Unscripted and Unconventional
As part of Retail & Leisure International Magazine’s Lead Interview series, Toby Smith, Deputy Chairman of Swire Hotels, speaks about the steady growth of Swire Hotels since 2008 and how the brand has been breaking with convention. Retail & Leisure International (RLI) is an UK-based magazine that features global news within the industries of retail, leisure, property and development.
From being one of the first hotel groups in the Asia-Pacific region to offer free in-room Wi- Fi to introducing the complimentary ‘Maxi Bar’ as opposed to the mini bar, Swire Hotels always challenges the industry conventions by doing things differently. “We believe the guest experience should be uplifting and we hope the customer has a deep emotional resonance with our brand and we try to create this with an unscripted and authentic service style,” says Toby.
Swire Hotels can only curate highly personalised guest experiences with the collaborative effort from each property’s refreshingly individuals. “We believe our main attraction is the service that we provide and the people we employ. Getting the right people and continuing to keep them motivated is pivotal as they are the people that guests interact with on a daily basis,” Toby states.
Toby believes the key to the Swire Hotels’ success is their people, that they don’t have a standard operating procedure to follow, that it is instead deliberately unscripted. “For example, if a guest would like a taxi and there are none around, any member of staff has the authority to offer the hotel car to the guest without having to clear it with the general manager or do any paperwork,” Toby comments.
The growth journey of Swire Hotels will stay unscripted whilst the team continue to explore more unconventional ways to deliver exceptional guest experiences.
If you’re interested in reading the full interview, please visit: https://www.rli.uk.com/swire-hotels-unscripted-unconventional/
