NICOLAS MESLET BECOMES THE NEW RESORT MANAGER OF THE SPLENDID ROYAL SARAY RESORT BAHRAIN - A LUXURY 7-STAR RESORT
With over 20 years' experience in the ultra-luxury Hospitality, Nicolas has a career path to match that of an Olympian. |
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NICOLAS MESLET BECOMES THE NEW RESORT MANAGER OF THE SPLENDID ROYAL SARAY RESORT BAHRAIN - A LUXURY 7-STAR RESORT
With over 20 years' experience in the ultra-luxury Hospitality, Nicolas has a career path to match that of an Olympian. |
Category: Middle East - Bahrain - Industry economy
- Careers
- Appointments vRenovation / Addition
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2024-09-05
 Photo credit © Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
In 2003, his incredible destiny continued in the most elegant and glamorous of Parisian palaces, the Plaza-Athénée Paris Avenue Montaigne, which was to be the foundation of his training in the art of French hospitality. In 2008, Nicolas was promoted to London to the legendary Dorchester Hotel, part of the same collection, where he spent four years gaining valuable experience. As Executive Assistant in charge of Guest Relations, he was one of the privileged few to take part in the exceptional opening with the team of Alain Ducasse's three Michelin-starred restaurant at the Dorchester in its second year. He also had the pleasure of participating in the openings of 45 Park Lane Hotel in London and the Coworth Park Hotel in Ascot, two other establishments part of Dorchester Collection.
2012 marked a major turning point in his professional life for the next 6 years, when he moved to Monaco to take up the position of Front office Manager at the magnificent Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, with its Gustave Eiffel rosace, 278 rooms and suites. As an active member of the executive committee in charge of room division, Nicolas has excelled in the guest services action plan, helping to increase accommodation sales by more than 35% six years later. He was in charge of the sales and the operational organization of delegations from the Middle East coming to the Principauté, as well as exclusive events including the Monte-Carlo Formula 1 Grand Prix, the last three years of his experience in Monaco.
2018 - Brach Paris, Nicolas has dedicated himself to this extraordinary project. He was appointed Deputy Hotel Director. He was then able to put all his managerial talents to work with the 160 employees of this atypical establishment, firstly to orchestrate the pre-opening and secondly to support the opening to guests. Nicolas is extremely proud and happy to have been able to take part in this new 'Casual Chic' lifestyle hotel concept alongside a talented designer like Philippe Starck.
2020 - NM Palace Experiences, creation of his own luxury hospitality expertise company after the Covid period, with the aim of operational management of teams, personalized support for the needs of hotel owners and management of Royal delegations in villas or palaces. This enriching interlude, which was a resounding success, enabled Nicolas to discover his talents as an entrepreneur.
2022 - Manapany St Barth, a discreet and charming eco-resort of 44 rooms. Nicolas was appointed Director of Operations. He really liked this place, anchored in authentic St Barth, overlooking a surf beach that lets you let go in complete simplicity, surrounded by lush nature.
2023 - Scrub Island BVI, Nicolas was spotted by an American group based in Florida, Mainsail Lodging & Development, which wanted to upmarket its establishment on a private island opposite Tortola airport, an establishment that became independent in July 2023. A 52-room resort with 13 luxury villas and a private marina in the middle of the British Virgin Islands, 4 hours from Miami. Impressed by the natural beauty of the American and British Virgin Islands, Nicolas has discovered an exclusively American clientele who like to come for short breaks with their families or friends for breathtaking sea dives. So, he understands why Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin, has made it his home on his private island, Necker Island, next to Scrub Island.
2024 - Royal Saray Resort, since April, Nicolas has made his home in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as Resort Manager of this impressive lifestyle place, with the largest rooms, suites and villas in Bahrain: 87 rooms starting at 72 sqm, 4 luxury villas between 650 sqm and 930 sqm. Royal Saray Resort is continuing to expand, with 10 new luxury mansions with 10 rooms and a swimming pool overlooking a new Clarins Spa and Bahrain's largest swimming pool, where a Pool Club bar restaurant will soon open with a new concept created by the Chairman & CEO, H.H. Shaikh Khalifa bin Rashid AL KHALIFA. There is the famous Italian restaurant called Scalini, an amazing Greek restaurant OPA, a Japanese restaurant Bushido by Buddha Bar, a beach club called Al Hadiqa, Havana Cigar Lounge with a Cuban band, a private dancing Club Stage and the well-known Black Tap for incredible burgers and milk shakes.
This new mission is an opportunity to interview Nicolas Meslet, who was happy to answer our questions.
What is your management style?
On the ground, keeping an eye on everything, observing without interfering with the teams. I like to take the temperature of my teams on a daily basis. We manage human beings, with days with and days without. I've always been there for my teams when they needed me. That's essential. If there's tension between the teams, I intervene immediately, because otherwise customers will feel it in the service. We have difficult working hours and days off that change, but there are so many great moments of sharing with the teams and the customers that all that is quickly forgotten!
I love the challenge! New goals! Find a way of achieving them so that you and our teams can please the guests while meeting the owners' expectations.
It must be a trifecta! Employees managed with kindness will result in happy customers who will want to tell others and come back, and consequently owners who will get a return on their investment. It must be a win-win situation, otherwise it won't work. And that's the alchemy of it all, when you have the feeling that it's working, that's when you are taking pleasure.
Your character trait?
Determined and stubborn! When I want something, I do everything I can to achieve it. If a department is lacking in the hotel, I won't give up until I find solutions!
For example, I can improve the organization of a sales F&B outlet, review the customer reception area, the waiting time for customers. I always try to put myself in the customer's shoes. I don't like it when customers leave unsatisfied. As long as they're with us, we can always put things right. Customers' expectations are not identical, so we must adapt to them.
I also like to challenge myself and learn, and I've just finished an intensive 8-month course with the famous Cornell University based in New York State to up to date my knowledges of Hotel Management and Marketing - this university is exceptional, with professional professors, and it allows you to interact live with students from all over the world.
Your advice to young people who want to enter the luxury hotel industry?
Get moving! Don't be afraid, go and discover the world and other cultures that will open up your vision and your management. Being French is an asset! We have the image of a country of excellence, of professionals, of luxury, of the art of welcoming and entertaining, with our products, our wines, our cheeses, our terroirs - in short, we are the envy of the whole world. Everywhere I've been, the «Frenchy» that I am, has always received a warm welcome, resulting in some great professional exchanges.
I think this new generation of young people has a lot going for it! They've been through the riots, Covid, inflation, terrorist attacks, wars, etc. and yet when you see them at the Olympic Games, for example, I'm baffled! They give pleasure and dignity to all those who watched them and that's why other countries always invest with the French, because we are a guarantee of quality that has lasted since the dawn of time! We've always been able to welcome visitors and we've always been able to provide the resources for an extraordinary project, like Versailles, for example! France is the only country in the world to welcome 100 million visitors a year, so I think we can be proud, because this great energy is contagious.
What are your short-term objectives for Royal Saray?
On the operational side, to continue to open our incredible extension of 10 luxury mansions, four of which are already open for sale and are proving a great success. We have improved our Booking.com rating from 8.7 to 8.8 in just two months, with a strong action plan! If we continue like that, the 9/10 rating should be there when we open our Clarins Spa in November and our new Pool Club with the largest swimming pool in Bahrain!
On the Sales & Marketing side, we'll be promoting our new 10-bedroom mansions with swimming pools. We will be introducing a high level of butler services. This product will be perfect for royal families coming to spend quality time with family and friends. We'll also be focusing on the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix, which is another thing we have in common with the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, for which I loved handling sales.
In terms of Human Resources, we're going to be stepping up our recruitment and training programs so that we're ready for the full opening of the Royal Saray extension in November, with key positions such as Guest Relation Manager, Duty Managers, Butlers and so on.
The commitment to training is one that is well received by the team that are the forefront of Sevens Holding success. The training not only allows them to develop their skills and grow in confidence but also outlines a definitive career path for them, which in turn ensures loyalty and commitment to Sevens Holding as it continues its rapid expansion.
If you're ever in Bahrain, stop off at the Royal Saray Resort, we'll take good care of you! The new best place to stay.
About Bahrain Island
An archipelago of some thirty islands, Bahrain is a discreet and elegant state, open to the world and to the joys of life, strategically located between Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, an hour's flight from Dubai. Bahrainis are people who love luxury, France, French “savoir-vivre”, French genius, French culture and Bahrain known for its pearls. In love with Paris, London and Monaco, they love European energy. The French Embassy has been firmly established in Bahrain for 50 years.
Indeed, the French President recently warmly congratulated His Majesty the King of Bahrain on his initiative to organize an "Arab Summit" for peace in the Middle East, which took place last June and was attended by several Arab Heads of State. Bahrain attracts 12 million tourists a year, compared with Dubai's 17 million. Bahrain is a promising state... even Eminem is coming to perform in December 2024!
There is a wonderful nightlife in Bahrain especially in Adliya area, there are Irish pubs where you can dance Salsa, fine-dining restaurants and bars (alcohol not prohibited), dancing clubs. There is a respectful freedom to women as well. Bahrain loves sport, there is a gym in every building, a woman just won a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024! This country is respectful to women, with a lot of them are CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Influencers, working in fashion, sports, etc…
About Sevens Holding Group
Sevens Holdings is owned by H.H Shaikh Khalifa Bin Rashid Al Khalifa and as CEO is involved in every aspect of his business. A visionary who is proud to lead the fastest growing luxury operator in the GCC and with ambitious plans to expand outside of the Kingdom of Bahrain, The Royal Saray and Sevens Holdings are at the mere beginning of what is certainly to become and extraordinary expansion.
His Highness is the grandson of the former Prime Minister of Bahrain, H.RH. Khalifa bin Salmane Al Khalifa, paternal uncle of the current King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who was Prime Minister for 48 years, the longest tenure for a Prime Minister in the world. A highly respected figure in Bahrain, he played a major role in building his country.
A man in a hurry, His Highness is very sensitive to customer feedback and makes it a point of honor to ensure that his guests are received in the most “Royal” way.
 Splendid Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
Photo credit © Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
 Splendid Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
Photo credit © Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
 Splendid Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
Photo credit © Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
 Splendid Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
Photo credit © Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
 Splendid Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
Photo credit © Royal Saray Resort Bahrain
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