CITY Seasons Hotel Muscat is close to opening and we talk to the MD City Seasons Group, Thomas Tapken, about his strategy for staffing the latest property.
What have been the challenges recruiting for the new property in Oman?
The challenges have been few but mainly it has been Oman’s fairly low-key profile that has been our main issue. Because Oman is not well known among hoteliers from other parts of the world, many potential candidates prefer to seek opportunities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This will change though as Oman is fast becoming a sought-after destination for holiday makers and as such tourism is booming. Right now it is impossible to get a room there.
What have been your source markets for employees?
After fulfilling our quota of Omani nationals we have only a small percentage of vacancies to fill and most of our employees are coming from the local markets particularly the UAE. Our nationality mix will include those from the Philippines, India, South Africa and Lebanon.
Has it been easier to recruit this year compared to recent years, is there more or less talent available this year?
From my point of view, it is not difficult to recruit as long as you have the right competitive salary and benefits to offer. This year we have found a larger than normal choice of potential employees, many of whom have been victims of the downturn through no fault of their own, so we have many good candidates on our books.
What characteristics are you looking for when you hire employees?
I think for any recruiter a key differentiating factor between one candidate and another is attitude. We can all train the other skills but without a positive can-do attitude the employee is not going to go far in the hospitality industry.
The nature of this industry requires specific people-focussed traits that include exceptional inter-personal skills, honesty and emotional maturity. The ideal employee is one that works well under pressure yet still manages to keep a smile on their face.
How important is experience in this region?
Because of the cultural diversity of this region experience is crucial. Working in a hotel in the Middle East region will likely mean working alongside upwards of 10 different nationalities so the ability to understand and get along with other employees is necessary. Members of the sales team in particular need to know the nature of the local market in terms of booking patterns, seasonal trends and the requirements of the GCC traveller.
What has been your strategy for recruiting for this property? What creative techniques have you used to attract talent?
We have many tools including headhunting, advertising, job fairs and recruitment trips at our disposal for recruitment but our strategy for the City Seasons Hotel Muscat has been the use of headhunting because by going directly into the market we stand a better chance of finding an outstanding candidate already working in the field we require.
We are also working on an open day through the Ministry of Manpower in Oman to attract more nationals to work with us.
How critical is retention and what do you do to ensure you keep good employees?
One of the biggest challenges organisations face is the attraction and retention of top performers and our greatest test is undoubtedly how to keep good people. There are a number of things that should be implemented in order to keep employees and key to this is competitive financial remuneration with benefits as well as a structured career development plan. Training and a healthy work environment are also vital as is being made to feel a valuable member of the team.