Olympic Fever!
Well the time is finally here and the hotel is full every day with people from all over the globe. The atmosphere at the hotel is really something that none of us expected and you just never know who you will run into at breakfast or in the lobby or just walking through the gardens.
A typical day at the resort can currently consist of meeting an Olympic Champion, King or Queen of a country, Television and Media Star, Ambassador, Governor, Sports Star, Prime Minister…..the list is endless.
It’s an amazing experience that has really made all of the hard work that went into opening the Resort so worthwhile.
Our guests are simply fantastic and all of the team are really enjoying the buzz of a full hotel after being in the pre-opening experience for so long.
The team are also finding time to attend an event from time to time and really get into the spirt of the Games.
We had a small gathering on one of the roof terraces of the Resort to see the fireworks on the 7th of February and the view was something that we will never forget. I’ve posted a few photos below to try and give a feel for how life is at the hotel in these days.
It’s hard work, long days and a lot of fun. 16 sleeps to go……will be a time to remember for life!
Thanks for reading,
Brian
Offical Opening of Radisson Blu Paradise Resort & Spa, Sochi
We are Open!!!!!!
Well we made it! Thank you to everyone that has followed our blog and the journey to our opening day. It’s been the most amazing experience to be part of the team that has brought this resort to life!
We are almost 300 people now at the Radisson Blu Paradise Resort & Spa, Sochi and I am tremendously proud of this group that are part of the history which will be the 21st Winter Olympic Games in 46 days!
For all the ups and downs, successes and failures, I.T issues and pressures from all sides, to welcome our first guests today and see the resort that we all made happen makes it all worthwhile.
On behalf of the entire team, thanks to Carlson Rezidor, the Investors and Resort Owners, all of the families and friends and everyone that believed that we could open a 5 Star, 508 Bedroom, 2,500M2 Spa Resort on the coast of the Black Sea with a full team in time for the Winter Olympics.
The difficult we do immediately….the impossible just takes a little bit longer.
Thanks for reading as always,
Best,
Brian
Almost There…….
Firstly, apologies for not updating in a while, the past few weeks have been non-stop with testings / tastings/ photographing/ marketing/ lifting/ issuing/ receiving………..the list goes on and on.
It’s amazing to look back over the earlier posts and see how far we have come. Uniforms have arrived today and these are being issued alongside name-badges and Yes I Can! pins. Our Training Manager has succeeded in her goal of having 100% of all team members trained in all of the corporate programs and all of the department managers are busy with their own trainings on a daily basis with their individual teams.
The public areas of the hotel are in deep cleaning and I.T are working non-stop on ensuring High Speed Internet is ready alongside all communications networks and in-room entertainment systems.
Fire Safety and Security Plans are completed and the entire team begin evacuation and crisis management trainings this week.
The other big news as you may have seen is that our Hotel name has changed. As we got more and more advanced in the opening and people began visiting us for tours, the comment that kept being mentioned was that our hotel was a paradise….hence our new name!
We are delighted with our new name and cannot wait to welcome our first guests this month. I’ll be sure to post again next week with some photographs from our first official photo shoot but in the meantime, I include some photos taken by the team around the hotel.
As always, thanks for reading,
Brian
A lot done, lots more to do
So we are now in October and all the theory, administration, contracting, purchasing, receiving, accounting is almost complete. Over the past few weeks, all departments have been working on recruiting, training and finalizing all standards and procedures so that we can be ready in November to put the hotel together as a team and step away from the computers and really put all the work done so far into practice.
The construction team are working night and day and there’s real progress now both front and back of house. The landscaping is starting to take shape also and the technical projects of internet, fire safety, telephone communications are all in the testing stages.
Training on all systems will begin in November and we will be busy putting the equipment into all areas of the hotel in this month also.
Interior design has begun in many parts of the hotel also and every day a new feature appears which gives us all a glimpse of the future style of the resort.
I’ve included a few photos from the past few weeks below to give an idea of where we are now in the process.
For now we are in really good shape, November will be the busiest month so far but we have come along way since the early days of April.
As enjoyable as the pre-opening experience is, we are all looking forward to being an operating hotel and welcoming the first guests.
Will keep you updated and as always thanks for reading,
Best,
Brian
Autumn
Autumn
So my apologies are due for not updating in a while, as we get closer to December and the opening, our activities become more active, days become a little longer and recruitment and training become the focus.
In the past few weeks the team has grown a lot and we now have our HR Director, Marketing & P.R Manager, Reservations Manager, H.R Specialist, Executive Sous Chef, Housekeeping Manager, Training Manager, Technologist, F&D Coordinator and Purchasing Clerk on the team.
Next week the team grows again and this is really great to see as we close in on the opening date.
The bedrooms of the hotel should be completed and furnished by the end of September, public areas by the end of October and testing of kitchen equipment and elevators is currently underway.
There’s a lot left to do but with the team growing week by week, I’m confident we can have everything ready in time to launch our resort in style.
Today we start the move to the offices. A few of us are transporting all of the files and computers whilst everyone else takes part in a full training day on Leading Yes I Can and Leading Responsible Business, two of our companies most important courses and cultural elements.
There’s less than 3 months to go now……wish us luck!
Thanks as always for reading,
Best,
Brian
Thank You
Just a short post to say thank you to all followers for the support so far! Snapshot below shows a ranking of countries following and viewing the blog!
Thank you from all of us at Radisson Blu Beach Resort & Spa Sochi!
August
Hello All,
Sorry for being so quiet on the blog front, we have been working on Budget 2014 and as anyone that works in the hotel business will tell you, this process takes time and your focus remains on this one task.
Thought I would share a little update on where we are now as of August in our pre-opening process. In the past few weeks, Natalia, our H.R Director has joined us, much to the relief of everyone here in the office, and has begun working on our recruitment plans and our individual employee files.
Next week our Reservations Manager and Training Manager will start working with us and it’s really satisfying to see this team grow.
As I mentioned, the past few weeks have been spent on Budget 2014 but also lots more in connection with our countdown lists. Names for the Restaurants and the Spa have been approved and the logos created. Exterior and interior signage has been approved and is in production. Sales kit for Meeting & Events alongside menus for the restaurants and bars are almost finalised and our fact sheet and Meeting Planner are also almost concluded.
At the hotel site, the ground has begun to be be cleared for landscaping to commence and interior-wise, the scaffolding is now removed from the Atrium and plastering has begun throughout. Bedrooms have their carpets, corridors also and the marble floor is being laid in reception.
Both the Asian Grill Restaurant and our Italian Restaurant Filini both have their floors installed and refrigeration and kitchen equipment are currently being delivered.
Currently, we are planning to move into our offices at the hotel in September…….however a lot can happen in a month so fingers crossed this happens.
We have still a really long way to go but we have made a strong start.
Thanks for reading,
Best,
Brian
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