A new beginning

The InterContinental Dubai will become the Radisson SAS, Dubai Deira Creek on October 1. What will the guests notice during the handover ?
The guests whose stays overlap with the changeover will simply check in under InterCon and check out under Radisson SAS.Obviously they will be notified by InterCon,but that’s not really in our hands. It is the InterCon’s responsibility.

It’s not like the guests are going to wake up in the morning and find everything is different.We’ll probably need the first day to get things straightened out completely.The staff name badges will be different, the sugar packets will say Radisson and not InterCon,but there won’t be a dramatic change right away.That all takes time

Are you planning to keep on any of the InterContinental staff?
When it was announced that we would be taking over the hotel, one of the principal messages was that we were happy to take on everyone that wanted to stay on. A few people decided to leave, to continue their careers with InterCon, but the vast majority are staying on.We’ve had to recruit for a few individuals, mainly on the management team level, but with the middle management and line staff there hasn’t been much movement at all.

We will be doing training with the staff on Radisson brand standards.That will happen on the departmental level and will be carried out by individual department heads.

In the longer term, do you plan to carry out much renovation on the property?
Nothing has been finalised or scheduled yet, but it has been a discussion point ever since we signed the contract.We will have to do some work, just to keep up with the competitors.

Of course we will be putting a more Radisson feel to the place, but we’ll be doing that gradually. You have to keep in mind the character of the hotel — it is like a grand old lady.

We’ll still modernise, but without going to extremes.We’ll try to be sensitive but still make our own mark.

The food and beverage outlets will be staying the same, but we will be looking at them one by one, assessing them and deciding which of them needs to be addressed.

We cannot be arrogant.The hotel has been running very well for 31 years — who are we to walk in and say we want to change everything now?

What have you been doing to notify the trade about the changeover?
Some information has gone out to travel agents and so on. People have heard it on the grapevine, so they’re aware that it’s happening.

A lot of information has gone out, and now we’re stepping up our PR and marketing campaigns.

Do you think you’ll inherit a lot of the InterContinental’s existing customer base?
There are a lot of guests that are loyal to the hotel itself.That is a common factor in hotels that have existed for quite some time — customers are loyal to the hotel and to the staff.

Hotel guests that travel a lot like to be recognised, they want to feel comfortable and that all their special needs are being taken care of, so they do not want to change the hotel just because it changes management company. Guests will still be able to come here, know their way around, be met by familiar faces, but the sign over the door will be different. It will be up to us then to make sure those guests keep on coming back.

What challenges do you think you’ll face?
Retaining guests is definitely one of the most important challenges, but it’s a challenge I’m not afraid to take up.

For me, however, this is a personal challenge as well as a professional challenge. It’s a prestigious hotel, and I look at it as something of a promotion.

I think everyone’s waiting to see what we’re going to do with the place, but I think the most scrutiny will be from the guests.They will decide whether we have changed the place for the better or for worse.

Also, there will be scrutiny from the staff. I’m sure a lot of people will compare, before and after, I think that’s just natural, but as long as we go forward, everyone will be happy, I hope.

What management process will you have in place to help staff cope with the change?
Change can be very difficult, but it can also be an opportunity.We will look at it as an opportunity.

There are a lot of very capable staff and management in the hotel and I’m sure there are a lot of things that they may want to do and that could not be done before.

If you know you’re going to lose your property certain things get put on hold, so I think a lot of people are geared up with a lot of things they would like to do.

We will of course be taking input from them. We’re doing this as a team.

The middle management are the ones on the floor, in direct guest contact, so they know the guests’ needs, and the operational needs, and together we will move forward.They will be able to help us a lot and we are ready to listen. It will also be a motivating force for the middle management and staff to see that they can contribute.

How do you think people will adapt to the change in brand at such a landmark property?
To a lot of people it will remain ‘the InterCon’ in their heads for a while. But then the new InterCon will open and I’m sure that will help people differentiate the two.

Dubai is such a transient place and for new people here it will just always be the Radisson, so I think people will adapt to the change pretty quickly, probably more quickly than if this was happening in another major city. People in Dubai are used to change — it is the only constant, as they say.

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