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By Martin Dean
As I travelled by the free transfer boat supplied
by the hotel; I pondered in the heat of the noon day sun; just what
does the recently voted world's best hotel look like? (In case you
are unaware, the Peninsula in Bangkok has recently been given this
honour by Travel and Leisure magazine.) If you have travelled by
boat from the pier at Saphan Taskin Bridge in Bangkok you would
have seen a plethora of competition for the accolade as best hotel
and may well wonder what sets the Peninsula aside from its opposition.
Apart from my musing I found the short journey very pleasing on
the eye and it felt to me as if I was leaving Bangkok or at the
very least, entering into a new dimension of the vibrant city.
As I came closer to the hotel the first thing that struck me was
the distinctive "W" shape of the building, I made a mental
note to ask if that was for any particular reason. After the boat
dropped me at the jetty I was happy to make my way into the cool
and calm interior of the Hotel. I firstly found comfort on the deep
pile carpet, quickly followed by the warm welcome of the staff -
a small 4 piece classical music orchestra serenaded my way through
to the lobby. I was indeed impressed by this modern Thai hospitality.
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After being given some much needed refreshments
I was introduced to the General Manager of the Peninsula - Mr Ian
Michael Coughlan, an Irish National and Manager of the Hotel since
1999. I found his relaxed and personable manner very pleasing and
it certainly eased my way into asking some pointed questions. For
you see, I really wanted to know, what it is that they do so well
and I wondered just how many trade secrets Mr Coughlan would disclose
to me.
We talked as we walked around the Hotel and I asked him how much
of a surprise it had been to be given such a prestigious honour;
he responded by saying that being voted number two last year came
as the major surprise "this year's award was more of a pleasant
one". He advised that they had no major plans for "beating
one's own drum" but, I suggested, "Perhaps some modest
boasting would be in order?" "Perhaps", he replied
"It's all just good exposure"
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What made the honour so influential was the fact
that it was awarded independently by readers of Travel and Leisure
Magazine. The very fact that 220,000 people took the time to complete
a survey concerning the different criteria of travelling and hotel
comfort was proof positive.
What is the secret of such success though? What makes one Hotel
stand out from all the others, what separates the wheat from the
chaff as it were? "It is a five point plan, simple yet highly
effective" as Mr Coughlan stated, "the 46 sq metre rooms,
all with a river view; the union of Peninsula tradition coupled
with Modern Thai hospitality; a young bright and empowered work
force; affordability mixed with accessibility" and lastly "elegance
without arrogance"
The last point was an important one for me, as I found the atmosphere
in the Peninsula very pleasing to the senses. I had noticed no enforcing
of any strict dress codes or of codes of conduct for guests. People
were free just to be themselves and to relax in a very pleasing
environment. I picked up on the point of the "empowered workforce"
and asked if there was any special training provided for the staff
to enable them to adhere to such professionally high standards?
"Yes" came the reply "there is a strong focus on
making sure that the essentials happen consistently and three special
training rooms are set aside for employees to meet the requirements
of the Hotel" I was just about to ask about special awards
such as employee of the month when Mr Coughlan stated that "there
are no special awards as it may well become a popularity contest
and create disharmony in the workforce" I agreed with him that
employees should be recognised on a collective rather than singular
basis.
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If you have seen any movies based around hotels
you may well recall that the role of the Concierge is one of a man
who can get anything for anyone, someone with so many contacts he
can get a dog through customs or obtain theatre tickets for a sold-out
opening night. If this ever were a reality, things have moved on
from then. Only 20% of guests now use the Concierge and this is
out of 1500 at any one time. A number of clients of the Peninsula
travel with personal assistants and "the whole idea of the
Concierge has disappeared over the years" continued Mr Coughlan.
"This is not to say however that they still do not get requests
and are not trained to have the resources to carry them out. Requests
they get nowadays are for golf clubs, laptop parts, clothing and
medicines etc," nothing particularly risqu?.
I noticed the green baize of the swimming pool from one of the "W"
shaped rooms on high. I finally discovered that the "W"
shape allows each guest room to have a river view. This was explained
to me as Mr Coughlan and I walked from the helicopter pad back through
one of the deluxe suites. The pool proves very popular with families,
particularly Asian families visiting from Hong Kong with children
between 5-14 years of age. They view the Peninsula as a city resort,
a rest bite from the stresses and strains that can occur in everyday
life and especially "They love the river boat barges, they
give a true sense of separation from the city whilst being in it"
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A number of celebrities stay at the Hotel. I discovered
that "movie stars and business moguls spend leisure time here
rather than working" Mr Coughlan advised, "Anonymity is
a major thing" and he would not give me any names of famous
guests. The staff is well trained not to behave in any embarrassing
way if confronted by a world famous TV or Film star. This would
not be in keeping with the Peninsula tradition.
Back in his office we relaxed over a cappuccino and I thanked Mr
Coughlan for being so frank and forthright with his answers to me
but it was the whole attitude of "elegance without arrogance"
that made my brief spell at the Peninsula so relaxing. I could not
think of any one place I had been to recently where the needs of
both guests and visitors are so well catered for. I enquired about
the future of the Hotel. How can one sustain the standards they
have now set? Surely it would be very tough to win every year and
to consistently be the world's best hotel? My companion thought
for a moment and then retorted, "I am under no illusion that
it will be easy to win again, but we will try to finish in a high
placing every year." He continued, "The true measure of
the Hotel is to keep to the high standards we set for ourselves;
to ensure that the staff are constantly trained and allowed to grow
and adapt. The reality is that we will stick to the five point plan
I outlined earlier. The guest will always be number one here and
we will strive to keep the union of The Peninsula Tradition and
Modern Thai Hospitality"
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As I travelled back to the pier on the river boat
barge, I glanced over my shoulder once again at the distinctive
"W" shape of the Peninsula. I had enjoyed my brief stay
there and would have loved the opportunity to have relaxed for a
week-end in one of their high tech all modern conveniences rooms;
to have sat and listened to the live classical music; to have dined
on excellent cuisine; to have lounged around the welcoming swimming
pool; to have watched the river boat barges go past and to take
a tranquil break in a place that seemed to leave time behind.
I knew to just what had set it apart from the crowd; it was the
atmosphere of elegance without arrogance and the coupling of the
Peninsula Tradition and modern Thai hospitality; the well-trained
staff and the high tech rooms; an eclectic mix. It has been voted
the World's best Hotel by Travel and Leisure magazine readers and
I for one could find no complaint with that.
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