HO CHI MINH CITY Mövenpick Hotel Saigon has been selected to pilot the Mövenpick Meetings and Events programme in Asia. The new programme being implemented in the Swiss hotel chain's properties across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with the objective of delivering products and services to event organisers that are tailored to each hotel and destination. It also aims at building the most enjoyable and consistent meetings and events experience for corporate groups.
"One selected property in each area served as 'pilot' and was undergoing a detailed test phase. The feedback from hotel operations then was integrated right from the start," said Markus Mueller, vice-president, sales and marketing – Asia, Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts. "The challenge when taking a 'localised global' approach lies within the employees delivering and creating 'standards in a non-standard fashion', that is, a very personalised service and offering."
To achieve this, an exclusive training programme has been developed to ensure that standards are applied on a global level with the customer's needs in mind.
"All employees involved in the MICE customer journey are taking part in a company-wide training to provide personalised, intuitive and efficient service in addition to those working in the meetings, events and banqueting departments," Mueller said. "This dedicated training consists of exercises that take a detailed look into how the individual hotel has interpreted the [programme's] three key principles to their property and how the company as a whole are communicating to the client."
The Mövenpick Meetings and Events Programme on three key principles:
- Food for thought – Menus have been given a fresh seasonal touch, enhanced by local, organic or Fairtrade produce, live cooking stations, healthy menus, adaptations for special diets and imaginative flourishes such as individual min-fondues or Mövenpick Ice Cream stations.
- Thought-through service – The event organisation at Mövenpick properties has been completely streamlined for the creation of quality events that are custom-made to match individual requirements. The process is now supported by dedicated meeting consultants that provide a one-contact, start-to-finish service, as well as meeting concierges that resolve any challenges during the event.
- Inspirational environment – This involves the transformation of meeting spaces into unique locations that can accommodate tailored event concepts or e personalised to individual requirements. Whether the setting is an ancient amphitheatre in Petra or intimate historic "cave" vaults in a restored woater tower in Hamburg, it is about reimagining the event space in an unforgettable way.
According to Mueller, Mövenpick other Asian properties are now localising their business event offerings to the respective countries and food culture. Furthermore, each hotel will gradually be introducing the chain's new online meeting tools for RFPs (requests for proposal) and interactive floor plans, as well as the new offer template and the tips and tricks section.
Gigi Onag
