Investing in people leads to happy teams and outstanding guest experiences

بما أن General Manager, InterContinental Lisbon and Area General Manager, Portugal - Maarten P. Drenth has built a wealth of experience within the luxury hospitality industry during his award-winning 35 year-long career at IHG Hotels & Resorts. بعد أن عمل في أوروبا وأمريكا الشمالية والجنوبية سابقاً، يسخّر مارتن الآن خبرته الكبيرة لإلهام التميز و lead teams across four hotels within the IHG portfolio in the Portugal market.

ولتحقيق أعلى المعايير، يؤمن مارتن بأن رعاية المواهب وخلق ثقافة إيجابية للموظفين هي حجر الأساس لتقديم أفضل تجربة ضيافة في فئتها.

An early ambition to work in the luxury hospitality industry

“I started out at sixteen years old, working part time washing dishes in a fine dining restaurant. The owner of the establishment gave me opportunities to grow my skills and after two years, I was leading the service at the weekends. Even at that young age, the luxury hospitality industry sparked my interest and I was keen to learn as much as I could.

The next major step in my journey was attending Hotel School, The Hague to gain first-hand experience of how properties are managed and progress towards a leadership position.

During that time, I became aware of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, as various organisations would come to the university and deliver presentations. I was impressed by the brand’s inclusive and aspirational ethos, as well as its global network.

I applied to do a 12-month management training programme at the InterContinental Miami and after only nine months, the Food & Beverage Director offered me my first leadership role.  

Seven countries, 11 destinations and three continents later, my priorities are now split between my General Manager and Area General Manager duties - including overseeing three market-leading luxury properties in Portugal. It’s a huge responsibility and challenge but one that I relish.” 

The importance of creating a progressive team culture

“People often ask me how it’s possible to keep multiple properties on track and operating to such a high standard.

Firstly, the overarching brand guidelines help us stay consistent in our mission and values. I also use data and insight from our systems to provide me with a clear picture of the progress and performance of our properties.

ولكن في نهاية المطاف، يتوقف النجاح على العلاقات الإنسانية. ولتحقيق ذلك، أعمل بشكل وثيق مع فريقي في فندق إنتركونتيننتال لشبونة، وكذلك مع المديرين العامين في كل فندق من الفنادق التي أشرف عليها، لضمان التواصل المفتوح، بالإضافة إلى بناء الاحترام والثقة المتبادلين.

The importance of hiring the right people and taking care of our teams was brought into sharp focus during the pandemic. Needless to say, it was a time of huge change, with many talented individuals leaving an uncertain industry.

By valuing our people and investing in them, we managed to retain the majority of our team throughout this turbulent period, plus experience healthy growth once life began to get back to normal again.

And by ‘investment’ I’m not just talking about the financial rewards - we strive to be a best-in-class employer through the many benefits and initiatives we offer. This includes focusing on aspects such as equal opportunities and inclusion, staff training, growth and wellbeing. All of which helps toward both retaining the fantastic teams that we have in place but also encouraging fresh talent to join IHG.

وبفضل العمل الجاد والالتزام، حققت فرق العمل العديد من الجوائز والأوسمة لممتلكاتنا. وقد شمل ذلك اختيارها "مكاناً رائعاً للعمل" وواحدة من "أفضل 50 مكاناً للعمل في البرتغال".

This focus is very much in line with IHG’s ‘Room to Belong’ and ‘Room to Grow’ strategies, which prioritise our people and the creation of a positive, progressive culture.” 

Sustainability and giving back to the local community

“Giving back to the local community and a commitment to sustainability are also areas that are very important to both myself and the teams in each property.

خلال شهر سبتمبر من هذا العام، أتيحت الفرصة لموظفينا للمشاركة في شهر "العطاء من أجل الخير" الذي تنظمه مجموعة فنادق إنتركونتيننتال حيث يمكن للزملاء الحصول على يوم إجازة مدفوعة الأجر للعمل مع مؤسسة خيرية أو قضية نبيلة. وكجزء من ذلك، قدّرنا أنه من خلال الأنشطة والفعاليات التي قمنا برعايتها، تمكنا من إحداث فرق في حياة 2,200 شخص في المجتمع المحلي.

These types of initiatives form part of IHG’s ‘Room to Make a Difference’ ethos, which enables colleagues  to take part in purpose driven projects. It can give team members a real sense of pride to see the wider impact they can have beyond their day to day roles.

With regards to sustainability, we’re always looking at how our properties and services can become more environmentally friendly. This involves everything from how to reduce our carbon footprint via smart energy consumption, to cutting down on single use plastic items.

One area we’ve been particularly successful at tackling has been food waste. By working with a local charity partner - REFOODالذي يعد وجبات الطعام للأشخاص الذين لا يستطيعون توفير الطعام لأنفسهم - لقد تمكنا من تقليل هدر الطعام من الفندق ومساعدة المحتاجين في هذه العملية.

وتماشياً مع طموح مجموعة فنادق إنتركونتيننتال "Journey to Tomorrow"، حصلت جميع العقارات التي أديرها على "شهادة المفتاح الأخضر" كما قمنا بتعيين فريق مشترك ليكون جزءاً من "لجنة المشاركة الخضراء في برنامج "برنامج المشاركة الخضراء" المسؤولة عن تنفيذ أفكار وطرق عمل جديدة صديقة للكوكب.

Inspired teams equal guest satisfaction

“All of these elements - from investing in talent, to providing employees with opportunities to do good in the world - have a positive impact on culture and job satisfaction. And when the team is happy, they want to go above and beyond to provide fantastic guest experiences.

على مر السنين، رأيت العديد من الضيفات يعودون إلى العقارات التي قمت بإدارتها، كما قمت ببناء بعض الصداقات الرائعة. بالطبع، جميع هذه الفنادق أماكن رائعة ذات مرافق رائعة في أماكن رائعة - ولكن التفاعل مع فريق العمل وهذا التواصل العاطفي هو ما يصنع الفارق في النهاية.

I’ve truly built some wonderful memories with IHG. Whether it’s been overseeing a property during a newsworthy event - such as the inauguration of President George W. Bush in Washington D.C. or a personal moment, like seeing my son’s first steps at the InterContinental Sao Paulo.

Ultimately though, working for a company that shares my values has been the most rewarding experience. The ambition to keep evolving, improving and investing in people - I believe that’s the best path to continued success and future growth.”