During our recent cruise, I had the pleasure of sitting down with (the lovely, charming, fabulous) Raffaele Bernardini, the current Hotel Director on the Celebrity Equinox. Following is an excerpt of our conversation.
What exactly does the Hotel Director do?
I’m in charge of everything on the ship except making [the ship] move – so entertainment, food & beverage, housekeeping, guest relations, financing, IT, HR, & marketing. I [oversee] every detail that it takes to make guests happy – & that should be 100% of the time.
Tell me a little bit about your background & how you got to where you are.
I studied at hotel school in Italy & followed in the steps of my cousin, who worked in the hospitality industry in London. After working for hotels around the world, including Intercontinental Hotels (where he began his career) & Hilton International (where he worked in their food & beverage department), [the cruise industry] was really changing, so I decided to join Celebrity. I came on board first as an Assistant Maître d’, then moved up to Maître d’, & eventually became Hotel Director. I attribute some of my success to my ability to speak multiple languages (he can speak English, French, Spanish, & Italian fluently). I’ve been on the Celebrity Equinox since its launch & love being on this ship.
You oversee a lot of crew from all walks of life. Tell me a little about the challenges that come with that.
My team is really great. It’s up to the other officers & me to encourage the crew, many who are far away from home & from their families for a very long time. My motto is “happy crew = happy guests.”
Your officers are so engaged – you see them everywhere on the ship chatting with guests. What’s the strategy behind that?
I like my staff to be engaged so that they can identify the little problems that may make a guest’s experience less than perfect. If you’re casually chatting with someone, a small problem may come up naturally in conversation that the crew member can then take steps to fix. My staff loves what they do – how can you not? There’s always so much to learn when working on a ship. And it’s fun. If you don’t want to have fun, you shouldn’t be working on a ship.
What’s the biggest headache that comes with your job?
The live tree* [in the atrium] & live grass [the Lawn Club] on the ship! They require constant monitoring & watering. Every time I go past the tree, I’m constantly checking it for yellowing leaves. We actually just replaced all the grass four sailings ago – at a substantial cost. Luckily, that doesn’t have to be done often, because there is a great team who takes care of it.
*Throughout the cruise, I had many conversations with guests in the glass elevators about whether or not the tree was real. When I assured them that it actually was, many of them accused me of lying or accused Raffaele of lying to me about it!
Many people in my generation, especially DINKs, don’t think cruising is for them. What would you say to someone who thinks that cruising is only for the “newlywed & nearly dead?”
I really think cruising is for everyone, especially [DINKs]. Think of how romantic a cruise on the Celebrity Equinox can be. You’re up on the Lawn Club, enjoying a glass of wine & some cheese with your partner, listening to world-class live music. Afterward, you visit a romantic specialty restaurant to be wined & dined the same you would be in a big city.
More & more young people are coming on cruises, which I love to see – it gives the whole ship a youthful vibe. The disco is full, you see young men & women dressed well (& stylishly!) & even though they might not be a “secure guest” (meaning, they might not be frequent repeat customers or booking their next cruise while on board), we’re so happy to have them on board. They bring the vibe that Celebrity wants to have.
Any final words for my readers?
You really don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t at least try going on a cruise. There is really nothing better than having a great experience on the Celebrity Equinox.
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