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’Tis the season to be jolly and nothing could be jollier than a general manager serenading his guests with festive songs during the holiday season.
The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa’s general manager Mark Neukomm is bringing joy and good cheer to his guests alongside his team as part of a carol singing troupe.
The hotel’s Christmas Choir, also known as the Glee Club, has been entertaining guests for the past three years during occasions such as staff parties and brunches.
Mr Neukomm said: “We will go above and beyond to wow our guests and make them feel at home. It is the experience we offer to those who miss their families during the festive season and surround them with The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa family.
“I am setting a live example to our ladies and gentlemen by applying The Ritz-Carlton philosophy which is our motto – We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen!”
Out of the 600 men and women working at the hotel, 21 individuals of different nationalities are selected each year to join the choir.
According to Mr Neukomm, it’s a voluntary activity. He said: “We announce the registration internally for the new carol group during October and receive a lot of requests.
“After that, one of our special team members, who used to be a music teacher, holds an audition to determine the vocal range of each participant. After selecting the nominees, we form our group, set timings for daily meetings, start choosing the songs, designing our outfits and rehearsing.
“Our first live performance was on December 1 during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony where we sang in front of our guests and started the festive season.”
Since then, the singing staff members have been practicing daily for two hours on a variety of Christmas carols such as Jingle Bells, Feliz Navidad and Mr Neukomm’s favourite Christmas in our Hearts.
Armi Dungog, assistant director of rooms, will be leading the choir this year and is thrilled to sing alongside the boss, who may not rock around the Christmas Tree like Bruce Springsteen but certainly knows how to hit the right notes with his team.
Mrs Dungog said: “Mr Neukomm is very passionate about this. He is so passionate that he will make sure no one is late for practice. He is filled with the Christmas spirit and merely wants to share that love with the guests.
“Guest engagement is very important to us, especially at this time of the year. We want them to know that even if they’re away from loved ones they can celebrate with us and feel at home.”
The group’s outfits are designed by the hotel’s creative tailors and this year, have been inspired by the Golden Age of famous Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz and French Chef Auguste Escoffier.
The choir started performing to guests and visitors this week and will continue until December 24 at 6pm in the lobby and on December 25 at the Christmas brunch.
For further details, call 17580000 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com
