| Summary_ In his two-and-a-half years as GM at Melia White House near Regent’s Park – currently the group’s only property in the country – Gioele has transformed its performance across a host of measures, including profitability, guest satisfaction and service levels. This has established it as a solid ‘four-star deluxe’ hotel. A proactive decision was taken to reduce high volume, lower-paying business and create space to expand in higher paying leisure and corporate markets._ The change in performance has come with his progressive management style; Gioele has built a ‘community’ within the hotel, breaking down traditional hierarchical structures so employees of all levels feel that they can contribute to the hotel’s success. This open door approach, combined with a major restructure in staff training, has boosted employee morale, service delivery and guest feedback, which in turn has been a major part in the hotel shifting its focus upwards and improving both the ADR and RevPAR. _ Gioele actively encourages department heads to take a personal interest in their staff – something he does by example. To illustrate, he has created regular staff lunches where he can brief the team on performance and issues. In turn, each department, gives a fun presentation on life in their jobs to create a better sense of community. New staff recognition initiatives, a rewards programme and hotel-wide social events outside of work reinforce this ‘one family’ approach. In turn, the hotel plays an active part in welcoming its community too, hosting events for local groups as a friendly neighbour._ With only one UK property at present, Melia Hotels International does not have the luxury of wooing corporates in the same manner of larger chains. Instead, Gioele has taken the ‘independent’ approach to underline the traditional values of the Spanish-owned operation. His pragmatism has focused attention on thinking and acting like a family-run business. This has meant focusing on market segmentation and profitability. Gioele hs expanded the remit of the in-house Guest Experience team to develop and tailor facilities for best-performing markets, which has also enabled the hotel to draw in business – with joint marketing deals – from emerging nations such as China and Brazil._ He has also introduced a dedicated kids’ loyalty scheme, which has helped increase parent satisfaction and encouraged them to return as corporate customers. _ Gioele continues to take a major role in the hotel’s social media presence. A new Facebook site has gathered over 1,500 fans in four months and is now striking partnerships with suitable high-end brands in fashion and retail. _ Melia Hotels International recognises that Gioele is more than a traditional GM. As well as holding that position at the Melia White House, he is now in charge of leading the wider group’s ambitions for the country – this entails conducting market research and developing business plans for properties planned in major UK cities (Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Newcastle and Edinburgh) to open by the end of 2014. |
| | | Movie | | (Click on the box below) | | | To vote for this candidate,
(Click below) | [ ->?vote] | |
| Full Presentation | | (Click on the box below) | | [ ->http://hospitalityawards.com/Communication/Candidates/GM_Midscale/GCamarlinghi.pdf] | ....................................................................
| | | ....................................................................
| | [ ->http://hospitalityawards.com/Communication/Candidates/GM_Midscale/GCamarlinghiCV.pdf] |
|
