INTERVIEW: ANDREW GIBSON Andrew Gibson Favourites
Book: Anything by Tom Stoppard. I’ve recently read The Opium War by Julia Lovell which was fascinating Film: Ronin
Food: Japanese, Thai or Lebanese Season: Summer in Sweden Leisure activity: Running
Spa: Any spa where a therapist really connects with you and delivers a tailored treatment
Treatments: I love massage. Scrubs are OK too but I’m not keen on wraps Best advice: Don’t take things personally
Who you admire: Margaret Thatcher. Whether you agree or disagree with her policies, she was a strong leader Quote: ‘Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it’ Dwight D Eisenhower
“I’m not sure how I’m going to tackle that element yet,” he admits. But the main post to fi ll will be a director of openings and operations based in Dubai. “They’ll work closely with me and develop into a global director,” says Gibson. “As with most hotel groups, Asia – and
predominantly China – is a big market for openings. But we’re also seeing good growth in eastern Europe, excellent growth in the Middle East and potential in India and Africa. America is quiet but not dormant and activity is starting to pick up.” He hints that in the future, FRHI will be
more likely to keep spas in-house rather than bringing in a third party operator. “I won’t give a defi nitive answer,” he says, “but what I will say is: why would you want to outsource a spa if you have the expertise in-house?” If the international press is to be
believed, there’s also much bigger news in the pipeline that could have an impact on the future direction of the company. Last November, Prince Alwaleed, the
owner of FRHI investment company Kingdom Holding, announced in a Bloomberg report that he’s looking for ways to monetise both FRHI and Four
The Peace Hotel is a notable Fairmont property and just one of many to open in China
Seasons which – along with Microsoft founder Bill Gates – his company has a stake in (see p28). Analysts say that an FRHI/Four Seasons merger or an initial public off ering are two possible scenarios. Speculation aside, Gibson remains
focused on the task ahead. One of the biggest challenges he foresees is convinc- ing hoteliers about the benefi ts of spas. “The competition for me isn’t the hotel
or day spa across the road, it’s our own internal food and beverage, meeting or banquet departments that could be bringing in more revenue per 100sq m,” he points out. “I try to explain that it’s not just having a spa that adds value, it’s having a spa that’s well designed and well run. But it only adds value if you include it in your sales and marketing strategy and in the overall business plan of the hotel. So, it’s my job to educate everyone about this – the owners, the general managers,
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the development team and the designers. The penny hasn’t dropped yet, but when it does, it will have a big impact on hotel spas in the future.” Knowing Gibson, it’s not a challenge
he’s likely to shy away from. For now, he’s enjoying the buzz of a changing company and thinking out his strategies. “There’s an absolute air of excitement and energy throughout the company – a desire to get the new structural changes in place and to really start making a diff erence. I was very happy at Mandarin Oriental, it’s a brilliant company and I wish it the very best. But having been at FRHI for only a short while, I know I’ve made the right move.” ●
Katie Barnes is the managing editor of Spa Business magazine Email: katiebarnes@
spabusiness.com Twitter: SpaBusinessKB
Spa Business 2 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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