VIP director extends the 'personal' touch

Tue, Aug 30th 2011, 10:49 AM

"Celebrities, premiers, prime ministers, Arab sheiks," Andrea Gray, Director of VIP Services at Atlantis' Royal Towers, rattled off yesterday.
She was describing the types of guests she and her team of 35 attend to - "discriminate guests" accustomed to receiving that "personal touch" and the highest levels of service, she said.
Working with a team of concierges, butlers and food and beverage professionals, Gray said every day is about taking care of the finest of details to ensure a seamless stay, from arrival at the airport to departure, and everything in between.  "The main thing is we are in the business of getting every guest to be a repeat customer for life," she said.
Gray got her start in the hospitality industry through her first love - the food and beverage track.  There, she shone in both the kitchen and the front-of-the-house taking care of restaurant guests.  "I never thought I'd move out of food and beverage - that's where my schooling and certificates are," said Gray.
But her commitment to service stood out since then, leading to an offer to move from food and beverage into VIP services at Atlantis in 2002.  She said she "jumped" on that opportunity, and has been able to build lasting relationships with customers the world over since.  It's perhaps the favorite aspect of her career, according to Gray.  "That's what I love so much," Atlantis' 2009 Leader of the Year awardee said.  "I can see and touch my guests, everyday ... you can take charge and say, let me deal with this."
Anyone who has had to either manage a large staff, or deal with customers daily, will appreciate the challenge they can represent.   Added to that, Gray also works closely with support staff from other areas of the resort to deliver a top-notch experience for her guests.  For her, the true challenge has been understanding the different personalities and how to manage them.  She overcomes the challenge with a positive attitude and some special training.
"For the most part, I don't allow things to really stress me out," she said.  "There are problems everywhere, you just find the best way to work with them."
Gray has gone on to buffet her hospitality management degree with conflict resolution and similar studies at Atlantic College, Nassau.   She completed her hospitality management degree at Trinidad & Tobago's hotel school - the Bahamian explaining that she moved to that twin-island nation when she was six years old.
She spent the early part of her hospitality career there, too, working at resorts in both Trinidad and Tobago.
"I always loved the hospitality industry, although nobody else in my family was in it," Gray said.  "I always knew I wanted to do the hotel and restaurant business.  I had an affinity to always be the outspoken person, so this is a natural fit for me."
Gray moved back to New Providence in 1994, later taking a position at the Breezes, Cable Beach resort.  Three years later she moved to Atlantis in the food and beverage department.
In addition to her approach and training, Gray said she had the support of great mentors.  She listed Atlantis Senior Vice President Ernie Cambridge and Coral and Beach Towers general manager and the president of the Bahamas Hotel Association Stuart Bowe as two of them.
"They really mentored and shaped my career.  They pushed me to see things in me I didn't know I have," she said.
Gray now champions mentorship as well.  Her department has its own informal mentorship program, she explained. It is a project she and one of her former managers launched some six years ago.   Three of the first group of four mentees have moved into management positions, she said.  Of the second group of four, she said one has already crested into management.
Gray shared some advice for prospects considering a guest services career.  "A lot of people get into this for the wrong reason," she said.  "This can't be something you get into for money, or all you'll get out of it will be money."
She said the recognition from satisfied guests booking their return trip was the motivation needed for true success in the industry.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads