A fistful of pearls - from Rafayel’s Management Handbook

Rafayel – a living breathing thing – has its unique approach on training its executives and staff.   We are proud to share a few tidbits off its management handbook.

Human culture is a sum total of constructive and destructive activities of our leaders, scientists, brilliant minds and tyrants of the world. Let optimism, confidence and hope thrive over cynicism and negativity. 

 

Aesthetics and ambiance of any place comes from variability of ideas.

 

Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.

  

We incorporate outside the box thinking, maximising and multitasking within a person helps person grow, it is all about growth in terms of capacity and capability and this is the challenge that the contemporary companies face.

 

The Mantra

 

“All work is honorable.”

No Excuses, No Regrets
"Wisdom knows no rank."
"It's not our abilities that define us, it's our choices.
Time should be precious, but not anxious.

Build your team

The industry will need new kind of MBAs with great emphasis on skill training, interpersonal skills, reaching out, technical and software awareness:

Continuous Communication between employer and employee is most important.

Teaching them new skills should be the goal.

Keep an eye on over-ambitious internal power strugglers.

Teach them the whole hospitality not a part of it.

Recruiting the "hospitality mindset" is more important than any number of degrees.  Technicalities can be taught, but being a "hospitable mind" cannot.

Any employer who cannot empower people to take decisions when they are required will fail to keep employees.

Customer complaints needs big decisions to be taken at the spur of a moment, an employer who does not empower its front office staff to write-offs when they deem it necessary will make them feel miserable.

 

Time to listen and learn about philosophy of service industry - do you really want to work for satisfaction of others or just fill in hours?

Customer service should be your pride and a career path you choose with sincerity.  Those who think of it as ‘servants work’ and beneath them will hurt the industry and themselves. 

Living in the mighty bygone days of majestic hotel standards without realising that the world around has changed is a self-serving and destructive approach. 

It is absolutely required to address every customer complaint. The hurdle of satisfaction and survival rate of good properties will just move a tag higher; far more concentration is required by the employers and employees. 

On success

Success is about three things asking the right questions, liberating from daily chores to have a view from the balcony, and admitting responsibility of failure. Failures are ladders to greater success.

99 percent of your results will depend only on 1 percent of your tasks. So quit wasting your time on unproductive activities, like idle chatter - idling should be constructive. 

Focus your life on the activities that produce the greatest rewards of human endeavours.  Focus on your priorities by sharing knowledge and experience; optimism and positive outlook will help you grow. 

Get the best out of your team by giving the best to the people around, become an icon of change. 

Let people look forward to you for change that you can bring by your talks and ideas; be an “idea” man.

Most people only accomplish a fraction of what they could accomplish because they spend majority of their time working on meaningless tasks. 

No two days should be the same. If you want to have a successful day, you must plan your day.  

Planned days are productive days!  Think what you achieved out of the whole day, anything optimistic will add to your armoury of experience; all unconstructiveness will destroy your career. 

You must fight for want you want!  Don’t get “depressed” when things get hard.  Remember, it’s darkest just before dawn. 

Tough times will come on the “road to success,” …but you have to keep on moving!

Instead of self-destructive obsession in proving one’s self-importance through shortcuts, one should immerse in the quest of true knowledge.

You can’t make progress until you know your weaknesses well. You build your vitality by protecting your Achilles' heel.

You expand your mind by constantly associating with people who think in a different way; if someone is not challenging you, something is seriously wrong. It is from your worst critics you learn your best.

You are a product of who you associate with. You should be known by the company you keep and the best company you can keep is with ‘knowledge’ and impart it well. 

Don't selfishly accumulate knowledge; it only is effective when dispersed.

Learn every day; nothing can take the place of experience.  Do what you’ve never done, to get what you’ve never gotten.  You have to expand your horizons; you have to enter new waters.  When you do, you will grow, and you will change.

The reason many people don’t succeed is because they underestimate the amount of work requisite for success.  Those who play with timing and allocate rotas to their work ethics will only end up as subordinates. 

Those who learn everything all around and are seekers of knowledge they will break the barriers of ignorance and become stalwarts.

Mountains don't cry they only grow taller. The twist and turns of life are such; the sand of today becomes the mightiest peaks of tomorrow.

Your time will come just keep thinking and daring yourselves with a new challenge. The triumphant always has a number of projects planned, to which he looks forward. Anyone of them could change the course of his life overnight.

On failure

Admit failure freely - Admit mistakes and move on.
 
Don’t blame others - Don’t make excuses. Be strong enough to assume immediate and full responsibility. 

Learn from failure - Every success I know has been reached because the person was able to analyze defeat and profit from it in the next undertaking.

Don’t take failure too seriously - Develop a sense of humour. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Have courage - Do not be intimidated by setbacks.

Balance your life - Develop interests in several areas of your life. Then, when you fail in one area, your whole life doesn’t lose meaning. "No single venture should support your entire emotional life".

Set new goals - "Failure is the only opportunity to begin again more intelligently." Henry Ford

Separate failure from self worth - Losers say, "I’m a failure." Winners say, "I failed in my attempt, but I shall win and overcome these obstacles facing me". People must separate performance and occasional failures from their worth as a person.

Be willing to fail more often - Nobody learns to walk without falling. Expect failure regularly.

Failure is part of winning and many people don’t win more because they are too afraid of failure. Successful people fail often.

Remember, failure is success - Failure is success in the making. The person who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.

Hospitality and how to handle people

Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.

Arouse in people an eager want.

Give honest and sincere appreciation.

Make People Like You.

Remember to smile.

Use the person’s name often.

Listen well and encourage people to speak first and often.

Become genuinely interested in people.

Always make people feel important.

Always talk about people’s interests.

Hospitality is a business of love and amour, it is about exceeding expectations, hurdles always define our objectives.

''You can have the best looking property, the best chef in the world, the most expensive operating equipment or the most consistent service style day in and day out, without hospitality which is lived and breathed within your organization you have already failed.''

Improving your learning skills

The best workmen DO have the best tools, but it's not about the tools.

To learn how to learn, you need to revisit the way you learn. You need some kind of program that will take you from where you are to where you want to be.

You need to get on the program of lifelong learning. You need to get to understand good learning principles so that you can record and retrieve information as quickly and accurately as possible.

You need to have a vision, become motivated, and set goals.

You need to manage your time effectively.

You need to read faster, with better comprehension.

You need to record what you have read with more creativity and accuracy.

You need to remember what you have read.

You need to maintain a sound mind and a sound body.

How to lead

“Leading from the balcony” allows you to focus on your most important work – improving the overall functioning of your team rather than just doing the day-to-day work.

When your team functions at a much higher level, the quality of their work improves, their confidence soars and their pride in their accomplishments increases.

It is only when they feel “we did this ourselves” that they will assume responsibility for on-going improvements that would have escaped your notice.

Self-accountability is key for a high performing team.

That management is best which manages least, and in the end, when workers are ready for it, that management is best which manages not at all.

Imperfection cured...to perfection!

A perfect product can only be perfect if it is a culmination of successes achieved through failure, through trial-and-error, through honesty and integrity and above all, commitment and dedication to a common cause and a perennial pursuit to improve and exceed expectations.

We at Rafayel strive to seek that elusive quality of “perfection.”   To achieve that, fairness and transparency have been one of our cornerstone policies.  Thumbs-up guest reviews, which we get 95% of the time in nearly 3,300 reviews posted on social and travel media networks, are a joy to share with our fans and friends, but when we get the odd poor review, we feel privileged to share it as we believe that it is not a reflection of any shortfall in our efforts to excel, but a desire to humanize Rafayel, which may be subject to praise or criticism from another individual’s perspective and personality.  This is the new age of social media.  It has revolutionized interpersonal skills and opened new doors of productive and profitable communication.  Those who wish to take advantage in this fantastic New World will have to live with both the bright and dark sides.

From the sublime to the ridiculous… we value each and every guest opinion and are proud to share it!

“Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!!”

Reviewed July 25, 2011

I didn't stay in the beautiful hotel, unfortunately, but I ate dinner there. The hotel itself is immaculate and oozes sophistication. We had a starter, main and pudding each, with lizz jazz. The staff were so friendly and chatty, and came over and chatted to us whilst waiting between courses. We had bruschetta to start, lovely and I have seafood linguine for main with salad, and my partner had lasagne. His lasagne was a bit dry, however he ate it all so couldn't have been that bad! He had fruit salad to finish and I had tiramisu. Overall a gorgeous hotel, with beautiful staff - I only wish I'd stayed the night there!! Would definitely come back.

“Excellent Experience. Can’t wait to go back!”

Reviewed July 25, 2011

Excellent overall experience. On arrival, a free valet car park service by friendly staff and on entering the restaurant, we were greeted with a warm welcome by a person who I later found out is the owner of the business, a rare combination in my experience especially for this type of establishment. The management was accommodating despite the fact that we were late for our reservation. Very polite and attentive bar/restaurant staff. It is slightly away from the hustle bustle of west-end but nonetheless a great location to wine and dine in style on the bank of river Thames. It is evident that a lot of thought and care was taken in designing the interior/layout of the bar and restaurant. Really loved the food. The atmosphere was great, a cool fusion between east and west. We were the last people to leave the restaurant and I just can’t wait to go back!

“It’s a scam”

Reviewed July 8, 2011

Its located far away from any good transportation service and the furniture is easily the worst taste I have seen in my life, as well as being cheap and of bad quality, tv does not work and towels and details are of cheap quality. It is all done so they comply with 5 star standard but with cheap solution and cheap staff that doesnt dress properly or has no education whatsoever. If they burn it down they would do a favour to humanity.

“Phenomenal!”

Reviewed July 25, 2011

I had a fabulous stay! The rooms were gorgeous and exhilarating, enhancing and complementing the romantic moments I had with my girlfriend! Food and room service were friendly and prompt! The mixing and matching of artwork was pretty creative and mentally stimulating! I got everything I wanted; guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder; and boy my eyes saw nothing but good!

“Fabulous Find”

Reviewed July 21, 2011

I usually stay in Mayfair when visiting London on business but fancied a change and the Rafayel seemed to be offering a similar standard at half the price.I was expecting there to be a catch but could not have been more pleasantly surprised.The staff in particular were exceptionally good.The superior room was very large and superbly well appointed.The facilities are first class.Ok so its not bang slap in the middle of Town but its not that far out and if you drive there it is outside the congestion zone and valet parking is £15 a night as opposed to £40 ( plus congestion charge) in Mayfair.You can be in central London by minicab in 15 minutes.I will stay there again.

“A lot of good and a lot of bad, all in one hotel”

Reviewed July 18, 2011

The Rafayel is a bit of an odd hotel, there is a lot of good and a lot of bad -- all in one hotel. I'll start with the good. The hotel is new and clean and does not have any of the grungy run-down feeling that characterizes so many London hotels, including expensive London hotels. The one exception to this is the multiple stains on the carpet. The rooms are huge by London standards. Much of the hotel is of a sleek contemporary design with modern features, including well-functioning air conditioning, an enormous bathroom with water jets in the shower, free wireless internet service, and a flat screen tv that is suspended from the ceiling. Much of the hotel is also extremely attractive. The rooms are partly tiled with large contemporary tiles. The bathrooms have beautiful Roca fixtures, including a contemporary large white porcelain sink and toilet. The ceilings in the rooms are very high and the furniture is new and appealing. Some of the other finishes are also quite nice: glass tile in the bathroom; white glass counters on the desk; large dark-stained wood doors.

Some more good: The hotel staff is very friendly and accommodating (There were several occasions when they brought me a bucket of ice late at night and cereal bowls in the morning. The "IT" manager helped me print out a contract I needed to get signed and emailed back to the states); There is a free car shuttle service that takes guests to and from a tube stop and a train station; The restaurant serves a good dinner and gives a 50% discount (with several restrictions) to hotel guests; the rate was quite good considering general London prices.

Now the bad. The Rafayel bills itself as a five star hotel. When I stay at a five star hotel I look for an ambience and an aesthetic that makes the hotel uniquely pleasing and beautiful. Unfortunately, the Rafayel is lacking in both. While many of the individual components of the hotel are quite attractive, they are mixed in with so many unattractive components that you're left with a bit of a mess. As discussed above, much of the hotel is sleek and contemporary. The problem is that other components of the hotel are traditional and a dated throwback to the 80's. The hotel's lobby is most afflicted by this problem….

“Nice hotel but the location wasn’t great”

Reviewed July 20, 2011

Recently went to London with my Boyfriend and decided to stay in Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank. Hotel is a bit difficult to get to, Closest tube is Clapham Junction (about 5 minute drive away) the hotel offers complimentary pick up service. We phoned the hotel and they sent a driver to pick us up within 10 minutes. When we arrived at the hotel we were given a lovely room but it was on the ground floor and the windows were down to the floor so wasn't at all private. We contacted reception and they moved us to a room further up which was lovely. Very modern and luxurious.
We went down to the hotel bar for a couple of cocktails in the evening, was lovely overlooking the Thames on a sunny evening.
Overall we enjoyed our stay but found the location a bit far away from central London. Hotel was really nice though.

“Impressed”

Reviewed July 20, 2011

Exceptionally good staff, large rooms, very impressed.

“This hotel was a very great experience for us.”

Reviewed July 16, 2011

Loved all the hi fi gadgets installed in the rooms, valet service was quite a necessity as there were no parking spaces for residents which I did find should have been included... But overall this is by far one of the best we have been to.. The rooms were always scented discreetly which makes it feel fresh... Loved it , we dint have to use the shuttle service so would not be able to comment... Enjoooyyy,

Nah nothing bad worth writing about :)

“Oustanding Hotel and Staff”
Reviewed July 2011

I travel all over the world and this hotel rates in my top 3 of all time.
Rooms are fantastic, spacious and well designed.
Every single member of staff could not have been more helpful they are credit to the hotel.
Usually I avoid eating in hotel restaurants but I could not keep away from eating in this one.

Guru corner- 5 Rafayel ethos that we drill every day in our colleagues’ heads:-

 

Human Beings are Amazing!

The pulse of our work is creative empowerment. We really, really want people to be better and to reach their highest potential. It gives us a real kick to see a person grow.

For this week I have selected special 5-pointer kind of reflections on success across generations by a very senior executive:

1. “All work is honorable.”

2. No Excuses, No Regrets
3. "Wisdom knows no rank."
4. "It's not our abilities that define us, it's our choices.
5. Time should be precious, but not anxious.

First, "All work is honorable." Most of us will end up at some point in our careers in jobs that are not fulfilling, or at least for a time working on tasks that seem pretty frustrating. But, interestingly, we often learn more from those 'uninspiring' tasks — or we are watched or admired more for how we perform in them — than we might realize.

In his autobiography, My American Journey, Colin Powell tells this story of a summer job he had in college working at a Pepsi-Cola bottling plant. He wrote, "When I reported in, I was handed a mop, an experience that black workers had for generations. I took the mop. If that was what I had to do to earn $65 a week (this was in the 1950s), I'd do it. I'd mop the place until it glowed in the dark. Whatever skill the job required, I soon mastered it. "It could be godawful work, as it was the day fifty cases of Pepsi bottles came crashing down from a forklift and flooded the floor with sticky soda pop.

"At the end of the summer, the foreman said, "Kid, you mop pretty good." "You gave me plenty of opportunity to learn," I told him. "Come back next summer, he said, "I'll have a job for you." Not behind a mop, I said. I wanted to work on the bottling machine. "And the next year, that is where he put me. By the end of the summer, I was deputy shift leader and had learned a valuable lesson: All work is honorable. Always do your best, because someone is watching." So, remember — all work is honorable. It is our effort, our attitude, and our values that make it so — not the title on our business card or the number of people reporting to us.

We need to make the most of our effort — because all work is honorable. We need to make the most of all our relationships — because wisdom knows no rank. And we need to make the most of our time — so our hours are precious, not anxious. 

A Booz Allen employee headed out of the office in his gym clothes — and his t-shirt proclaimed in big block letters, "No excuses. No regrets." Of course, the t-shirt was talking about fitness — it pictured a huge dumb-bell. But, it occurred to me that this sports proverb was, in fact, a powerful guidepost for success in life. "No excuses. No regrets" aptly summarizes the feelings of the senior executives and young professionals I heard from. Distilling the common themes, I believe the key to having "no excuses and no regrets" is — making the most of our effort, our relationships, and our time.

Let me talk about these in more detail — in the form of three principles:

1.     All Work is honorable.

2.     Wisdom knows no rank.

3.     Time should be precious, but not anxious.

"Wisdom knows no rank." - One final piece of advice on choosing and doing honorable work — is from a senior partner Paul Anderson who just celebrated his 40th anniversary with the firm. Paul relayed this advice given him by a b-school professor: In any organization, you will find things that trouble you. Even the best companies are far from perfect. There are four responses you can have to this — three of them are acceptable and one is not. "One — you can decide to overlook the 'bad things' and focus on the positive. Two — you can try to change things for the better. Three — you can decide that the shortcomings really bother you and leave. All three of these options are valid. The fourth one is not — and that is to dwell on and complain about the things that trouble you, yet fail to move on or take positive action."

The second major theme that emerged from the e-mails and interviews, is this: "Wisdom knows no rank." It's fascinating to listen to the most learned, most confident person in the room. And, in the world's top business schools, as in the profession of management consulting, we are blessed with the company of incredibly smart, hard-working people. There are times I sit in a meeting and just get caught up in the intellectual stimulation and energy — listening and enjoying the interplay of ideas and solutions. It can be exhilarating. And, we are very lucky to have this kind of education and experience. But we can learn just as much — maybe more — from meeker voices — from those not in corner offices.

The best advice I got early in my career was from my office mate, Paul Boehm, at RCA. Paul was quite senior to me in experience and expertise and the more I talked with and learned from him, the more I saw that he was perhaps the smartest person in the whole company. But, instead of occupying a corner office with a large division reporting to him, Paul was sharing a cubicle with me. When I asked him why, Paul explained this was his choice. He gave his all to RCA while at the office, but he got to go home at a reasonable time and he didn't worry about work after he left. Paul spent a lot of time with his family and playing the piano which was his passion.

"Time should be precious, but not anxious."

A profound quote — that I had heard in a very unlikely place — a dumb movie. The movie was "Bruce Almighty." Back in June, my wife Janice and I went to see this movie in which a whiny TV reporter (Bruce, played by Jim Carey) rails at God for his lot in life. God, played by Morgan Freeman, decides to give Bruce all his powers to see if he could wield them better. Needless to say, almighty powers don't make Bruce any happier or more successful. And when he comes to ask why, God replies, "It's not our abilities that define us, it's our choices." So, think about that — "It's not our abilities that define us, it's our choices."

In this case, wisdom came literally from on high. But in our day-to-day lives, wisdom knows no rank.

Time should be precious, but not anxious. The last "umbrella theme" from the advice I gathered, is about time — specifically: Time should be precious, but not anxious. So, what do I mean by that? I mean that we need to cherish the days and hours of our lives and those of our loved ones — but we need not be so anxious and pressed about time that it becomes a worry rather than a gift.

I'd like to share with you some thoughts on this that I wrote in an e-mail to Booz Allen's worldwide staff on September 11, 2002. The subject line was "Moments in Time." And it read, in part:

I wish you great success in your chosen careers. And, I wish for all of you, that in thirty years, you will look back having 'No excuses, No regrets' — and you will look forward to great things still to come.

Selections from the Speech given by Ralph Shrader (Booz Allen Chairman & CEO) at the University of Michigan Business School.

Rafayel's simple principles for success and career growth

I always highlight one thing – that knowing the answer makes a person a great subordinate; the ones who ask the right questions will make great bosses. My question is: Do you ask the right questions?

Topping a class is a sign of trouble for me.  The mediocre academic descent of many a great successful man only goes to tell me that all of them asked the right questions, which is what matters the most in life. If you don't ask the right questions, you will never find peace within yourself.  

Be inquisitive and curious. Ask and know! The University of Life serves its cards in a very diverse manner and form.

Instead of self-destructive obsession in proving one’s self-importance through shortcuts, one should immerse in the quest of true knowledge. You can’t make progress until you know your weaknesses well. You build your vitality by protecting your Achilles' heel.

Not just curiosity, but imagination and dreaming with it are very important. “Everything you can imagine is real.” The first issue is to confront your own demons.  Ask yourself plain and clear, why are you stuck here if you really don't want to be here?  Have you invested enough in life and are you bold enough to stand for what you believe in and whether you have the courage of failure? That all you stood for so far may have been misplaced and wrong? Most of us are unable to answer these dilemmas.

“Should I go after my dreams?” And the answer is, “Can you live with the consequences if you fail?”  If you can live with the consequences if you fail, then you should go after your dreams, if you are unwilling to deal with the consequences of failure, then cease your pursuit.  We often get side-tracked, derailed, or “depressed” on the road to success.  Instead of pushing through we give up.

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”

Sometimes things get worse, before they get better.  Even after you climb one mountain, you have to venture into a deeper valley to climb the next mountain.  Life happens in cycles; sometimes you have to tear down before you can build up.

Our task is to surround ourselves with optimistic people and ignore those who bring negativity and pessimism. Taking the ‘evilest’ out of us is the ugliest of tasks. Say what you mean and do what you mean; don't say “yes” you when you mean  “no,” and don't say “no” when you don't mean it either.

We are confronted with a ‘glass ceiling.’  A ceiling or a wall exists to limit us and keep us out; these walls of hindrance and failure should come down! The only way to bring these walls of underperformance is to address our own demons.

You have to think bigger and clearer.  If you don’t, the glass ceiling will remain, and you will remain exactly where you are right now. You expand your mind by constantly associating with people who think in a different way; if someone is not challenging you, something is seriously wrong. It is from your worst critics you learn your best. You are a product of who you associate with. You should be known by the company you keep and the best company you can keep is with ‘knowledge’ and impart it well.  Don't selfishly accumulate knowledge; it only is effective when dispersed.

Talk “big” to yourself. “I am always doing that in which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” - Picasso

Learn every day; nothing can take the place of experience.  Do what you’ve never done, to get what you’ve never gotten.  You have to expand your horizons; you have to enter new waters.  When you do, you will grow, and you will change.

Succeeding at any given task is at least “twice as hard” as you think. Associate it with Picasso's “Action is the foundational key to all success.”

The reason many people don’t succeed is because they underestimate the amount of work requisite for success.  Those who play with timing and allocate rotas to their work ethics will only end up as subordinates.  Those who learn everything all around and are seekers of knowledge will break the barriers of ignorance and become stalwarts.

Success usually requires at least twice as much work as you think.  Oftentimes it requires three, four or even five times the amount of work. The price of success in high.  Maya Angelou said: “If the grass looks greener on the other side, you can bet the water bill is higher.”

The formula for personal and professional success

1. 99 percent of your results will depend only on 1 percent of your tasks. So quit wasting your time on unproductive activities, like idle chatter - idling should be constructive. 
2. Focus your life on the activities that produce the greatest rewards of human endeavours.  Focus on your priorities by sharing knowledge and experience; optimism and positive outlook will help you grow. 
3. Get the best out of your team by giving the best to the people around, become an icon of change. 
4. Let people look forward to you for change that you can bring by your talks and ideas; be an “idea” man. Most people only accomplish a fraction of what they could accomplish because they spend majority of their time working on meaningless tasks. 
5. No two days should be the same. If you want to have a successful day, you must plan your day.  Planned days are productive days!  Think what you achieved out of the whole day, anything optimistic will add to your armoury of experience; all unconstructiveness will destroy your career. 
6. You must fight for want you want!  Don’t get “depressed” when things get hard.  Remember, it’s darkest just before dawn.  Tough times will come on the “road to success,” …but you have to keep on moving!

Why is employee turnover so high in the Hotel industry when each candidate is interviewed thoroughly by multiple panelists?

The era of diplomatic, sugar-coated answers in an interview to impress potential employers has just gone. We need to define new avenues of recruitment in this interconnected world of service industry.

Employee retention is a sum total of the ‘Management approach’ to work and the ability of senior management to translate into easy words ‘the dawn of a new era of service’ to a mass of very young people who think saying ‘hello’ is some kind of curtsy.

‘Mindset change’ is the first hurdle that every senior manager faces and that is the first hurdle that a prospective employee needs to pass with flying colors too.

Menu for the perfect candidate 

The moment of truth is that the industry has to redefine its recruitment biases.  The old ‘model questions’ need to be chucked in the dustbin and prospective employees should be tested at the altar of:

1.      Personality

2.      Articulation

3.      Openness

4.      Versatility

5.      Adaptability to change

6.      Academic interest to grow

7.      Team player

The above seems to be the menu/requirement for a big man, but these qualities are widely available in the larger catchment of the talent pool. The industry has to recruit from outside the limited ‘profile’ raised by hospitality schools; a lot of people out there with plenty of ambition can be attracted to the industry if we create the right environment and sell them the big picture.

Hospitality industry will have to move forward and accept that the training grounds for skill are not the schools alone but their own organizations. Great hotels have produced great managers who started as bellboys.

  

 

 The ideal symphony
‘Exponential high curve of learning’ is what employees should be trained in by the ‘high and mighty sitting in the offices.’  Employers should recognize that an employee must understand his role as an integral part of the orchestra with the General Manager as the conductor. A GM who is not out and about and not part of the daily chores but locks himself up in his posh office is partly responsible for a high turnover. The whole idea of perks and more perks for the GM is sickening.  It is his role as a conductor to reach out to all and sundry to share his vast experience, teach the nuances of the fine trade to everyone in what is a very difficulty industry to survive.

Hero worship is out.  And those with a dynamic profile, which most are gifted with, reaching out should be given the top chance, even if we have to train them for bigger challenges. No single hand is ever responsible for the big trading numbers; it is all about the team work.  You need to search for a conductor who can compose his ‘music’ well in the song of global connectivity and changing requirements of new global service/travel industry. Anyone unable to give credit to the team is not a good team player.

Socially responsible ethics at Rafayel 
Yes ‘Hospitality’ is often a stepping stone and there will always be a high turnover, but it is all about training employees in different departments and setting them a schedule to learn the whole set of skills in the next few years that they will hang around.  The first thing any youth is interested in is his career and future – give him hope and arm him with knowledge, bring education and training in the forefront of your whole management and corporate style. That is the ethic we work at Rafayel.

Hotel industry – no room for loners or introverts

Hospitality is about service and about exceeding expectations. One should be a ‘peoples’ person to be successful in this industry; if one is a loner and doesn’t have much desire for interaction any number of degrees or diplomas will not help. One should love meeting people and enjoy learning new skills and styles every day; service and hospitality is an ever-changing chameleon. Either you are born a successful hotelier or not fit for the job.

Hospitality schools teach management skills, one thing they should now teach is the ever-changing panorama to master the craft of serving with distinction in a connected global village. Dealing with global set of citizenry who are interested to pen reviews about ‘one employee’ actions that can destroy even the best of properties is the new challenge. 

The art of connection 
The disconnect between employers and employees’ reality and expectations in a much regimented industry is growing huge day by day. Living in the mighty bygone days of majestic hotel standards without realising that the world around has changed is a self-serving and destructive approach. 

The new rules of the game

It is absolutely required to address every customer complaint. The hurdle of satisfaction and survival rate of good properties will just move a tag higher; far more concentration is required by the employers and employees.  The industry will need new kind of MBAs with great emphasis on skill training, interpersonal skills, reaching out, technical and software awareness. 

Some effective suggestions would be:

  

1. Continuous Communication between employer and employee is most important.

2. Teaching them new skills should be the goal.

3. Keep an eye on over-ambitious internal power strugglers.

4. Teach them the whole hospitality not a part of it.

5. Recruiting the "hospitality mindset" is more important than any number of degrees. Technicalities can be taught, but being a "hospitable mind" cannot.

6. Any employer who cannot empower people to take decisions when they are required will fail to keep employees. Costumer complaints needs big decisions to be taken at the spur of a moment, an employer who does not empower its front office staff to write-offs when they deem it necessary will make them feel miserable.

7. Time to listen and learn about philosophy of service industry - do you really want to work for satisfaction of others or just fill in hours?

8. Customer service should be your pride and a career path you choose with sincerity.  Those who think it as ‘servants work’ and below them will hurt the industry and themselves.

Rafayel Management Lesson 7

REVENUE MANAGEMENT or Online reputation management - Which is more important today?

Without proper online reputation management backed by proper service, there will be no REVENUE to MANAGE.

Today, the hotel industry is not just about REVENUE MANAGEMENT but all about delivering services exceeding expectations. That is the true definition of the service industry.

Rafayel’s revenue management strategies

We at Rafayel try to instill in our young staff the spirit of service and arm them with knowledge; we teach them and let them be aware of high standards of global hospitality industry. This is the most important task that an employer faces, i.e., to inspire courage of service and character of integrity. There is no doubt that REVENUE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES form the bedrock on which Revenue Management & Distribution forecasting process for effective decisions are based.

All Hoteliers should try to master the best practices of Revenue Management.  Creation of a dynamic Revenue Management Action Plan is the most important issue. Through a dynamic revenue management action plan only a hotel can achieve an optimum 'Pricing and Product mix.' A hotel cannot build an effective budgeting and forecasting plan without an effective revenue management approach. 

But alongside REVENUE MANAGEMENT, every hotel truly faces a dilemma to ensure that revenue keeps exceeding targets. No guest means no revenues to manage.

Insensitivity to modern-day citizen journalism can cause a mighty fall

I see great hotels closing down and falling on the wayside, and generally, the infliction is the lack of care and disasters that are rooted in the open world critical medium of citizen journalism.

Hotels just cannot cope with this open world of ours.  They are not equipped in dealing with a situation that just does not end on departures, or neglecting a customer complaint.  This complaint becomes an albatross around the neck – once the review is on the site, it appears straight away on any search. The soft belly of the industry is now exposed as never before to millions of prying and paying customers who will be happy if you care and unhappy if you dismiss them as numbers.

Integrated approach at Rafayel

In today's world, we teach our employees – from HSK to F&B – that an integrated approach is most important.  An employee should be jack-of-all-trades in the first few years of service and then move on to specialised expertise.  A good hotel cannot survive if it does not practise today the mastery of Internet Distribution and SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING that is integrated with employee’s sensitivity to customer demands.  The employees have to be educated and told that everyone expects from them – from top to bottom.

Where does General Management lie?
Mastery of these channels is a tricky question. It is not about loading pictures that don't meet the actual site.  In this modern day and age of a connected world and citizen journalism, only goodquality will survive.  A General Manager who sits beyond the sights of the front office is bound to fail.  General management of the hotel IS in the front office.

Great hotels of the past were known by the General Manager’s first name.  It was services that were the pride.  If one doesn't like 'people' one should not bother to be in the industry.  It is about caring and about people.  In Plaza Athenee Paris, from 1970-90's, Mr C would stand two hours every morning in the halls to greet and “hi” Royalty like King Hussein and Empress Farah Diba of Iran; all would feel safe in the hands of Mr C.

Online Reputation – one of the be-alls

A Hotel should promote and handle their online reputation using social media tools such as, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, GooglePlaces, TripAdvisor.  This reputation is only skin deep if it is not built on two things – integrity of your service and acceptance of your weakness.

The marketing strategy of a hotel nowadays should be totally reliant and sensitive to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Places, Trip Advisor, and Booking.com or Lateroom.com. The challenge is that critical reviews of customers pose serious questions which can only be addressed transparently if the hotel answers them well and tries to create a hurdle of high expectations for its brand.

It is the Citizen journalist and thousands of guests who decide 'your' fate in the marketplace. No amount of lexicon and shiny paper brochures would do the trick until the service at core delivers what the glitzy brochure promises.

Crossing the hurdle of expectations

The hurdle of exceeding expectations has to be crossed by the industry and this can only be achieved by instilling values that are customer-oriented. That is a huge benefit and bonus customers have obtained as a result of global open market of reviews and criticism of the facilities. Undoubtedly 1-2% of the customers do try to take advantage of this weakness of reviews that impact businesses, but if the hotel is committed to exceed expectations this can easily be addressed. 

Social networks or communities like Facebook blogging sites like Twitter get more traffic than Google. People spend a lot of time per day on these websites communicating with friends and searching for new things. 

Online reputation management and responding to guest reviews on TripAdvisor is the key to coherently answer the issues that any business faces. More and more websites and online travel agencies allow consumers to review the hotel they stayed in. The number of citizen journalists has also grown through the easiness of creating a blog on the internet.

The hotels today need to stay up to date with what people are writing about the company and hotels on the internet.

There are many tools out there charging a lot for getting your scores and fancy reports. But really all that matters is to know when and what is written about you. A Review tracking system for a hotel on blogs and travel review websites like TripAdvisor, is most important.

Building a simple DIY guest community – Be honest, be smart

Launch a hotel blog or client / guest community. Simple.  Your online hotel marketing strategy should go beyond promoting your hotel. In the end people are coming for the destination, and the hotel is a result of the trip.  Therefore, lies and fabrication don't work.  Only honesty and integrity will work in the open global sourcing of services.  The next customer usually testifies to the integrity of any negative review one way or another.  If the customer is wrong, the next review will alleviate the charges; and if the customer is right, the next review seals the fate of the hotel.

Long arms of the…internet!

Hotel media marketing strategies definitely should aim at increasing the presence, reach and exposure on the internet beyond the hotel website. Potential guests use many different platforms to do travel research.

The blog should include:

• Event calendar
• Local attractions & activities
• Gastronomy & night life
• News updates
• Transportation information

Add hotel reviews to your website for free? A two-way sword but adding critical reviews on the first page has great advantage of transparency and openness. Using open source technology freely available on the internet, traveller experiences from public hotel review sites can be filtered and displayed on your site as an objective opinion.