Can you give us a brief historical background of Four Seasons Hotel?
Four Seasons is not here for any specific reason, it happened by coincidence. There is definitely a need in Caracas in having an up scale hotel.
We are looking for different markets, so coincidence and good opportunity of course are the reasons why we came to South America.
Do you have the full executive services as required by world-class travelers?
We offer exactly what the Four Seasons offers all over the world. We have a business center, twenty-four hour service, a wide selection of banquet rooms, outstanding staff. We are here to provide excellence to our guest. So, we make sure to do all we can in order for them to be successful in what they do. Making sure that our staff has been properly trained with efficiency and a great sense of sensibility that is really what our business is about. Whether we are in Caracas, Los Angeles or anywhere else around the globe, we have a service second to none and that is really what has made this company successful over the years. Providing our guests with a high level of efficiency on a constant basis. We have found outstanding individuals, having worked in this industry before.
How much of a challenge is this new hotel?
It is a big challenge! We train people the way we really want to perform. We like to rebuild though it takes longer to start from scratch and build over again. Here we have a lot of people eager to learn. All the employees are bilingual, and most speak English very well. We teach them to deal with situations with a good level of confidence. That is something that we expect from our employees, to be self-confident. We do not want anyone to feel uncomfortable. Their attitude is not always perfect, they do make mistakes but we try to learn from our mistakes and we always try to correct them.
Can a trainee continue his/her training in another part of the world?
Definitely. But not all individuals of the Four Seasons are willing to come to Caracas, maybe because of the image of Caracas or Venezuela, or the language barrier. We opened in Dublin a couple of days ago. We provide people with an environment in which they can grow, and where they feel comfortable and eager to work.
With this hotel opening, do you have expansion plans for the region?
It is difficult to talk about the expansion plans at present. We are going to be the flagship in South America, in the sense that we are the first one, and hopefully by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, we will develop a new culture that was not present before. We are going to find a lot of similarities with the hotel we have in San Paolo. We have to adapt ourselves to this Latin culture; we cannot impose the American culture 100% here, neither the European. But we must maintain our corporate standards. We also have to understand the changes, the experience, and history that they are going through. Over the last year they have been going through a lot of economical and political changes.
How long have you been working with the Four Seasons?
Five years. I used to work in Mexico before. | When comparing with Mexico, how do you view the potential for growth in the tourism sector?
There is a potential geographically speaking as well as from a structure point of view. Mexico has a long history in tourism, which started first with Acapulco. Venezuela's tourism is very sporadic except for the case of Margarita, that is the only part that is known around the world. Venezuela is at the point where Mexico was 30 years ago. But Venezuela does have great potential. It is a different type of tourism, Mexico is a very cultural destination to visit; you go to the pyramid, here it is more about nature. We have the highest number of national parks, so it is more based on nature; we have wonderful beaches like Los Roques, Margarita, Morrocoy, La Tortuga, Mochima. Then you have the Gran Sabana which is again very nature minded. But for different types of development there is potential definitely.
How active is the Four Seasons in improving the standards and image of the country?
In Venezuela there is still a big sense of where we are going because things keep changing. There is definitely a desire from all the five star hotels to improve the image, to do something as a group, to work together.
Why did not you have a big opening ceremony in Caracas like many hotels do?
Today, the hotel is not a fully operational. We do not have all the facilities. Of course all the basic services that the business traveller is looking for are functional. But with what we have it is enough. We do not want to exceed the expectations if we cannot accommodate them. We are here to stay not to make cash and explore the market. It takes a lot of patience, a lot of attention to maintain the hotel. We have to be very cautious in the way we approach the market. We want to create a certain level of confidence and trust. It is a long-term commitment.
What is the image of the hotel since its inception?
The image we would like to portray is: Venezuela is the place to be. Venezuela has the natural resources and the stability. I think that is something any investor is looking for. We are also here to provide jobs to Venezuelans. We have found a lot of good people, educated, talented. They are having a great time being part of a wonderful job. This morning, the wife of an ambassador was here looking at the hotel. They say that when there are diplomats, they get a lot of attention - but actually people here did not know who she was. She thought that everyone was being that nice to her because she was the ambassador's wife. When we walked in the bar I did not tell anyone who she was, we just walked through. She told me that the people there were incredibly nice, and it does not matter if you are the ambassador wife or somebody else, we treat everybody the same.
Personally what would you like to achieve in this hotel?
I want to achieve personal satisfaction and happiness. I like what I do, and I enjoy the people I work with. |
