Fairmont Singapore & Swissotel The Stamford General Manager, Marcus Hanna, takes us into 2020 with the first Talking Travel of the year.
Travel Monitor caught up with Marcus Hanna to talk all things travel and this is what he had to say.
What does your job involve?
Together with the executive teams of both Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford, we work as a team to oversee day to day operations in one of the largest hotel and convention complexes in Singapore with over 2,000 guestrooms, more than 110,000 square feet of meeting space, and 13 restaurants and bars; with the strategic focus to drive service quality and business performance.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
I love that I’m in the people business within the hospitality and service industry. To be able to serve and create moments that keep our guests coming back is a joy and privilege. The energy of being with my team and working with them to deliver great service and experiences is what inspires and drives me every day. Also seeing colleagues grow into bigger roles and becoming great leaders gives me a lot of satisfaction. The amount of different people you meet on a daily basis from all walks of life. I feel very fortunate to work in a positive industry where our sole goal is to make people happy, both colleagues and guests.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession?
If it is something within my direct sphere to influence, I hope to instil in each of our colleagues the habitual importance of embracing the heart of true hospitality – be positive, be helpful, always offer our guests an alternative and build an emotional connection with our guests. Having said that, I’d rather not see this as a challenge but an opportunity to constantly train, develop and improve. Being in Singapore, one of the biggest challenges is finding the right people for the right roles and managing your quota.
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
Admittedly, hiring and retention of staff is an industrywide challenge, especially given the labour laws in Singapore. Also globally, competition not just in terms of hotel players but other accommodation choices such as serviced apartments and Airbnb. This makes our service experience as the unique point of differentiation even more pertinent, particularly when customers’ expectations can be constantly changing. Not forgetting the need to maintain operational efficiencies in the reality of rising costs. This is why it is so important to always keep innovating including making use of what technology can do to help us be more productive and offer a seamless guest experience.
What do you think will be the biggest game changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months’?
Definitely Sustainability! There’s no denying sustainability is a hot topic and hotels need to keep the environment top of mind. Our customers increasingly expect that of us, and it is only right too that we as responsible business operators, help build a greener future for the generations to come.
To fully embrace it and make it a concerted way of our daily operations is what will undeniably differentiate one hotel from another. This goes beyond the more known and usual practices of reduce, reuse and recycle; to innovate with opportunities that technological advances can open up and be an industry leader in breaking new ground for sustainability.
To that end, I’m extremely excited and proud that since October this year, our hotels is now home to the world’s first hotel urban Aquaponics farm which grows and supplies 30% of the complex’s vegetable needs, and 10% of its fish requirements across our F&B outlets and events in the Convention Centre. The farm has already successfully helped us reduce our carbon footprint of food because we now rely less on external purchase and transportation. This is also giving our guests a wonderful product to consume that cannot get any fresher.
Moving forward, we are keen to have guests access the Aquaponics farm as part of an enhanced stay experience. We also have plans to use this as a meaningful community outreach through conducting educational school tours for students. We hope that this breakthrough for the hospitality industry will inspire other companies to help drive a positive movement towards greater sustainability for the community at large.
What destination/travel trend do you think is the next big thing?
Sustainability will certainly continue to rank high as a travel trend. I’d also give my vote to Personalisation and Local Experiences; as well as Smart Hotels characterised with a spirit of innovation to constantly push the bar on thoughtful living. As for a travel destination, I think Luang Prabang in Laos will become very popular. It’s a great destination for a break as it offers both a relaxing holiday with plenty of cultural options.
What are your thoughts on responsible travel and how do you try implement this in your workplace?
Simply put, I believe responsible travel starts at home and begins with self. We need to walk the talk so that our team will be inspired to do likewise, starting from individual daily habits and practices. For example, to remind and encourage our colleagues that every effort counts, we gave out a set of metal straws and reusable beverage carriers to each team member as a door gift for our Colleague Dinner & Dance this year.
Who inspires you most and why?
My parents have always inspired me as they have always said you can be whatever you want and have always been supportive in my previous sporting life and in my professional vocation. They worked very hard to give me a great education and start in life and for that, I will always be very grateful.
What is your must pack travel item(s)?
I always pack my running gear. I love to reach a destination and go for a run. I find it’s the best way to explore a new city. I also find that I am most creative and can think more clearly when I am running.
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
It would be a bunch of old mates and I would love to go to New York City and then off to Hawaii.
Contact Email – marcus.hanna@fairmont.com
