Luxury Hotelier - February 2008 - (Page 26)

26| Properties “We need to get past guest expectations and generate little surprises whenever we can—that’s what’s going to make the place work,” says Bernard Murphy, Gleneagles’ general manager, who is responsible for the property’s some 700 employees, which works out to roughly one employee per guest. “That comes out of the work that we’re doing with the team. We talk about creative service to delight, not just to serve.” Perhaps as a result of this stellar service, the property is attracting guests traveling to commemorate an event. “I’ve noticed an increase in the number of celebratory events that are happening here, and they’re multigenerational too,” Mr. Murphy says, adding that Gleneagles has a large event team that provides dedicated booking managers. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, the 83-year-old Gleneagles Hotel recently underwent an $11-million renovation, adding 10 suites, a gun dog school, children’s area, barber shop, hair salon and Mediterranean-themed restaurant, as well as a new 20-treatment room ESPA spa, opening in March. Gleneagles’ occupancy stands at about 70 percent, with 14 percent of its guests coming in from the American market. Its leisure business is quite reliable, in contrast to corporate and group business, which tends to bounce up and down. Weekends are especially busy throughout the year, and peak times also include the December holidays, Easter and school holidays. Meanwhile, average daily rates are about $700 per night. That figure may seem higher than Gleneagles’ competitors, but the hotel has avoided bare-bones pricing and includes amenities such as daily full breakfasts in its rates. Staff impressed guests over the recent holiday season, who already have prebooked the bulk of Gleneagles’ new suites for this Christmas and 2009 New Year celebrations. “It’s helping staff understand what the future looks like, what the differences are in the facilities from before and taking it to the next level,” Mr. Murphy says of staff training preceding the renovation. “They understand there are different standards and behaviors. It’s not building something new and doing the same thing.” For instance, spa staff underwent three months of training for the March opening. “The spa is going to be fantastic, but ESPA runs a number of spas around the world, so the service is where we will compete,” Mr. Murphy says. He adds that the hotel’s brand attracts strong applicants, so Gleneagles looks to hire “extremely enthusiastic people with pride” in their work. “It makes the whole experience feel very genuine,” he notes. Authenticity increasingly is a guest demand, says Mr. Murphy, who rejoined CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 Luxury Hotelier | February 2008 | www.LuxuryHotelier.com http://www.LuxuryHotelier.com

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Luxury Hotelier - February 2008 Editor's Letter Publisher's Letter Inform Network Forever Young Evolution for Jumeirah Insight Diamond in the Rough Amenities Televisions Art in Residence Yield Management Development Wine Lists Marketing to Locals Update Advertisers Index Editorial Index Source Listing Dossier

Luxury Hotelier - February 2008

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