TRAINING TRIUMPHS, ALWAYS

Understanding that a team is as strong as its weakest link, Nicholas Dumbell, GM, The St. Regis Mumbai outlines why associates at the hotel clocked up over 1500 hours of training since the lockdown

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Just a month into his appointment as GM of St. Regis Mumbai, Nicholas Dumbell was in for a rude shock when the lockdown was announced travel was suspended in March 2020. Almost overnight, the upscale hotel’s occupancy nosedived from a plus 80% to a less than 10% occupancy. Its five restaurants were able to cater only to in-house guests, and banqueting and social events was completely closed.

This was a complete turnaround of the bustling hotel that Nick, as he is fondly called, was used to. Needless to say, it had a huge impact.

He tells us how St. Regis Mumbai turned this tricky corner and is gradually growing now. With the reopening of the hospitality segment, the volume of business has started doubling month-on-month and things are finally looking up.

What strategies did you develop for the continual implementation of sanitation and hygiene at St. Regis Mumbai?

The St. Regis Mumbai has implemented the Marriott-driven commitment to clean, which has come from the company’s Global Cleanliness Council. Professionals in the field of epidemiology, hygiene, food safety and public health, have come up with a comprehensive plan of steps we can take to minimize the risk of infection for our guests.

This includes an electrostatic sprayer, which we now use throughout the hotel, and medical-grade sanitization of all areas. However, the most important thing is our training. We are as strong as our weakest link. Everyone in the team needs to understand what needs to be done and the reason behind it. We clocked up over 1500 hours of training and that really had the biggest impact.