Caspian Energy (CE): Mr. Mahuas, what is the targeted audience of the Astana Marriott hotel and who are the present clients of the hotel?
Philippe Mahuas, General Manager, Astana Marriott Hotel: The major targeted audience of the hotel are corporate clients, state-run institutions and diplomatic missions. These are the people who follow the major rule “time is money” of the business world. No matter if a person is in the office, he is accustomed to ,or on an urgent business trip, he must constantly keep in touch with the world, stay in the environment corresponding to his status, surrounded with attention and splendid service. It is the reason why the world businessmen who really appreciate their time and usual comfort zone make a choice in favor of the Marriott International hotels network. If you or your partners are going to Astana, one of the business capitals of the Central-Asian region, our hotel would be just the right choice.
CE: What could you say about the concept of the hotel and how does the Astana Marriott attract clients?
Philippe Mahuas: Astana Marriott is Astana’s newest five-star hotel which has a different exterior and concept compared with other hotels of the capital. Our hotel is located in the new center of the young capital. It is an area which brings business, cultural and entertainment life of the city together. We are only a few steps walk to the Astana Opera and the Ballet Theatre. The hotel offers 271 modern and comfortable rooms spread in 6 different categories from De Luxe room to our Presidential Suite and 2 Royal Suites. These 3 large Suites are the ideal choice for hosting VIP delegations and guests. Their magnificent interior has been designed in a classic style by using natural materials and handcraft furniture. The British Company has worked out a design of our hotel especially for our project. One can see stylized Kazakh design and other details of the traditional popular art in every hotel room as well as in lobby and lounges.
CE: What is the difference between Astana Marriott Hotel and other big business brand hotels?
Philippe Mahuas: The Marriott hotel network is very considerate towards its clients, and the guests who have once stayed in one of our hotels do not usually make changes in their further choices. Moreover, Marriott International has developed a program for motivating their loyalty, Marriott Rewards. For every dollar spent in the majority of the hotels of this network, including Astana Marriott hotel, a certain amount of points is scored to the Marriott Reward card. Once accrued, these points can be transferred as rooms for free, use additional services or change points for “miles”, i.e. obtain tickets in more than 30 American airlines. There are about 35 million people engaged in the Marriott Rewards program all over the world.
This significant number tells its own tale: “People simply give preference to the hotels that meet the most their satisfaction”. As far as the exclusive features of our hotel are concerned, the Executive lounge is going to be another additional benefit for hotel guests. No such lounge is available at any hotel of Astana. It is a lounge dedicated to hotel guests staying in our Executive Floors and Suites where they will be served breakfast, lunch, tea, coffee and snacks throughout the whole day.
CE: Which measures are undertaken to attract clients for hosting business events in the hotel?
Philippe Mahuas: For the capital business, opening of Astana Marriott is the inception of a modern area for hosting conferences, workshops and business meetings. Business does not feature insignificant details, so our specialists trash out all nuances of each event, from a camera workshop to a large conference. The hotel has a total of 6 conference rooms. The largest one of them, the Ballroom, enables the space to be divided into three separate spaces. The possibility to use new technologies in the event planning process will become a pleasant surprise: Meetings Imagined is a digital platform that enables to imagine your future event in details already at the planning stage and also draw on new ideas. Red Coat Direct enables to contact a coordinator of your event just with a press of a button, without leaving the room. One more important thing is, undoubtedly, our cuisine and creative confee breaks. We are ready to turn almost each idea of our clients into reality!
CE: It is no surprise that nice cooking is valued in Kazakhstan. What does your hotel offer?
Philippe Mahuas: Everything! I mean not only dishes, but also eating in the pleasant environment! We have three wonderful places. On the first floor there is Aroma restaurant. Here you will enjoy all day dining with a French influence. Our chef de cuisine is a Frenchman! Grilled dishes as well as modern French food are for those who prefer traditional cuisine. Frog legs and foie gras are for the gourmets. In the morning, you are offered to enjoy the well-known Marriott’s breakfasts with homemade pastries and fresh breads from our own kitchen. The Lobby Bar offers a menu suitable, not only to your taste buds but also to the time you have available. Last but not least, Vista Bar & Lounge is a surprise for residents of the capital since we have prepared something new to Astana. First, the view of the city is very impressive. Vista is located on the highest floors of the hotel, 27-28. And mostly, the food, a mix of eastern and western influences is aimed to be shared. Try it! It is unique in town!
CE: What underlies the successful operation in the hotel business?
Philippe Mahuas: The success of Marriott brand is mainly based on the company’s founder Mr. Marriott’s initial vision of the hotel business and the capacity to support and introduce company’s values into all brands and hotels of the Marriott International’s network. He always strongly prioritized employees and high quality service for guests. I believe that namely the team and personnel help the company develop successfully. It is important for employees to feel support and understanding as well as know how valuable their contribution is for the company. And we all agree that happy employees have no equal in delivery high service quality.
