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Spotlight on Alison Fraser

By Mike Levy (March 2005 Issue)
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When the first wave poured over the hotel swimming pool, Alison Fraser knew it was time to put her crisis-management plan into action. Luckily, her well-trained staff knew exactly what to do, although the Tsunami was something no one expected. British-born Fraser is general manager of The Andaman Hotel – a five-star resort hotel on the most beautiful beach on the tropical island of Langkawi in Malaysia. This unspoilt paradise could have become a worse nightmare if not for two good reasons: Langkawi (the largest of 99 mostly uninhabited islands) was protected from the full force of the tidal wave by Indonesian islands across the Straights of Malacca, and the quick thinking of her employees. ‘My young staff at the swimming pool knew something was wrong – well before the Tsunami. They saw the tide go right out, and that had never happened before,’ she explains. ‘Without any instruction from me, they took our guests off the beach and rowed out to the nearby offshore island to rescue those who were enjoying a family picnic and swim.’

Fraser is really proud of her staff (mostly local Malays and Indonesians). No one was injured, and the hotel (built on a hillside surrounded by rainforest) was totally unscathed and back to normal within hours; in fact, the whole of Langkawi was mercifully saved from major damage.

As The Andaman’s GM, Fraser is in charge of her 400 staff and has overall responsibility for training and development. ‘We might be a bit unusual in that our parent company, General Hotel Management Ltd (GHM), decided to remove the post of training manager. This works well for us because it puts the onus on the general managers to make sure that staff training is timely, effective and totally relevant to our needs. It is all too easy to palm off training responsibilities to others.’

Each departmental head is expected to provide two half-hour sessions of basic skills training each week. It’s all part of Fraser’s commitment to a real learning organisation. And her management style is obvious to anyone with an eye for good practice. She shuns the isolation of her office, and spends a lot of time among her staff and customers. ‘You develop a nose for good customer service,’ she says. ‘I can smell trouble a mile off but also know when things are going right.’

GHM’s policy is to delegate training functions to departmental heads – two of whom are ex-pats, the rest Malaysian. She expects them to put training at the top of their agenda. ‘We have a well-structured induction programme involving a three-month probation period – there is an intensive two-day familiarisation course delivered on the premises and that is followed by several weeks of close mentoring and coaching.’

Customer service and English language are two essential training needs. The owners of the hotel group have set their standards of customer care in what they call Strategic Service Interest (SSI). This lays down standards of customer service and expectations. ‘In our training we emphasise that because we are a resort, most of our customers will be paying their own bills – not on expense accounts. Many will have saved long and hard to come to our hotel, which we believe is one of the best in South East Asia – perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime holiday on a tropical island. The onus is on our entire staff to ensure we live up to their dreams.’

Customer service is taught from Day 1 of induction, and training sessions are constantly provided – on a weekly basis when the hotel is less busy. There is one aspect of customer service that doesn’t need a lot of emphasis: ‘Malaysians and Indonesians are naturally hospitable and you don’t have to teach them to smile.’

On-the-job coaching, Fraser believes, is particularly relevant to the needs of a large hotel like hers. ‘It’s every manager’s responsibility to be aware of any shortcomings or particular needs.’ Fraser leads the way and is quick to offer guidance and coaching if one of her staff is not performing well. ‘It happened to me when I started in this industry at a five-star hotel in London. I know how demoralising it is for a manager to accuse you of not being up to the job. The answer is support and training.’

Luckily, Fraser’s commitment to training is matched by the funding to provide it. ‘There is a very good system here in Malaysia where each hotel has to contribute 1 per cent of gross salary to a special training levy. We are then able to hire external trainers, subject to approval from the relevant body – but they usually approve.’

The external trainers used by The Andaman are exclusively Malaysian and offer, Fraser says, a very high standard of service. ‘My HR manager and I ensure that the courses they provide exactly fit our needs. In a busy hotel like ours, there is no time for fluffy courses or anything that is not totally relevant.’

Malaysia is a highly unionised society, and one thing Fraser has to ensure is that departmental heads are well-informed about conditions of service, employment protection legislation and so on. ‘Our current collective agreement with the union has 46 articles, so you can imagine how much everyone – from departmental heads to junior managers – needs to be up to speed,’ she says.

For all that hotel management is stressful and hard work (she gets little time off), Alison Fraser has no plans to return to England. ‘Why would I want to leave? I live in this beautiful hotel with a view of the rain forests, the unspoilt Datai Bay and year-round wonderful weather. Our training programme reminds our staff that they are living in a very special place – and they are proud to be here for our customers, and to represent Langkawi. If the Tsunami has taught me anything, it is the value of having wonderful highly trained staff.’

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