Girlahead has talked before about what an F&B background brings to running hotels. Nick Flynn, above, was perfectly happy cooking in his native Australia and then overseas until he was tempted to replace culinary whites by gear more suitable to ‘F&B management’, and then general management. Adaptability, he says, is one result. SHANGRI-LW SENTOSA had Singapore’s first hotel Covid cases and by working with the Government the hotel became a quarantine facility. He set up a Facebook group so that all the ‘temporary guests’ could watch cooking programmes featuring hotel chefs – and the products were then served at room service dinner that night.
Since all Singapore’s restaurants were closed, he invited popular restaurants to do pop-ups in his hotel’s suites, and the result was instant sell-out.
Now, two years on, he is Hotel Manager at the massive 640-room SHANGRI-LA’S BARR AL JISSAH RESORT & SPA, 20 minutes south of Muscat. The massive resort is a popular destination choice for Indian weddings, which are often buy-outs. In between there are many guests who are long-stayers, escaping long Europe winters. They can choose a variety of products at the hotel but arguably the most appealing for adults is the kids-free Al Husn ‘castle’. This comes with breakfast, daily-replenished beer+soft drinks complimentary minibar, plus extensive high tea on Sultanah Terrace and, from six o’clock, unlimited hour-long cocktails each night (this is a big attraction in a country with 100% tax on alcohol). Live music is in that 60-minute treat, too.
The Al Husn offering shows flexibility too. By separating the 180-room Al Husn from the rest of the resort complex, management is obviously giving adults without attendant children what they want. As a result, Al Husn’s average rate is 35% higher than the other rooms, which are merely bed-and-breakfast.
Overall, this is a fun resort, for all ages.
Talking of fun, listen to the latest Podcast, here:
