Westin basks in corporate travel boom

Dhaka has only one international standard 5-Star hotel, although many campaign for running such upscale lodges in the capital, a top hospitality official said. Azeem Shah, general manager with Westin Dhaka, said the capital hosts 30-odd branded hotels, but none except Westin has the facilities a 5-star hotel should have. "Bangladesh tourism may classify or approve such hotels as 5-star. Actually they are not by international standards," Mr. Shah told the FE in an exclusive interview. He insisted that even Raddisson lacks the requirements of a 5-star hotel, let alone other famed brands such as Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Sheraton, Sarina, and Regency. Mr. Shah, however, said a few more 5-star brands of Starwood Hotels and Resorts will be opened up in Dhaka and Chittagong over the next three to four years. He said Le Merdian at Banani, another 5-star brand of Starwood, will be completed by 2012 and Westin II tower by 2013 and St. Regis by 2014. "Unique Hotels and Resorts has already approved the Westin II tower adjacent to the present hotel," said Mr. Shah whose career in the hospitality industry spans as long as 30 years. Two editions of Westin are planned in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar-areas already lucrative for tourism. The Westin official, clad in a navy-blue suit, said the upcoming luxury hotels under Starwood would generate jobs for at least 2000 skilled manpower. Officials said Westin Dhaka, albeit a new entrant, has become a popular draw for corporate clients-boarders who serve with local or multinational companies and international agencies. "Corporate people are here to do business. So we need to be business savvy, providing them with technology, space and speed as per their expectations," Mr. Shah said. Referring to the campaign for Bangladesh as a tourism destination worldwide, a not-so-satisfied Westin boss said the government is "not doing much about it as there is little promotion outside the country." "A typical tourist comes to this country with a negative perception that this is an impoverished nation where people die every year in floods. But after arrival their perception changes 180 degree, the Westin executive said. "People here are happy as there is no sign of struggle on their faces. They are friendly and remarkably hospitable." He feels that Bangladesh needs to highlight its potential as "an affordable destination and start leveraging by giving some value enhancement to people to use this place as a stopover destination." He noted that Bangladesh should seek to popularise the Sundarbans-the world's biggest mangrove forests--to the rest of the world by launching campaign in the international media. "Bangladeshi people always play the trump card of tourism that is Cox's Bazar--the longest sea beach in the world. But how many people know about it?" he asked. "Bangladesh government should inject new momentum into the ongoing beautiful Bangladesh campaign worldwide," he said. During the ICC world cup, the hotels' occupancy rate was dismal-only 73 per cent, an unexpected phenomenon Mr. Shah mainly attributed to the tourists' difficulty in obtaining visa. "There was much-hyped optimism--our hotels will be bulging at the seams. But at the end of the day, nothing of that extent happened," he said. Mr. Shah leads a team of 480 associates at Westin. He joined the hotel as a hotel manager last year and took up the mantle of GM this year. "I think motivating and working with people is really important and training them to help achieve their goals through proper product and service knowledge. Being Westin we have already set standard brand information. Now it's a matter of reinforcing it by putting my hand on some one's back doing a pat and recognising him for doing the right things," said the Australia-born hospitality executive. The Westin official has for the first time nominated the name of Westin Dhaka for the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2011 to represent Bangladesh as a fantastic destination to come and enjoy. "This is going to place Bangladesh on the world map that will allow people to know about the country and its people. They will understand the world class hospitality exists in a country, for which they have a plethora of wrong perceptions. Now they can see Bangladesh in a different way," said a beaming Shah.