MASTERING MUSCAT HOSPITALITY

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels has appointed Luca Medda as the new Cluster General Manager for Grand Millennium Muscat & Millennium Executive Apartments. Taking the helm of the award-winning hotels, Hadag sat down with the man himself to talk about the changing face of the hospitality industry, what makes Muscat special, and his future goals…

What have been your first impressions of Oman and its hospitality market?

My first impression has been incredible. Very positive. Oman is amongst the most beautiful countries I have ever lived in and I am very excited about it. When it comes to the hospitality market, Oman is going in the right direction at the right pace. Very strong infrastructure with a new airport hub and a great country to visit for any purpose - cultural, leisure, MICE, corporate, etc.

Both the Grand Millennium Muscat & Millennium Executive Apartments are setting the benchmark for luxury accommodation choices in Oman’s capital. What’s your vision for both during your management?

Our aim at the two properties is to provide the ultimate genuine service to our guests and to create a strong working relationship with our employees, guests, suppliers and local association.

You bring three decades of experience to the role, having worked in Europe and the Gulf extensively. What has kept you so loyal and dedicated to the hospitality industry?

The passion in what I am doing and the great enrichment I gain every single time I meet new people.

Being the General Manager of two properties is a huge role. Tell us more about your expertise and lessons learned over the years that have helped you prepare for this job?

I have worked in the major hotel divisions (room division and the F&B division) as a result I have detailed knowledge of the full hotel operation. I have had the pleasure to work for very exciting hotels in many countries in the world, for several companies and in many positions. 16 hotels in nine different countries for nine different hotel chains. This experience has given me the right amount of knowledge and mental flexibility to be prepared for this job

In properties of this high calibre where not much really needs changing, how do you keep yourself challenged and continuously ahead in the hospitality game? In reality, our business is in continuous development and we have to be dynamic and be ready for changes. Adjusting and improving ourselves is the only way to develop and to perform better and keep up with the competition.

Who would you say is the 2018 clientele of the Millennium brand– describe the person who walks in through the hotel doors…

A vibrant person who wants to enjoy a great product (spacious guest rooms, great food outlets, SPA, Tennis Court, among the largest ballroom facilities, only 5-star hotel attached to a mall and the new impressive apartments, duplex and villa with private pool) in the perfect location in Muscat and who wants to pay the correct price for his/her stay.

The responsibilities of General Manager could get overwhelming at times. How do you manage your time, expectations and the need for attention to detail?

I have been working in this business for the last 30 years and I have started my career back in Italy as kitchen porter in one hotel, close to my parents home during the summer school vacation and, ever since, I have been working in this business and sometimes lived and worked in the same hotel for some years. I spend many hours of my working day in the operations to observe and see what we can do to improve our performance and improve our services.

Tell us some of your goals with Millennium –things you want to make a mark with over the next year…

To position these great properties in the market and to let everyone know our hotel facilities and USPs. This is our goal. We want to show to everyone our beautiful home away from home to as many people as possible.

When it comes to quieter days in Oman, when occupancy is low and not many visitors are coming into the country – how do you cope with that and still keep the hotel relevant?

I have joined in May and ever since I have been focusing on the day-to-day operation and the strategy for the upcoming winter season and year. We have many interesting launches which will happen from September onwards.

Are you the type of GM who does things from his office, or is your working style more interactive where you walk around the hotel often?

I am a very hands on manager therefore I enjoy to be

ةيميلقلإاو ةيلحملا ةفايضلا ةطيرخ ىلع لوحتت نأ نكمي فيك عيمجلا ىري نأ ديرن .انفده وه اذه .اهمدقن .ةيميمحلاو ةحارلا نم ردقلا سفن ىلع ناث لزنم ىلإ قدنفلا ةفرغ ىوتسم اهيف ضفخني يتلا مايلأا عم ملقأتت فيك ؟قدنفلا يف لاغشلإا ىلولأا in the operations and meet and greet our employees and guests, however I spend several hours at the office where I cover all the administration/ meetings to work on our day to day operation and see how we can improve our services to our guests. We have so many tools to understand our guests/ employees and by observing all this data we are able to come up with much more feasible actions plans.

What’s your approach to everyday motivation for your staff – how do you make sure that everyone’s on the same page, everyday?

The employees are the most important assets in our business and I love to spend as much time as possible with them. It gives me the pleasure to share with them my experience and vision of this exciting industry but at the same time I like to listen to their point of view and ideas. Millennium hotel and resorts is investing a conspicuous amount of money for the development of each employee and our commitment is to groom as many employees as possible into future leaders of this industry

Can you tell us a little bit about any upcoming promotions or strategies you will utilise for appeal to both business and leisure travellers?

We are working on many promotions such as: new menu for Bahriyat our signature Mediterranean restaurant specializing in seafood, opening for lunch with a exciting set menu, launch of the outdoor grill venue Mazaj from October onwards, new designed weddings menu, wedding promotion, SPA membership, villa with private pool, new food theme nights in our Taybat restaurant, swimming classes, yoga classes, cooking classes, and a new revised menu for our Executive Lounge.

Sell the Millennium Hotels in Muscat, in one sentence…

More than meets the eye.