“It was Michael Littler who told me I would never be a GM unless I invested in a designer suit,” recalled Phil Barnes, general manager of the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, and regional vice president for FRHI.
One Armani suit and six months later in 1988, Barnes became GM of The Four Seasons Inn on the Park in Houston, Texas.
As the son of two schoolteachers, it was not surprising Barnes took advice from Littler, then GM of the Four Seasons Philadelphia, and he has picked up other useful tips during his 40-plus year career which landed him with Fairmont in 1998.
“Since I arrived at Fairmont Pacific Rim in 2011 the 377-room hotel has consistently topped J.D. Power customer satisfaction in the entire FRHI network,” Barnes boasts. “But whenever we have yet another great award or result, I say, ‘That was yesterday; now what about today?’”
Barnes leads the way by reading body language (he can always tell when someone is thinking about their lost luggage). “The greatest joy in life is reading what guests are telling us without them opening their mouths,” he said. “Although knowing how to be the best is not the same as actually giving the best.”
Barnes also reads, literally. As well as advising on his wife Heidi’s budding novel, he metaphorically digests every TripAdvisor review, all of which get individual replies. “I like what TripAdvisor does, but I am worried that we are beginning to see people checking in saying they review for the site,” Barnes said. “Without mentioning the word upgrade this is what they are asking for.”
No, upgrades are not automatic, and those self-appointed reviewers are managed, with special care, throughout their stay.
A lot of care is also given when, each spring, TED affects a six-day buyout, which brings every Silicon Valley A-lister and numerous other celebrities in-house. “This is a great audience, and many delegates return later for vacations, or business,” Barnes said with a satisfied smile. “Overall, 2015 is proving to be an exceptional year with revenue up year-to-date C$4 million (US$3.03 million) over last year.”
Of course, life is not all rosy, even for this Lancashire-born Brit who came into the hotel industry as a result of a summer boarding school holiday job that hooked him. Turnover among his 450-strong team is 23% due to the seasonal changes, and he would like to bring it down to 18%.
And he does wish that the 140-foot-long origami shape floating from the hotel’s ORU restaurant was not so difficult to clean.