Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa Dubai achieves ISO certification

Following a four-month series of audits and training programmes, Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai has achieved ISO 9001:2000 from BSI, the world’s largest certification body.

The official certificate was presented to hotel owner, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum by BSI’s Tom Johnson, and further awards of commendation were handed out to the 24 internal auditors responsible for implementing and enforcing quality systems throughout the resort.

A recognition of quality standards in all areas of operation, the ISO certification was first achieved in the Middle East by sister hotel, Le Meridien Dubai, but the Jumeira beach resort is the first worldwide to gain this for both hotel and its staff complex.

Said general manager Pam Wilby: “It’s our staff who make the hotel what it is, and we were concerned that similar standards were applied in their home environment as well as their working arena.”

Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa has recently completed renovation of rooms in its main building, completing a three-phase expansion and upgrade programme, and, alongside the physical transformation, management has been working to introduce services standards of a similar deluxe level.

A total quality management team was brought in, along with Dubai-based consultants Incon, who together rewrote operating procedures and completed quality awareness training for all 700 staff.

Ninety audits were then carried out by the 24 internal auditors to ensure all new systems were embedded in to the culture of the hotel, a process that took four months during the summer season.

“We were accommodating guests as usual, despite the renovation, and also working on health and safety audits, but our team managed to analyse the results and achieve ISO in just four months, which is a magnificent achievement” said Wilby.

“Maintaining and improving quality standards is a never-ending process, but one where we can already see results in terms of guest satisfaction, staff motivation and morale – it’s particularly satisfying that guest comments are already increasing praising the warm welcome and courtesy of staff.”

The resort has additionally been identified as Le Meridien’s top performer in the Middle East for guest satisfaction and number one worldwide in the group for food and beverage, monitored by global consultants, J D Powers.

“For the guest, it all means a deluxe environment where he or she is treated as an individual rather than a room number,” said Wilby. “Our target is for even further improvement, now we have all systems in place and can respond quickly to any potential problem areas.”

Said Incon’s John Mercer, a member of the Institute of Quality Assurance: “The internal auditors carried out world class work, and I cannot praise enough the co-operation and enthusiasm we have received from everyone, from the general manager to the cleaners.”