Following a successful end to 2016, which saw Malmaison Birmingham’s revenue increase by 7.5%, the boutique hotel has kicked off the year with team promotions and appointments, and even a national award win.
Damian Goom, who joined the leading brand as General Manager in February 2014, has been promoted to Senior General Manager. As well as overseeing the Birmingham hotel, he is now responsible for the group’s Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford and Reading hotels, working alongside their General Managers to maintain peak performance. Speaking about his new role, which started earlier this month, Damian commented:
“My new role is a fantastic opportunity to build on the foundations we’ve shaped at Malmaison Birmingham. With a great team, we’ve continued to perform at the top of our game through the Mailbox redevelopment, our own full refurbishment, and the introduction of new hotels in the city centre. I aim to bring that experience – right from operating in a hotel during improvement works, through to competing on a local and regional scale – to my new portfolio of five hotels. It’s a great role and I’m already getting stuck in with visits to new hotels and the development of their General Managers.”
Damian will retain responsibility for the Birmingham hotel, spending around four days a week in the city, as well as visiting Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford and Reading; mentoring their teams and helping to share best practice.
Alongside Damian’s promotion, Malmaison Birmingham has appointed a new Guest Relations Manager to ensure the hotel remains at the top of its service game. Irina Alecu joined the hotel at the start of the year to add a personal touch to every guest’s stay. Ensuring that every visitor receives the best possible experience, Irina will greet guests on arrival and be their personal point of contact for the duration of their visit.
“I am so happy that Irina has joined the team in Birmingham; her role is to act as a host and concierge to everyone who comes through our doors. It’s a challenging and varied role but is crucial to us treating every single guest like a celebrity – giving them an experience to remember and a reason to come back. Her dedication to guest experience is something that I’d like to introduce across my new portfolio of hotels to ensure that the Malmaison brand is celebrated for its dedication to customer service,” Damian added.
The new team changes in Birmingham follow a successful two years, which have seen the completion of a hotel-wide refurbishment. All 193 bedrooms have received a makeover, as well as a new look for ChezMal and MalBar.
The improvement works reached their climax with the introduction of a brand new concept for the hotel’s meeting and events space, last May. Located on the mezzanine floor, Work+Play breaks new ground for those looking for a unique and flexible meeting and events destinations. Matching Malmaison’s signature style, Work+Play hosted a very successful festive events season at the Birmingham hotel, with an 11% increase in catering covers in 2016.
“The success of Christmas at Malmaison Birmingham was seen across all elements of the business; with a 7% increase in occupancy year on year and an overall 7.5% in revenue, which gives us a great start to the year. Added to this, Malmaison Birmingham has also just picked up Hotel of the Year at the annual ‘Best of the Best Awards’, which celebrate the best talent across the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin brands, so we really do have a lot to celebrate. Here’s to 2017!” Damian concluded.
