Gold Swiss-Belhotel Dubai recruitment phase nears completion

Mr Nils Rothbarth, General Manager, Gold Swiss-Belhotel Dubai said everyone on the team at the soon to open hotel has been hired for attitude and their passion for service excellence.

He also highlighted the importance of cultural awareness and understanding as part of the hotel's induction programme.

"Our Swiss-Belhotel International training programmes are very comprehensive ensuring all of our staff have a thorough understanding of our brand, performance indicators and service expectations. In addition to the class-room style modules we also incorporate role playing particularly in the customer care and complaint handling,"

said Mr Rothbarth.

"The service industry is one where sensitivity must prevail. For instance what may be totally acceptable by one nationality is in some cases delicate for another. Our job is to ensure that all of our team members are equipped to handle just about everything; this is where hiring for attitude becomes relevant. We encourage core values of passion and professionalism and encourage tolerance and understanding. In addition, we embrace the local culture and aim to play an active role in the communities where we have hotels and as such a City Tour and Dubai familiarization is also an integral part of the induction programme that every single member of our team completes," he added.

Mr Rothbarth said a varied approach was adopted in order to source the right people for the job.

"In the first instance we turned to our sister properties throughout the world to fill key positions, choosing to promote and provide opportunities for existing members of the Swiss-Belhotel International team enabling them to grow and garner global experience by relocating to Dubai. Second, we managed to balance our recruitment drive by engaging a significant number of staff locally with Dubai knowledge and experience. The combination of both will ensure success," he said.

According to Mr Rothbarth, while the finishing touches are being applied to the hotel interiors, training is the next step.

A fully comprehensive induction programme will be rolled out in the coming weeks as the final stage of the pre-opening. The programme covers everything from fire and safety to customer service and the Swiss-Belhotel International company philosophy.