REFINED’ CROWNE PLAZA TO OPEN IN 2Q 2015

2014/12/10

From：Macau Business Daily

Yes, there are HR challenges. But Crowne Plaza Macau GM Dominique Berhouet is more than upbeat. Slated to open early mid-next year, the new hotel will be a “small but refined project”. Increasing visitors to the territory are encouraging.

Crowne Plaza Macau – of the Intercontinental Hotels Group – is at pre-opening stage. General Manager Dominique Berhouet told Business Daily that the growing visitation to Macau is a great sign and that the company is not overly concerned by the slump in the gaming industry provoked by the ongoing decline of gross gaming revenue.
“It’s encouraging to see that [although] gaming businesses have been affected the number of tourists are ahead of last year, which indicates to me that people are coming to Macau perhaps doing something other than gaming,” said Mr. Berhouet. “If that’s the case, and we continue to build this as a destination resort, it’s going to attract leisure guests and families. I think it’ll be terrific for Macau, for the people of Macau, for the city, more diversity.”
Mr. Berhouet said the hotel – originally slated to open by the end of this year – is now scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2015. He denies it’s a delay but says some processes take time. “Here we are working with local authorities for human resources, quotas and for other issues such as licensing programmes. The human resources issue is the one I’m focusing on most right now”.
The aim of the hotel is to have 217 employees. Mr. Berhouet said, as of November, there are 28 personnel in position, of whom 23 are local. Mr. Berhouet admitted that human resources are a great challenge here in Macau but that they are now focusing on bringing onboard more local youngsters.

Challenges

“It’s a huge challenge. And I exactly intend to meet the challenge. I made a speech at MUST (Macau University of Science and Technology). We’re looking at universities and all the resources that people in Macau are already looking at. We’re hoping to attract people to work in our hotel,” said Mr. Berhouet. “If we can get young people with no experience and we can hire on attitude and train those people up, I’m sure we’re going to be very successful”.
Unlike the majority of hotels in town, Crowne Plaza is located in the north end of the Macau Peninsula in Areia Preta – not close to any gaming facilities or even tourist spots, which Dominique Berhouet considers a “great and unique selling point . . . I like this hotel because it’s different. It’s different than anything that’s being offered right now. And it’s going to be a unique experience for people. That’s why I like to think there’s going to be a demand for a hotel like this in Macau.”
Crowne Plaza Macau is also located in one of the seven towers of the Residencia, of which five towers are residential apartments, one is for Grand Residencia executive apartments and one is for the hotel. Mr, Berhouet believes the strong residential base will play to their advantage.
“I think it would be a huge benefit for us because we basically already have a base of people, of residents that are connected to our building, so we’re very optimistic,” he said. “We’re looking into three different incentive programmes right now. And we’re also looking at a loyalty programme for the local market. Hopefully, we’re going to attract a lot of Macau people. We’re going to need Macau people to be in our restaurants to be successful”.
Mr. Berhouet expects the hotel market occupancy rate to reach upwards of 70 per cent during the first year it opens and attract frequent individual travellers and families as well as corporate business.

Long stay

Mr. Berhouet joined Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) in 1999, and has opened or rebranded various hotels, primarily with Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts during his 15 years with the group.
Prior to his appointment, he was GM of Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Kowloon East, where they did a unique model of opening the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express and service apartments all in one area, under one management team. It’s the first time the company undertook such an initiative. He believes it’s a model that is going to be carried over and would be done by a lot of hotels in the future.
With a strong suit in pre-opening and re-branding in the hospitality industry, he says he intends to stay for a while with this new project in Macau.
“I want to stay here. I’ve really grown attached to the project. I look forward to spending a few years in Macau. I like it here. I want to open it, make it very successful, create a great team and create a great business here – and create a hotel that all of our guests love”.

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