No room for smugness

It has been well documented that lack of training and poor service standards are two of the key issues currently plaguing the region's hospitality industry. And this is nowhere more prevalent than in the restaurants and F&B outlets in the Gulf.

As we all know, the industry is growing at such a rapid rate that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good quality staff, but you would think that having acknowledged the problem, the industry would, by now, have sought some solutions, particularly at the top end of the scale where service is a key point of differentiation given the number of ‘luxury' hotels and top end restaurants opening their doors? Alas, from my own recent experiences I can safely say that we are nowhere near finding a solution.

Back in November, with my husband's birthday rapidly approaching (December 5) I decided to book at table at Nina, the popular Indian restaurant located at the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai. I booked well in advance to avoid disappointment, but was surprised not to receive a call on the actual day of the booking to confirm my reservation.

Just to make sure, given the special occasion, I called on our way to the restaurant, only to discover that Nina had no knowledge of the booking. I was upset, but of course, mistakes do happen. However, it's how you handle them that counts, and the staff member at Nina had obviously not been trained to deal with this problem.

I explained that it was my husband's birthday and had made a reservation in advance, but she offered no apology. Instead, she all but told me it was my fault that I had not informed them it was a special occasion when I booked.

So what, you only get a confirmation to eat there if it's a special occasion? There was no remorse and no attempt to resolve the problem and so we took our custom elsewhere.

This was not my first bad experience at the property. My family stayed at the hotel a few months ago and we sat and waited for 20 minutes on The Roof Top terrace, gasping for a refreshment, only to be ignored for that duration.

The key issue is that there is no accountability. Not only did I witness unacceptable flaws in the service standards, but when pointing them out, no one gave a damn.

These restaurants and hotels might be full to the brim right now, given the excess demand, but when supply floods the market in the next three to five years, they might find some empty seats and rooms. There is no room for smugness and complacency given the number of restaurants that are set to open.

As we welcome in a new year I hope that in 2008, the hospitality industry will strive to recruit better staff, train them well and above all, make them accountable.

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Agreed!
Posted by Leo, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday 22 January 2008 at 13:29 UAE time


Absolutely agree with your article. It's always the case of over-worked, under-paid.

The region is growing at such a rapid pace, quantity is more important than quality. Overcommitting chief executives stop at nothing to fill their hotel / restaurants, throwing quality to the wind...

Such a sad situation for a region with such potential...

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