Being part of the managing Group of a hotel as the Ritz has been a boost to my professional career, a lot of work, invaluable learning and a huge of experiences with people and groups that I have into my “professional and personal backpack”.

It is a permanent Challenge the “update” of the room division area of the Hotel Ritz Madrid to the market through innovation, permanent improvements and focus on human resources in order to serve to the most exclusive clients around the world.

The strength of the philosophy “Ritz” is the brand itself, of course. The market position of the brand, since 1896 Cesar Ritz founded Hotel Ritz Paris, has not varied as an elegant and distinct symbol:

- Exclusivity: with only three “True Ritz” in Paris, London and Madrid.
- Innovation: the hotel under the “last word” on elegance, efficiency and luxury aesthetic, good taste and sophistication.
- Global reference and positioning: it is an experience just crossing its doors.  
-The character: quality and service “perfect as always”.

It is obtained an exclusive branding, if we add to the Ritz brand “Orient- Express Hotels Trains &Cruises”, which is a brand as important as Ritz and with an excellent market position in the global Hotel business.

Orient- Express has been managing since 2003 the hotel with special proud of incorporating the hotel to its brand and taking into account the interests of the local clients, unlike other brands. The focus is mainly based on an excellent service, employee and client’s satisfaction and taking into account every detail.

The economic-social situation that we are living affects the entire world and few people are out of its consequences. The hotel, thanks to its exceptional operative and marketing work continues achieving exceptional results month after month. We observe a change in the demand to the “last minute”, a reduce of the increasing rhythm of reservations at long term.  We must be prepared, but without prospects since our client demands service and quality.

Facing this situation, Grade Damme, maintains its glamour. It is said that in time of crisis, talent appears, and every day we innovate experiences in order to continue paying great attention to every detail, rendering the best service and implementing save plans and costs restrain, but always without affecting the client.
An energetic save plan might save up to 75% of the costs with a lot of imagination, creativity and work.
A plan of costs restrains to obtain a variation of permanent costs according to the demand, in order not to fall into additional expenses that only minimize benefits.
Every action is evaluated together with the General Director in order to assure the success in global management and that the client continues enjoying the service of the Ritz.

As regard competitors, in 2009 we will have more than five thousand beds in the segment of five stars in the city of Madrid. It means an outstanding increase of supply since this niche of the market has experienced an increase of more than a 22, 5% in the last two years at the capital. There are clearly several sub-segments in this category, they are mainly differentiated by price and brand.
The International chains as in our case “Orient- Express Hotels, Trains &Cruises”, or in other cases such as “Westin”, “Intercontinental” and even “Hyatt”, position the luxury market in Madrid as regard service, ratio employees/rooms and RevPar. The national brands are getting left behind as well as independent hotels that in philosophy, development, marketing, human resources and service are decreased because of the power of the company.

The differential agents of the demand are the values of the hotel. In our case we maintain the positioning and brand focused on the excellence of the service, exclusive luxury, experiences and emotions. Who come to the Ritz feels something special, it is more than a hotel, it has charm, it is a place to see and be seen. The professionalism and experience of its employees make it unique, with a personalized service and pampering every detail with each client.

The successful key of the Ritz, I think that it does not have big secrets….The status as the hotel of reference in the Spanish hotel business has been based on the work of a lot of people during several years. The brand, the different properties that have been negotiated by the Hotel Ritz and its employees are the responsible for the success. Ritz is positioned at the top of the Spanish hotel business although there are excellent products that are currently offered by the Spanish luxury hotel business. Regular clients do not change it, it is their home. Companies and organizations that come to the Ritz, come because of its emotional attraction, its service and its knowledge to do it.

As regard our philosophy, the clients are clients, of course. It does not matter its perfection, preferences or demands. We are to fulfil their interest. It might sound as a topic, but each one is different and special. Part of our work is to make that each client feels special, different, as if each stay were personalized and done as a suit made by well-known tailors.

As regard the time of highest amount of clients who are accommodated, the exercise 2007 was a record year for the Ritz among almost all the hotel ratios in which it was measured the analysis and profitability of the hotel.
Our occupation is around 82% annually with an average rate of €375 and it may be too well-balanced and without big fluctuations. Our clients come without thinking about the season of the year, even August that is a month typically low in the luxury hotel business of Madrid, we achieved closing the month with a 73% of the occupation with an average rate of €355. May, June, September and October are the strongest month in the entire city, of course.

The Ritz hotel will not carry out the alterations’ plan in the following months as it was announced during the last November to the Media.
It is planned an excellent plan of renovation of almost all the areas of the hotel in order to adapt it to the necessities of our clients as regard comfort, technology, luxury and services. As the appropriate permission to the execution of the plan is not available yet, we must wait.

As regard the funniest anecdote of this year, it is difficult to choose one and my professional secrecy does not allow me remembering them too much….I am a person with a great sense of humour and I try to turn challenging situations into opportunities to learn.
My first day on duty at the hotel, with a 100% of occupation, among other things, a delegation of an Arabian country with 90 rooms, sheiks, princes, Kings, etc., in other areas there were 10 events for that day, and all of them too important. The first day is always special, although one received all the information about the culture, product and services before managing a guard. A high level of security because of the guests that were accommodated, a complaint of a client because the water of the shower was too cold according to her opinion, welcome of Presidents and authorities, a fail in the external alarm system, etc. Just at that moment an assistant called me and told me that he needed to talk with me. When I managed that all the important and urgent things as regard clients were solved, I meet with him…he had just told me how happy he was because of being working at the hotel” (it was his first week).

One of the biggest assets of the hotel is the human capital. Having resources with high experience in each their jobs, gives a high level of service. On other side and with complement character and not less important are the most recent incorporations to the organization who contribute to the innovation, energy and fresh air. The result is a group of people that are part of a family, the family of the Hotel Ritz. Managing this “flagship” is not an easy task and Mr. Anton Küng (General Director) has been doing it for more than 5 years and he has been working with an excellent managing group. The wide managing experience and abilities of Mr. Küng makes the rest.

The base of the relationships among the Director and the different professions of the hotel are the communication, reliability, empowerment and development. These are the base of some relationships that make that the philosophy of Orient-Express through Mr. Küng flows from top to bottom and from the left to the right in order to achieve the aims of service, quality and human capital. Obviously, the demand and pressure are present since the level of mistake is minimum. We have tools in order that the professional relationships among the Management Committee, Directors, Boss of Department and the personnel be steady and evolutionary.
As regard the group of work, the hotel is as a huge theatre, where actors and actress live all their personal play. Behind and in front of the stage a great number of people are working in order that everything runs well, there are not place to mistakes when it is a service of the Ritz. Form the kitchen boy to the Chef, from the Reception Assistant to the Banquet Director, from the General Director to the Linen Boos, from the bellboy to the cashier. Each one with their wardrobe, make up…the groups of the Hotel Ritz are special. It is a mix of experience in hotels with the last batch of Tourism Graduates. They are people whose children’s names are known by clients, who are part of the Ritz family since several years. Both in the good moments and the bad ones, they are professionals. “Le savoir faire”.

As regard the motivation of the Director toward his workers during times of crisis, we might begin with my definition of motivation; I think that it is a value shared in the relationships with the rest of the assistants. That is to say, the self-motivation is the 75% of the motivation. The rest is feed by external factors. People that work in the service area have a vocational component which makes the work a pleasant thing. Crises have been always with us, in different ways, but what is important is the management of each one with their assistants. Innovation, creativity and communication are the key.

A person must have certain characteristics to be part of a group: professional level, customer orientations, work in groups, orientation to details, service vocation, languages and experience in luxury hotels.
In the personal aspect, commitment, common sense, flexibility and eager to learn and work.

I think that I have learnt from my success and fails. I follow a coaching process with my personal and professional coach. With her I work both success and mistakes in order to analyze and take an action on the subject. Every day one trays to carry out our tasks as better as it is possible. But we are people and not machines. I take the phrase of Ton Lodder, “it is not important that the fork falls, but knowing how to pick it up”.

As regard clients, partners, I believe that everything I know is thanks to them. Each one has given me something, no matter their levels. If you are able to see them with other eyes and watch what they give to your backpack, learning process is continuous and invaluable.

As regard my Management in the hotel, I do not believe that I can respond it, but my group of people, partners and bosses can do it. But if I have to do it, I will do it using three words: “luxury is possible”.

People that really know the client; it will depend on the hotel and the structure of the Jobs. In the luxury hotel business, I confirm the receptionist. It is amazing how they carry out the luxury reception. As they say “we are able of achieving everything”, and we spend a bit more as regard miracles”.

Three qualities that define a good boss are: leadership, strategy and communication.

As regard the professional aims, I would like continuing working in the hotel operation; however I do not leave out other areas. Although I know and live every day with the rest of the areas, it is a challenge the specialization in each one.

I am embarked on the amazing world of coaching and personal and professional development of people. It is something that I am completing and I must admit that I love it. I do not rule out to joint it professionally with the hotel, training and human resources world.

Thank you very much

After 11 years of experience as therapist of a SPA and a total of 30 years of career into the discipline that are related to my profession, I can tell you that making a person feel good, either from the aesthetic or healthy point of view, is what give me a relief and satisfaction similar to the one that the patient takes with him/her when my work is finished.
No matter the kind of therapy that has been used, but this mutual feeling is what makes us felling full.

I can emphasize the importance of having worked with people as Guillermo Vilas, Catherine Deneve, Mirtha Legrand, among others, as well as with people that I have worked the whole year and other ones that I meet just a time. The quality of the work, the pleasure and peace of doing it, is unique.

As a psychologist told me, “we are a body”; so that it is too important to provide pleasure by transmitting peace, beauty, cosiness, self control and safety.

To be a good therapist, it is important the attitude. You must be polite, professional, pleasant and you must have presence, clear nails and well-arranged hair, and the most important thing is that you like touching people. You must have into account that some times it must be given a massage or a therapist to people who suffer from certain diseases on the body or the skin.

It must be avoided taking about religion or politics, neither arguing with the patients.

You must get involved into the well-being of the people, respecting either guest’s silent or words.

Sometimes, people enter with bad humour and they have a bad treatment toward us, but we have to take into account that it is nothing personal toward us, we must do our best in order to generate a positive experience and change that negative energies.

A spa is the pleasure of giving pleasure.

I began my career as Housekeeping Assistant, then I was promoted to job of Executive Housekeeper at an International Hotel.

Nowadays, I work as General Housekeeper at a private hospital. This job was created a few years ago, since in the hospital area it is being innovated the job of housekeeper, which is common in hotels. Comfort and quality demanded by patients have created this job, as well as the trend that private hospitals would be more similar to a hotel than to a place to “illness people”, both in the appearance and services.

The job of housekeeper, in hotels and private hospitals is almost the 70% of the company, since it is really important the appropriate running of the area, where it is mainly focused on the total quality; it gives the first impression to guests.

We must take care of every detail, presence of the building, its rooms, public areas, operating theatre and we must also manage the laundry area.

The housekeeper’s job requires responsibility, dynamism, creativity and persistence.

To coordinate the assistants of the area, who are generally a lot of people, we need to motivate, teach and go with them during their growth and at the same time we must try that each one can understand the importance of being in every detail…

Holding this job is an interesting experience, I met a lot of famous people and important people belonging to the hotel business and I have learnt a lot about franchises and international standards.

At a private hospital, the guest is different since most of them come because they are ill, but every day I learn new techniques about medicine and procedures at the level of infectology, sterilization of materials, surgical fields and several activities that are not common for hotelery.

It is a new experience being working at a private hospital, where everything is new. ..

I meet a lot of people working here and everyday I learn something new about the human body.

Being a housekeeper is learning to create and develop procedures every day in order to achieve an aim: no mistakes.

It is a pleasure for me sharing a small portion of my experience in a job at the Sales & Marketing area at the Mexican Caribbean.

6 years before, when I arrived at Playa del Carmen, I felt in the air the “tourism boom”, the Riviera Maya started to turn into the preferential destination of several important markets.
The increase of the hotel vacancies (because of new openings and enlargement of the existing structures) has been constant during these last years and it is forecasted that  it is going to be the same at least during the following 5 years and the increase of the supply of general services rise to the occasion.

Nowadays, at the Riviera Maya the newest properties that are being opened and the ones that will be opened are basically structures of about 1000 room for Hotels of Great Tourism 5* All Inclusive (Gran Sirenis, Sandors Caracol Beach), about 500 rooms in properties of Super-Luxury EP (Fairmont Mayacoba, Mandarín Oriental) and a new type that is emerging, “Boutique Hotels” both AI and EP (Paraíso de la Bonita Resort & Talasso, Azul Blue Tulum).

            As it might occur in several destinations of the Caribbean, the European market begins to open destinations in order to give then great part of the vacancies to the American Market, which is tried to be gained as much as possible because of the “Yield Management”.
             
The Caribbean is a very accessible destination to the American and Canadian market because of its geographical location, at the same time Mexico is a very attractive destination to the European market because of the beauty of the natural and cultural attractions (this market begins to be affected by the “tourism boom” which involves higher hotel rates and this problem is added to the increase of the oil price which has a great influence on the cost of long charter flights).

Apart from that, Mexico has an important local market which adds hundred of annual tourists, but having the difficulty of the market stagnation and the low average of overnight stays.

It is increased the difficulty of capturing human resources because of the high development of the activity. We not only refer to qualified personnel to occupy important jobs or direct service to the guest, but also to all the areas in general.

In the sales area, specifically, these problems are not too crucial, but it is not easy to find an Executive who has all the personal and professional characteristics that are necessary for this profession: several spoken and written languages, experience in the sales area, Professional Degrees, work under pressure, trained in public relations, work ability, etc.
           
Catalonia Hotel has in this moment three hotels 4* at the Riviera Maya, and more than 900 rooms which will be 1000 at the end of 2006, offering the most high quality of service among the 4* hotels at the Riviera Maya, Catalonia Hotels has reached an average occupation of more than 95% annually in its Hotels.

The high level of guests’ satisfaction has given us different prices to the excellence by the Tour Operators of different markets.
           
Catalonia Hotels have given me all the possibilities to develop myself in the marketing area of the hotels. The results that I obtained the last years are excellent which has given me a great personal satisfaction and a strong commitment to the company.
           

I began my career in the business area of a 5-star hotel, more specifically with a telemarketing plan.

After that, I continued perfecting hotel issues taking part of the Professional Development Program of the well-known Cornell University in United States.
There, I met “hotel managers” from several parts of the world, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Egypt and even Russia; I shared experiences and knowledge, I remember that my room partner at the campus of the University was Turkish.

I went to live abroad in 1999, more specifically to the Margarita Island, in Venezuela.

There, I entered the Hilton Chain in the Reception area. After a short time, I had the opportunity of growth and I was promoted to Reception Supervisor and then to sub-manager of the department. Step by step I was involving in the training area of my area, which helped me to be promoted after 3 years to Training Manager. It was a job that I liked very much and that allowed me to be closer to the development of the hotel’s employees.

In 2003, I returned to Buenos Aires, and I started to work in the Hilton Hotel Buenos Aires in the HR area, more specifically in training and development.
 
This position is very attractive, since it is too dynamic: we have to generate new things every day to motivate the Members of the Group (it is the name given to the employees), to help them to growth, and to train them generating a good working environment.

I believe that I am a lucky person in my professional life, there are not too many people that find the career that they like, but I have found it.

I started working when I was 17 years old at a party hall during weekends, I did a lot of things, either cooking or service at the hall, I worked a year until a friend took me to work to an exclusive Restaurant as Waiter, there I realized that the Gastronomy was part of my life and it was what I wanted to do the rest of my life.  

I finished my secondary studies and I began to study gastronomy. I studied Professional Cook at the Instituto Argentino de Gastronomia (Argentine Institute of Gastronomy), and then I began doing courses of different types of Cuisine as the Near East Cuisine, Eastern Cuisine, Sushi and some more courses.

After almost three years working at the Restaurant in Belgrano neighbourhood, I went to work to a Chain of Restaurants of Japanese and Chinese food. I was in charge of one branch until I reached my personal aim, after a year, I was the General Supervisor of its three branches. At the same time I was studying hotelery, which led me to obtain my first job in the hotel business.

When I was 23 years old, I was called by the Alvarez Arguelles Chain, owners of several Hotels of the country, one of them is the Costa Galana Hotel that is located in Mar del Plata. I started working at the Hotel as Food & Beverage Junior Assistant; it was a great professional and personal challenge, after three months I was promoted to Senior.

It has been the best experience that I have had up to now. Then I was in charge of the Stewards Department, creating all the service Standards, setting ups and other things. I worked a lot in training the entire F&B department, specially the Maître and their Team Leaders.

After two years of being working in the Costa Galana Hotel, I went to work with the Chef Martiniano Molina to Valle de Las Leñas in Mendoza, to the Virgo Hotel & Spa as Food & Beverage Manager. It was my first opening in a seasonal hotel, everything was positive.

 The Virgo Hotel & Spa took me where I am nowadays. I assumed the Food & Beverage Management of the Ros Tower Hotel, the first five-star hotel in Rosario. It is my first big challenge since I am only 25 years old and an entire Department to which I have to give the highest quality of service and the best and most exotic creation of our menus.

My experience has begun since I was a child…when I was too young I loved people…more people I knew, more things I learnt and I felt really happy…. Deal with people is life for me.

Taking into account the different types and levels of culture that I have to face up, I am always at clients’ level…I always see a friend, a brother, a sister, a father, a grandfather or grandmother reflected in the other person.

Although I am young, I have travelled across many ways and I have crossed different borders. I have always known that my education was the people and thanks to my personality I could live in different lands and places, and always winning something from my experiences and attitudes.

I feel like an ambassador inside and outside my country. I travelled around almost all my country with a backpack and I was also in Chile, Bolivia, Panama, Mexico, the USA, Italy and Spain. I returned to Argentina from my last journey 3 years ago to Federación, Entre Rios. It is the first thermal City of the Argentine Mesopotamia, and I settled here and I built a two-star hotel.

I was in charge of the building and now I am leading my hotel where I can do my job at my leisure and render professional cosiness to the guests. I carry out everything at the hotel, from the check in/out to dishwasher. I like and I try that the client feels that there are not hierarchy here, there are just people working with other people. We have a guest’s book where they can write their experiences during their stay at the hotel and I assure you that I feel really good when a read such nice things written there.

As I always say to my guests…”your house far from your house”, I try that they feel as home.

The hotel was opened 7 month ago and it is already among the best hotels of the area thanks to the cosiness and simplicity of my personnel.

We are just three people, two boys and a woman and a big love towards people.

I began my career working as telephone operator in a five-star hotel in Argentina. After a short period of time, I was promoted to the Reception area, where I was during 3 years. My tasks consisted on doing the check in/out of the guests, helping them with their necessities, answering phone calls, taking reservations, being in charge of the cash, among other things.

Nowadays, I am working at the reception of a hotel in the United States. It is a big change. My tasks are guest’s check in/out and being there to help them with their necessities.

The level of service is really different. It can be appreciated here what is having vocation of service to the Client. Everything that I have studied in marketing books at the university is put into practice here.
Each person occupies the corresponding job, and they are devoted to their areas. Roles are well defined. There are enough personnel in order to render personal service.
It is also really different the attitudes of the guests. It may be because people live more relaxed here, without worries and in their set of values prevails respect, patient, gratitude and special treatment.
It is a pleasure being at the service of that kind of guests.

Another difference might be at the management level. The general manager knows everything and he can do different tasks in order to help to the correct running of the hotel. From cleaning a room, answering the phone, carrying bags, doing check in/out, taking reservations, etc. He is an ordinary person into the team of work.

I believe that it is important to have a true vocational service in order to render an excellent service to the guest. How can we achieve it? Being ahead of their requirements, always having a positive attitude before guests and partners, rendering an efficient and effective service, adding a “personal touch” to everything that we do and being always present and connected with our guests.

My career in the hotel industry started at the ends of 2002, when I entered to the reception staff of a Holiday Inn Hotel *****, beginning as bellboy.

Starting from the lowest job of the Front Desk Area allowed me to know in short time all clients’ necessities, rendering the best service as possible from their arrival up to their departure of the hotel.

As it is my first labour experience, at the beginning it was a bit difficult, since putting into practice what I studied during my studies at the university, it was not easy, but thanks to the training that I had received and the support of my partners, gradually I was used to the job and everyday I was knowing how was the management of a hotel of that category.

As the time went by, I was interesting in knowing how receptionists and night auditor worked, because something obliged me to be better; so after few months of being working I carried out some of their tasks, however the direction of the department told me not to overlook my tasks as bellboy.
             

I think that the enthusiasm was what encouraged me to take courses to do those tasks, and then I started to cover receptionists´ shifts. To sum up, since the year and a half of my entrance to the day of my resignation I carried out tasks of receptionist and night auditor.

As a modest suggestion, people who want to begin their career in the hotel industry, I can say that I always thought that in order to achieve the professional and personal overcoming one must give the best but maintaining values such as: respect, dedication, motivation, partnership, commitments and several more that will bring you great satisfaction at short or long term.

When I finished the university, I was decided to star my story at the old continent so in March I travelled to Italy. After approximately 3 months and after a lot of job interviews in hotels from * to **** stars where they requested knowing different languages and work experience above all, I began working in a ** Hotel at the city centre of Rome.

At the beginning it was difficult, mainly the language that I almost speak it, but as the time went by, I started to manage the situation and it allowed me to render a better quality service.  As it was a ** lodging, it was too different to what I was used to, from having the control of everything using a program as Fidelio, which in few words, it guides you in order that everything works right (except that one is not paying attention when it is using it, it is difficult to make mistakes). In that hotel, everything is done manually, as it was taught at the university, that is to say, using a pen and a piece of paper.

It is true that learning to manage a hotel like that make you learn a lot. Another big difference is that  in my old work, one just carried out his tasks, but as it is a small hotel with 20 rooms, one has to solve all the problems, from cleaning the rooms, turning on the boiler, arrange the bathroom, to prepare the breakfast if the chambermaids can not do it.

But for me, the best contributions of working in Europe is that everyday one is in contact with people from the entire world, which allow me to improve languages and to know the necessities and expectations that each tourist has, since one can improve English, Italian and Portuguese, and the management of languages is really requested in our profession and it is not easy to get them just studying. 

It is a pleasure sharing my professional and personal experience with you, hosting excellent quality and good taste in the design and theme of it.

Then, I am going to give details of my experience

I began my professional cook career (I discovered the vocation too late for some people) when I was 26 years old. I was bank employee and I decided to resign to my salary, vehicle and more benefits to follow what I considered was and is the correct.

Then, thanks to a travel to the Arabian Emirates, a destination not too famous at that time, a great experience but not easy. As always, one has to pay a “right” before continuing going up the large stair that the hotel and hospitality has.

I was Commis during 6 months in “Elements” located in Wafi City Shopping Centre at the city of Dubai. The management of that place is in charged of Thomas Klein Intl., a company founded by an Argentinian who has a large career at the Hyatt. After 6 months I was promoted to Chef de Partie and then I returned to my country in order to take a proper holiday.  

After two months I returned to Dubai but as part of the agency consultant above mentioned and as assistant of the consultant chef.
New plans began; journeys to all the Far East, openings in Bahrain, Emirates Towers, Kuwait, Sharja and Abu Dhabi. This last destination received me as Chef de Cuisine in Le Royal Meridien for the leadership of two kitchens in their different Outlets Sax and Oceans.

I decided to return to my lovely Buenos Aires after 4 years and a half out of it, trying to work in the local market.
In 2006, it was the Patagonia which gave me the opportunity of working as Executive Chef in a Boutique hotel at the outsides of San Martin de los Andes…the wonderful and lovely “Rio Hermoso Hotel de Montaña”.

Today, after almost a year, fate has brought me to Valle de las Leñas in Mendoza where I am currently working as Executive Chef of the Hotel Aries de los Andes.