Michele Frignani, 53, is the general manager of a brand new Starwood resort hotel in Ajman. The Italian, 53, was raised in Brazil and worked for Starwood Hotels in Italy for 17 years before moving to the UAE 10 months ago to start the 205-room Ajman Saray.
6am
I wake up in the hotel room where I live. A resort is open much longer than a city hotel – from 6am until sometimes beyond midnight. To have a room here is handy because I’m here when emergencies arise.
I’d never feel comfortable taking a prime location away from our guests. So I’m overlooking the entrance of the hotel, which means I can check on my valets. This is important because the arrival experience sets the tone for the whole stay.
7am
I like to try the outlets for breakfast, to see how the buffet is set up and how the service is. The key is to be the least predictable that you can – not that you want to sneak up on your staff, but you don’t want them to know in advance when you’re coming. So I try to do different things every day. I like yoghurt, muesli and fruits, but every now and then I have to try out the omelettes and cold cuts.
8am
I go to my office, open the duty manager’s report to see what’s happened overnight and read the internal surveys we send to our guests. I check last night’s dinner covers, bar revenue, and how see how much walk-in business we had. I also read which work orders are in progress, for example if a toilet is clogged or a light isn’t working. It gives you a snapshot of what’s going on in the hotel at that given moment.
8.30am
Often I go into housekeeping, because that’s when our executive housekeeper has all of her people lined up in her office to distribute the day’s allotment of rooms. I don’t like staff to see management as the untouchable and be scared of me. They’re your eyes and ears, so it’s also a moment to get feedback on what’s doing well and what’s not.
9am
I have our morning meeting with department heads. They’re from all different walks of life – my engineer is from the Royal Navy in England, so he’s very British, structured and straight forward. My sales manager is from Egypt, so culturally he’s more like me – we like to talk and be friendly. My financial controller is from Barcelona. He’s the philosophical type. It’s difficult to get all these different cultures together and be open to criticism. At first it was very stiff and formal, but we understand now that if we all speak up it’s to make the hotel work better. So we’re going into a more productive phase.
9.30am
We have coffee on the couches. It’s a little awkward because we’re all in suits and formal, and everyone else at the resort is informally dressed. But it’s also a nice way to say good morning to the guests as they walk by. If there’s something we didn’t want to share in the formal meeting setting, during this break we can sometimes resolve an issue that’s been nagging us.
10am
I write the welcome letters to the VIP guests myself. I decide who gets the fruit, the macaroons, the strawberries with chocolate and sparkling wine. Which welcome gift you get depends on length of stay, the rate you’re paying, and whether it’s a leisure or business trip.
11am
I look at a few of the rooms with the housekeeper to check for scratches on the walls and the cleaning standards. Sometimes we decide we can’t give a room to a guest and we need to change it.
12.30pm
I like to eat lunch in the staff canteen. I’ll usually go for the Indian option because the lentils and rice that I love is very similar to Brazilian cuisine. Staff food is a sensitive area of the hotel – it’s difficult to please everyone because we have 270 staff of 24 different nationalities.
3pm
I might have a financial call with our area manager to defend my strategy and the results. Then the day starts to wind down. Every day I check to see who has a birthday, and I try to find them to give them a handshake and wish them well. These are people whose families are back home, so it’s always a nice touch.
6.30pm
I like to be in the lobby because that’s when it’s busiest. 7pm is the latest I’ll be doing office work until. My concentration span by then is over.
7pm
I often go to the gym. It’s a moment to be side by side with the guests – sometimes, I’ll hear comments and it’s good to hear what guests have to say.
9pm
I’ll cook pasta with very simple sauces, nothing too complicated. My wife is still not here yet, so I’ll reach out to her in Italy on Skype. Sometimes I’ll pop down at about 10.30pm so the staff know I’m around – it’s good to keep them on their toes. Then I’m off to bed.
business@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @Ind_Insights
