We Checked In On The Gibson Hotel given that Opening Day Is Just Weeks Away.

ThThe building work is done. The courtyar gardens are planted. The rooms are decorated and equipped. The bars and restaurants are staffed and ready to go. Dublin’s brand new 252-bedroom €100 million hotel is at the finishing touches stage. And that is where Charlie Sheil’s, eye for detail comes to the fore. “Because I’ve been through this process before I know what to look out for,” explains Gibson General Manager Charlie Sheil. “We end up with unique snag lists. For example, we need to make sure our art works actually fit where we have planned to put them, that our lighting really illuminates and confirm that the wi-fi works everywhere and gives people the speed that our fibre optic connections can deliver. Simple sounding tasks, like furnishing the bedrooms, create interesting logistical challenges simply because of the quantity of furniture required for 252 rooms. We’ll even be commissioning our kitchens well before the hotel opens.”

But nowhere is attention to detail more important than in choosing and training his team. The recruitment of the 100 team members for the hotel is complete, with the last few key appointments made in the last fortnight. “We’ll be announcing our major captures shortly,” stated Charlie. “But right now I’m concentrating most of my time on making sure our training, particularly the elements that deal with guest service are world class.”

Charlie believes that excellent customer service is one aspect of the management of hotels that can be significantly improved. “For example, on any given Friday at the Waldorf Astoria in New York we could have 1400 people checking out and another 1400 checking in, all pretty much at once,” he points out. “And for a hotel like that, this process had to be run smoothly even though it could not all happen instanteously. So our staff made sure the customers were made comfortable, were supplied with complementary drinks and kept informed of how soon they would be booked in.”

Comfort, information and problem solving will be the key messages of the training, for which they have retained the services of Conor Kenny & Associates - the preeminent consultant to the hospitality sector in the country. The Gibson won’t reveal how much the training will cost but Charlie is clear that the budget reflects how high a priority excellence in this area is for the hotel. Not only has the hotel transformed from a building site in the last few weeks, the PointVillage has too.

The Point Village Marketkicked off at the end ofMay, and despite awful weather on its opening day, has beenattracting thousands of extra visitors to the area each weekend. Arriving shortly with be the €10million Dublin Observation Wheel, a multi screen cinema and more. Already this year the Grand Canal Theatre opened its doors to rave reviews and The Gibson’s next door neighbour, The O2, is still the busiest venue of its size in the world. And Convention Centre Dublin will be open for business in August.

With the Clarion already in the IFSC and the Maldron just across the water the need for yet another hotel in the area has, Charlie admits, been questioned. “The answer to those questions is simple. We are next door to the busiest concert venue in the world. A million people went through its doors in its first year of operations. A significant chunk, maybe as much as a third of those people, come from outside of Dublin and outside the country. On top of that Convention Centre Dublin will be opening for business, the Grand Canal Theatre is doing a roaring trade and the fact we are ten yards from the Luas line means our guests can get to and from pretty much anywhere they want in Dublin quickly and easily.”

Although the first six months for any new hotel is an evolving market, a long-termprojection estimates that artists, concert and theatergoers, Convention guests fromthe new Convention Centre opening in September, European and US visitors willmake up the majority of the Gibson’s customer base. Added to this mix will be a large slice of the corporate market, due to its proximity to the Convention Centre Dublin and the IFSC.

Charlie is very clear that this will not be just another hotel. “Right from the moment you arrive you will start to see the difference,” he says. “Our glass fronted atrium alone is unique; and then you walk through the doors and see our vertical garden. The lifts and escalators bring you up to the third floor for check-in and you start to spot the little musical touches we’ve added. Song lyrics, unusual names for our conference suites and the themes of the artworks on the walls.

Even the colour scheme we’ve chosen you won’t find the like of elsewhere.” But he’s clear that all of these touches are there only to make your stay a little more enjoyable - the core of what this hotel is about is relaxed, professional service, attention to the finest detail and standards that will not be exceeded by any competitor.

“The clock is ticking but that sound is not as terrifying as you might expect,” states Charlie. “We are organised, we are prepared and we’ll have thoroughly tested ourselves, our equipment and the building before we open our doors to the public at the start of July. There’s a quiet confidence about the place and I’m very happy to see it.”