obal luxury travel buyers
DELEGATES’ VIEWS
Mary Steadman, Insignia Group of Companies “Through Connections, I’ve met some
incredible people that I’ve become business partners with. I’m very happy I came this weekend, and I’m very impressed with the Conrad London St James.”
Delia Monfrecola, Conrad London St James “I will remember each of the buyers staying here, and
Top hotels ‘gain from a fresh pair of eyes’
Selecting staff from outside the hotel industry and giving them ‘ownership’ is key to product innovation and retaining young talent, according to Simon Drake, hotel manager of the Conrad London St James.
“Youngsters nowadays have a
lot of choice,” he said. “What we do is provide something different for them. So we give them a lot of ownership. On week one, we say: ‘Welcome to the business; you’ve got a fresh pair of eyes, here’s your project and if it’s successful, we’ll implement it into our business.’” At a time when Brexit could
have a huge impact on the British hospitality sector– workers from the EU make up 15% of the national workforce, according to the British Hospitality Association – Drake spoke about one of his resources for finding local, young workers. “We are now one of the largest
employers of the Prince’s Trust’s successful students in London, and 10% of our workforce came
through the charity,” he said. “These are kids aged 16-20
who’ve come from disadvantaged backgrounds. All of them are Brits; a lot are from south London. Some 80% of the bar and floor staff have come from the Prince’s Trust alone.
“We try to take people that
have never necessarily had a pre-conceived idea of what a hotel is, and we give them the tools and knowledge to create a life for themselves as well as creating experiences for guests.”
ABOUT: Connections Events
Connections is the global networking and event organiser exclusively serving senior leaders and experts in luxury, wellness and meetings. We bring handpicked leaders from the luxury travel industry together to do business and to discuss the trends and challenges facing the marketplace. Connections is part of Jacobs Media Group. If you are interested in participating, please email
micaela@weareconnections.com or visit weareconnections. com
“We’re now one of the largest employers of the Prince’s Trust’s students in London”
I hope they will remember me because they had fun. These long-lasting relationships are what Connections is all about.”
Guy Bigiaoui, Safrans Du Monde “I like the hotel very much, it’s very impressive. Especially the
service – I ordered breakfast in my room this morning and it came within 10 minutes, exactly as I ordered, with a smile.”
Klara Marxtova, Simplexity Travel “Connections is fun! For me it’s very valuable – I now have contacts
here at the Conrad London St James that I can call any time I need, and who will go the extra mile to give my clients what they need.”
Simon Drake, Conrad London St James “What an amazing concept Connections is.
You want to scream ‘why has nobody done this before?’”
15 December 2016
travelweekly.co.uk 19
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