Vendom.jobs – Could you describe in a few words your magnificent and iconic property, its identity, its atmosphere?
Friedrich von Schönburg – El Palace Barcelona is the most historic luxury hotel in the city. It was born in 1919 by Cesar Ritz as the Ritz of Barcelona.
An emblematic establishment, where history and the future merge, with many different spaces, from the large ballrooms that take us back to the golden age of fashion shows and high society balls, to the Rooftop Garden with its young and fun spirit. A dynamic place where there is always something happening, with a clear desire to pleasantly surprise all customers.
V.J. – Did the period of uncertainty that we have just gone through made you rethink your management style? If so, how?
FvS – In reality, rather than changed, it got intensified. My priority has always been to be very close to the team, but during this year I have felt that I had to accompany even more in such difficult moments.
The hotel closed its doors in March 2020 and not a single week have I stopped sending an email to everyone (those who are active and those who unfortunately are still temporarily unemployed) with all the hotel's internal news, the actions we are taking out, sharing the figures on the evolution of our reservations and news about the pandemic and the sector, so that they know that we keep taking all of them into account with total and clear transparency.
We have also organized trainings and various forums via zoom so that they could ask me directly about their concerns.
Of course we have helped both financially and emotionally those who needed it.
I wanted to lead by example and for them to feel, more than ever, that we are in this together and that together we will succeed.
V.J. – What do you think defines a leader?
FvS – As simple and as complicated as leading by example, trying to be the mirror in which the team wants to be reflected. From the way of dressing, speaking, interacting with customers and employees.
The leader must be an inspiration engine for the rest of the team, so that they feel identified and motivated, so that they want to accompany her / him to achieve the goals. A leader involves, motivates, anticipates problems, gives talent development tools. A leader ought to be simultaneously respected and close to the team.
For this, communication is the crucial tool. Talking and above all listening, constantly asking for feedback, seeking excellence and continuous improvement, not settling for something if you are not 100% satisfied.
V.J. – Many Spanish regions have been tremendously proactive in designing a hotel industry that is as open as it is safe. What is your point of view on these initiatives?
FvS – All the initiatives are good. We at El Palace Barcelona have applied and received 3 accreditations to demonstrate and ensure that our protocols are robust and our spaces safe and hygienic. We obtained the certifications GBAC Star, Verified by Forbes and the Spanish “Hostelería Segura Española” seal.
We did add several services and options for our clients to offer reduced contact with our staff, such as an El Palace Barcelona APP, interactive televisions and chats with the hotel's teams through our clients' very own devices.
We have also included private roundtrip transfers to all reservations made directly through the hotel's website to ensure our clients are in a safe environment from the moment they leave the airport / train station / port until their arrival at the hotel, an environment controlled by us following all our quality and hygiene standards. We are the only hotel in Barcelona that offers this service for free. And we do it because we care about the health and safety of our customers and we want them to have a satisfying and relaxed travel experience from the very beginning to the end.
V.J. – Do you think that the employee-client relationship has changed during this period? If so, how?
FvS – There are clients who ask for more privacy and distance. But there are others who want to continue receiving the same treatment as before. It is very important to read between the lines, to listen to what each of them wants and asks for. We have to be much more flexible when offering our services and understand the needs of each one. Our human-based focus: the total customization of the experience, the flexibility on our part, the instinct to know and the total availability to our guests’ needs, without disturbing them.
V.J. – By the way, could you tell us something about the typology of your clientele?
FvS – We have a mix of clients from all over the world, who appreciate what we are: a classic, elegant but fresh hotel.
We have a local and international clientele and that is the key. A hotel must always be the combination of the locals, who imbue it with their culture, and the visitors, who also appreciate being in a melting pot of cultures and styles. For me, a hotel cannot do without the local client or the international visitor. The charm is the mixture and the coexistence between the two.
V.J. – When El Palace Barcelona reopened, what surprised your customers the most?
FvS – While we were closed, we gave the first surprise I believe. We did not renounce to communicate, to keep our social networks active, to offer live music through Instagram, yoga or arts classes, cooking recipes…. Trying to broadcast our hotel through a screen, this was the only way we had to keep it as lively as El Palace usually is during the harshest months of the pandemic.
We used that time to think about everything we could do when the long-awaited reopening moment would arrive and we had so many initiatives that in the press we were called “hyperactive” due to the innumerable experiences we offered, for all tastes. And this has led us to have a clientele of very different ages and origins, which makes us very proud of the work done.
Communication, digitization and improvement of our spaces, lounges and suites is what has most pleasantly surprised our clients, as has the arrival of our Pet Relations Manager, Lulú, a miniature dachshund who welcomes all our furry four legged clients and cares about them during their stay.
V.J. – Many observers bet on a return to the essential; nature, space, etc. How do you think urban luxury establishments will recover?
FvS – Urban luxury hotels will have a much slower recovery than coastal and mountain / nature hotels. But a city, and especially Barcelona, has many ingredients that the previous named destinations cannot offer that completely: architecture, history, culture, gastronomy, the connection to international flights.
Perhaps this is a summer in which travelers might opt for more beach or mountain destinations, but autumn will come and eventually cities like Barcelona will shine again the same way or even more than before the pandemic.
V.J. – Do you have any wishes for this new era that is rising?
FvS – The first and most sincere wish is everyone's health, that we can leave fear behind, travel and interact again in a safe way, also that we have truly acknowledged what we went through and learned from this experience in our personal and professional lives.
For the sector, my wish is that all the hotels and other companies that suffered the effects of the pandemic can recover, reopen and move forward.
As for my wishes for El Palace Barcelona, it is to resume all the activity that we had, to have the entire team active and to be able to execute all the plans that we have prepared for the hotel, our clients and the city. There are plenty and I am sure you will love them!
