Radisson Blu Chittagong Bay View is keen to provide its quality products and services at affordable prices to the people of Chittagong, said the hotel's general manager, Robin Edwards.

The plan was taken as part of efforts to expand the reach of Chittagong's first internationally branded hotel, Edwards told The Daily Star during an interview.

Anyone living in the city can afford the services of the hotel now, he said. “We want the hotel's services to be made available to the whole community in Chittagong.”

The hotel does not want to bear the “overpriced” tag anymore, he said. “So we try to be flexible in everything we do.”

After joining Radisson Blu Chittagong in June last year, Edwards introduced a variety of promotional products and services, which gained both popularity and success.

Edwards had previously worked with other international groups, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts and Starwood Hotels and Resorts for several years across China, Western Asia and the Middle East.

A graduate of the University of Leeds in the UK, Edwards was cross-trained in about every major department -- food and beverage, engineering, laundry, finance, hotel administration and room division management.

“We will move with the market. We will go with the flow.” He wants to continue launching innovative ideas. 

Inspired by this year's success in implementing prestige card, which gives the members 20 percent discount on most food and beverage outlets in the hotel, it is going to introduce a number of new promotions in the New Year event, target membership for the health club and revised wedding menus.

Edwards said they want to give access to its health club to a wide range of people.

Radisson will offer quality wedding menus in 2018 at low prices no other service provider will be able to match, he claimed.

In terms of business, the hotel has been growing by the day with the support of its partners, he said.

Mentioning the satisfactory comments given by the guests about the hotel's services through the global guest recognition system Medallia, he claimed to meet and sometimes exceed the expectations of most of the people who stayed there.

But the current year has been challenging for the hotel, when it had to face the wettest monsoon in decades.

“We did quite well. But it was still a big challenge for airline traffic -- hurricanes coming in and typhoon coming over. Basically I have not seen a monsoon like that in the Asia Pacific region for a long time.”

He said they have a far higher occupancy rate this year than the last year. Edwards however declined sharing revenue figures.

“I think for a developing as well as a growing hotel, yes, this year of course we have done better than last year.” He hoped that the targets set for next year will increase again.

Like any business, revenues are forecasted on a year to year basis whether it is achieved or not, Edwards said. “That's how professional we are on budgeting or forecasting.” 

There are many challenges in operating a world-class hotel like Radisson Blu in a developing city, he said.

As a second-tier city, one of the biggest challenges for the hotel is manpower recruitment, Edwards said.

“We need to maintain the standards we have. We need people who have experience in the hospitality industry. And it is very hard to find in Chittagong city.”

Terming hospitality a service orientated industry, Edwards said, “Basically it's all about the guests. Without the guests we don't have jobs. I think a lot of people coming into our industry do not understand that.”

The hotel also suffers from acute shortage of raw products, he said. “We have to bring things from Dhaka. Non-availability of spare parts for repairing purposes is another matter of concern for us.”

Most of the customers in Radisson Blu are predominantly Bangladeshi nationals, he said.

The hotel also receives many foreign travellers working in garments, export processing zones, marine and shipping industry, port and government projects, he said.

Edwards said his hotel is looking towards the small and mid-sized businesses to boost earnings.

“Maybe they do not need rooms, but they may need meeting rooms. We have spaces for their annual parties and we can offer excellent menus for their team dinners and client entertainment.”

The hotel is also engaged in different social activities for the local community. “We want to grow with the community and we want the community to grow with us.”

Edwards has a son and wife living in Romania. The family visited Chittagong earlier and may visit him again next Christmas.