< PreviousSecret Hotelier hoteliermiddleeast.com July 2021 50 Secret Hotelier Low cost, but at what cost? Before we closed for the Covid lockdown, I’d recently moved to a new property and the manning was ridiculous. We had so many staff in all departments. Post lockdown, things have changed. Now we have the most skeletal of crews. When we discussed the amount of people we’d need to reopen properly a bare minimum number was agreed upon. We opened with fewer than that. That would be ne if the place was still struggling to get guests, but we’re not far off pre-Covid revenue, with around 40 percent off the staff. It’s okay. We’re getting through the days and nights, but it’s not what it should be. We’re all working so much harder, covering more ground and doing shifts without stopping. One of the plus points is the amount of steps I’m doing – 10,000 comes and goes in no time. One of the things that guests begin to notice is how staff are multi-tasking. We’re taking orders at breakfast, making drinks, serving them and then doing the cleaning and tidying, too. I worry that the guest’s perception is that we’re not running a professional out t. There are staff missing from key parts of the operation, too, meaning people end up wandering around into places they’re not supposed to and have to be asked to leave or move. It’s not great when it’s really not the guests’ fault. Bringing a few more people back would free up so much time, meaning we could all focus on what our actual roles are supposed to be. That leads to more productivity and better guest experience, which in turn leads to more money coming into the hotel. I know we’re not alone. Talking to my peers around Dubai reveals that plenty of places are still working on getting the balance right. We’re all recalibrating following the Covid lockdowns and closures and all trying to work out the best way to move forward while regulations are being updated regularly. There are still people on unpaid leave, reduced salaries or working multiple roles. But with revenues improving, targets being hit and more bookings coming in, shouldn’t we be trying to get back to what Dubai does best – excelling when it comes to service and hospitality? For now it seems we’re being asked to do what we can on limited resources and accept that that’s the best we can do. But I don’t think it is. Expo is on the horizon and Q4 is not far away, shouldn’t we be ready to hopefully take off? We’re saving those salaries and running it lean, but at what cost? Why it’s time to properly staff hotels again To share your opinion anonymously, contact paul.clifford@itp.com.IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Read it. Eat it. Live it. New at Souk Al Bahar REIF’s Beef Kushiyaki TIME OUT DUBAIConnecting the global business of hospitality. • Distribution • PMS www.shijigroup.com sales-me@shijigroup.com +971 58 6507 202 • Guest Intelligence • Point of Sale Powering over 29.700 hotels in the EMEA region and 52% of all hotels in the United Arab Emirates with solutions for: • Payments • Leisure SolutionsNext >