ,” she says . “ I remember watching the news in Q1 of 2020 and feeling like the hospitality world that I knew so well was crashing down . However , I am so proud to sit here today and witness the bounce back of our amazing industry !”

Hilton Docklands Terrace

“ We are all one industry and we should all be working towards the same goal – Bring Back Live Events !”

What is the DoubleTree Docklands doing to ‘ bounce back ’? “ Pre-pandemic ( or BC as I like to call it !), we relied so heavily on the corporate business and the Wharf & Group Tours from overseas , which are unfortunately two of the segments we believe are going to take a bit longer to recover . It ’ s great news for the conference and events industry as it means more availability and flexibility for group sizes etc .”

What is the incentive for events to return ? “ Hilton has tried to be as flexible as possible over the past 18 months , offering as little as eight-day cancellation periods in some cases . We understand that there is still a level of uncertainty within the industry at the moment , therefore here at the DoubleTree Docklands we will do what we can and work with clients to help them feel confident in booking again .

“ Sustainability has really been a focal point over the past 18 months also . Companies may question how sustainable it is to travel to a conference or meeting when it can be done via Teams or similar . However , you just can ’ t beat face-to-face engagement .

“ Therefore , Hilton is partnering with South Pole to provide our customers with carbon neutral meetings . The carbon offset credits are funded by hotels at no extra cost to our customers . Hilton procures carbon offset credits from our partner South

Colleen Gray

Pole , which supports projects around the world that have a positive impact on the environment in our communities , aligned with our 2030 goals to double our social impact and cut our environmental footprint in half .”

How are your policies changing over the next year as we recover from the pandemic ? “ Although I ’ ve mentioned flexibility , we will need to eventually step away from the short-term cancellation . We completely understand this may not be something everybody wants to hear . However , as we move progress through to the other side of this pandemic , we do need to start reverting back to previous cancellation terms with additional Covid-19 clauses in place .”

What are your clients doing well ? “ Working together here is the key and is something I have witnessed so much more over the past 18 months . We are all one industry , and we should all be working towards the same goal – Bring Back Live Events ! My clients / contacts / friends that I have developed over the years have been amazing . I can ’ t wait to see what this year has in store !” CN