MARRIOTT BUZZ NO. 13 - 2018

11 the MENA region to institute the feature of using smartphones as keycard access, and we’ve done a great job on things like that actually’. The Marriott Rewards program, he describes, is ‘one of the most important parts of what we do in order to increase client loyalty and participation’. ‘We have a certain target of 1,000 new enrollments per month, so that averages out to about 35 completely new guests per day’. He goes on to say that ‘the total number of Marriott Rewards members around the world is about 110 million, which now includes SPG members as well’, which has boosted the Marriott International’s portfolio to be the largest in the world. The three company-policy ‘basics’ which serve as the front office team’s guiding principles, are an integral part of the way the team functions. ‘Connections, cues and brilliance are values that we try to instill in our employees to live this brand’s way of life, practicing these principles each day - not just applying it at times and forgetting it,’ says the Front Office Manager. This is why the front office has recently adopted the practice of sharing real- life examples during morning briefings; ‘we don’t create examples, we encounter real-life situations catering to guest satisfaction and we express them to our team members,’ which helps give clarity on the challenges faced and solutions implemented as a result. Using the ‘3 moves’ in all of what the front office team does ‘is the main practice we use to anticipate guest needs and to maintain the highest standards of personalization to make guest stays as memorable and enjoyable as possible’. The company founder’s motto of ‘putting people first’, the Front Office Manager explains means ‘first putting your people and associates first then putting your house first, which then by extension means you can guarantee that you are ensuring your guests are perfectly attended to and taken care of in all their unique needs’. Amongst these values is the concept of personalization as it relates to each guest, something the Marriot prides itself on. He offers an anecdotally relevant instance in this regard; ‘for example this very morning we had a soon-to-be- married guest request a wedding cake in the same style as Prince William and Princess Kate’s, and we actually managed to accomplish this in a timely manner and with impressive quality. He then introduces three impressive and composed young ladies, members of the guest relations team, with varying degrees of experience ranging from 3 years to just 1 week at the Cairo Marriott, who all made it abundantly clear by example, the level of decorum, personality and professional standards that Marriott employees adhere to. The front office have also recently introduced team-building excursions which are upcoming in helping to properly assimilate the many new additions to the team as well as honor newly promoted individuals. He remarks that ‘we really value our team members here and we value them always with the same care and respect that we want to see our dear guests treated with’. In the end, Mr. Hossam reflects on how in keeping with the history of the Cairo Marriott’s royal pedigree and opulent standards, the front office team and more broadly the rest of the hotel’s staff, are constantly aspiring to the highest standards of meticulous care and devotion that these special palatial grounds inspire. ‘This particular hotel is not just a hotel, there’s a certain history here, the story of its birth is beautifully romantic, it really is like a small city and sometimes if you are in it for long enough as I often am, you don’t really feel the need to venture out of it at times!’