Global Update
On HOTELSMag . cOM
IntervIew :
DOing bOuTiquE in VEgaS
Melissa Fielding
Famous for its 1,000-plus-room behemoth casino-resorts on the Strip , Las Vegas is not typically associated with boutique hotels . However , The Cromwell , the 188-room hotel that opened this past May , is taking a boutique approach . HOTELS spoke with Melissa Fielding , director of luxury hotel operations at The Cromwell , about how the property is bringing this approach into staff training .
“ One thing we did for all our employees is a brand-immersion day ,” Fielding says . “ You get to taste what The Cromwell would taste like — we have them taste Beef Wellington — smell what The Cromwell would smell like — we talk about vanilla and tobacco being the scent of The Cromwell — and then we also have employees do their brand position — what are you going to bring to The Cromwell ? It really excites them , and they leave understanding what we ’ re going for when we talk about The Cromwell .”
Read the full interview : http :// hotelsm . ag / 1l7EKGE
Simon Turner
Read the full interview : http :// hotelsm . ag / 1pYKa2k bloG : iS yOur STaff a faMiLy Or a TEaM ?
Some GMs handle their personnel like a team , while others are more like a family . HOTELSMag . com blogger John Murtha , general manager of the 551-room Omni Parker House in Boston , is on assignment as an interim GM and has noticed the property operates more like a family .
John Murtha
Murtha wonders if a hotel is better operated if staff members are more like a team .
“ Team members may come and go over time , but the identity and commitment of the team remains consistent . There is no assurance of guaranteed employment , yet trust is bred in an atmosphere of team success over individual glory ,” Murtha writes . “ There were times when change was needed , and I ’ ve
Read the full interview : http :// hotelsm . ag / Xl8gxQ
had to dismiss people for non-performance . Would I dismiss a family member ? I don ’ t think so .”
IntervIew :
THE biggEST HOTEL cOMpaniES in 2024
To look into the crystal ball for the growth of Chinese companies , global pipeline growth and brand proliferation and consolidation over the next decade , HOTELS spoke with Simon Turner , president , global development , Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide .
“ We ’ re at a time in the cycle when new brands will be created . However , the hotel industry has a history of failed brands , and you ’ ll see some stall out ,” Turner says . “ If you are a Chinese brand and you don ’ t have a foothold outside of China , you are starting at a disadvantage . If I ’ m a fledgling Chinese brand without the panache of a Western brand , I would put money on the Western brand getting the customer . This is because Chinese consumers tend to embrace fairly readily Western brands .”
18 HOTELS October2014 www . hotelsmag . com