Delivering motivation for change at DUKES LONDON
| Pages | 2-4 |
| Published date | 08 February 2016 |
| Date | 08 February 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-11-2015-0088 |
| Author | Debrah Dhugga |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Delivering motivation for change at
DUKES LONDON
Debrah Dhugga
Debrah Dhugga is
Managing Director at
DUKES LONDON,
London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –DUKES LONDON Hotel was once a Mayfair favourite with the Queen Mother and the
Princess of Wales – but had got to a stage where it was in danger of losing its five-star rating. New
management meant an opportunity to re-engage with staff and use their strengths to create the best
possible guest experience.
Design/methodology/approach –An ongoing programme of leadership and engagement workshops
was run to create a family-style culture within the hotel, re-connecting employees with the hotel’s
ambitions and their part in the plans.
Findings –The work has led to international awards for customer service, best hotel in London awards
and increased profitability, and is now being used as the model to set up a new DUKES DUBAI hotel.
Originality/value –The work at DUKES LONDON demonstrates the importance of translating
organisational values and goals for staff at every level, making use of management development to ensure
the messages are easily understood as day-to-day behaviours and consistently monitored and appraised.
Keywords Change management, Employee engagement, Motivation, Employer brand
Paper type Case study
DUKES LONDON Hotel is tucked away behind St James’s Palace, a hidden gem. It
is a long-established institution, which had been a favourite, for example, with the
Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales. But under the regime of a
management company, the hotel had begun to sit on its laurels, relying on its past glories.
The owners saw the need for closer and more direct involvement by themselves, to run
DUKES LONDON through a Managing Director role. It was the chance for a new start and
look at the hotel with fresh eyes. Instinctively, we knew that the real opportunity for creating
and driving change was in our people and in giving them a new sense of shared purpose
that would translate to the guest experience, building a golden reputation in an intensely
competitive market for luxury hotels in London. In an age of social media, guest
experiences and their reviews have become so much more powerful than the
word-of-mouth previously ever could be. But what did that mean in practice, particularly
when it came to turning the principles and good intentions into everyday practice?
We wanted to create new energy in the team and look again at where we wanted to go with the
hotel. We knew one of the greatest assets of the hotel, beyond all the grandeur of the facilities,
was how our people influenced and added to the guest experience. The aim was to build on
this quality, to make each experience exceptional in every way. To help us get our approach
right when it came to setting the hotel’s new mission and values, we decided to appoint people
development consultancy Hunter Roberts. Its track record for delivering brand engagement at
other luxury brands was useful, but more importantly, they were a partner with experience of
people development across well-known professional, services, financial and retail names
internationally and could share best practice from across the business world.
PAGE 2 STRATEGIC HR REVIEW VOL. 15 NO. 1 2016, pp. 2-4, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 DOI 10.1108/SHR-11-2015-0088
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