Hotel brands must remember their roots

James R Wilson, general manager, Dusit Thani Dubai, says that for chains to expand successfully, it is vital they remember their roots and embrace their core values

Now and then we all take time to reflect upon where we are and where we began, whether on a personal basis, or as a business. It is an important stage for us to reflect upon the successes and the challenges that we’ve faced along the way.

But is it enough just to think about it — to reflect upon your beginnings and see them as merely the stepping stone to where you currently are? For Dusit Thani we are proud of where we began, and while, as a company, we are undergoing a great amount of growth and development, our humble Thai beginnings are still at the very core of both who we are and how we operate today.

More than 60 years ago our founder and honorary chairperson, Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, opened the first Dusit hotel, the Princess in Bangkok, with a simple vision — to deliver to the world an exceptional hospitality experience that reflects the unique artistry and culture of Thailand and offer to guests the standards of perfection, innovation and excellence.

As many other hoteliers will agree, at times celebrating your own culture whilst embracing your location can present challenges.

Ensuring that we, as a company and individuals, understand our roots and embrace our core values is vital for the hotel’s success and for creating platforms for the development of each of our colleagues. Last month we all participated in an intensive refresher training programme, Thai Graciousness.

It focused on enriching us with our Thai culture and exploring how we can better embody it within all aspects of the hotel.

This, in turn, formed the basis of a number of programmes and initiatives we are rolling out in the coming months to ensure that as ambassadors to an iconic brand we are fully aligned in the deliverance of consistent service and product knowledge reflective of Thai hospitality and our company’s unique international direction.

We have already received a lot of positive feedback about the training from our colleagues who have said it has not only assisted them in their day-to-day tasks, but they feel a greater sense of affiliation with the company and are proud to be part of this unique brand.