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Anthem of the Seas Profile Page
Anthem of the Seas Photo Tour Anthem of the Seas Hotel Director interview |
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INSIDE VIEW:
A PASSION FOR SERVICE A Conversation with Ashley Quintal Hotel Director of Anthem of the Seas by Richard H. Wagner |
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Ashley Quintal's passion is to serve others. A verteran of 24 years in the hospitality industry, his goal is to demonstrate to his guests “what a service-oriented environment looks like.”
Mr. Quintal is from a small town in India in the shadow of the Himalaya mountains. Growing up he found that he liked meeting and talking with people and so when he went to university, he studied hospitality management. After graduation, he was selected as a management trainee by Leading Hotels of the World and went to work at one of their prestigious hotels in Mumbai. While he liked the hospitality business, he did not like living in such a large city. Therefore, he decided to try working on cruise ships. This job change required starting over at an entry level position - - an assistant waiter on Legend of the Seas. However, with his education and proven ability, he moved up the ladder quickly assuming positions of increasing responsibility on a number of ships including Radiance of the Seas, Sovereign of the Seas, Vision of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and then on the giants Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Now, he is a hotel director - - the head of the largest department on a cruise ship. “Royal Caribbean International is really an international company in terms of equal opportunity for everyone who has the passion and will to live by [its philosophy] irrespective of your race, religion, whatever. I am true testimony to that and many of us who work here take great pride in that.” “Royal Caribbean International is a leader in the cruise industry in terms of hospitality and service Yes, we do have the best ships and the largest ships but [the company's success with customers] is mosly to do with the people who work onboard and the way we deliver our product.” “ We do have our set standards and our standard operating procedures but we enocourage our crew members to bring out their personalities and live our philosophy.” “We pay a lot of attention to in-house training, training on the job, web-based training.” However, to succeed, employees must first have “the attitude and mental make up required to work on a cruise ship. You have to love it, you have to love dealing with people. You need to be very passionate about your interpersonal skills, communication skills.” “You can only be passionate about something if you believe in it and if you live it on a daily basis and that is what our crew members reflect.” |
The Anthem experience
“The Anthem is very close and dear to my heart. It is a great ship, a marquee product in the northeastern market. The ship was built for this market and to withstand the elements, especially winters.” “She has been a revolution in the cruising business, being the most innovative and technologically most-advanced class of ship, not only for our company but for the cruising industry.” “I find that there is novelty in every aspect. The way the ship has been built and the way it flows from one zone into another. It seems to be that every minute detail has been taken into consideration. I would go so far as to say it is more like a boutique cruise ship than a regular conventional cruise ship.” “The Anthem's soul is excellent in terms of the synergy and energy that you feel when you board the ship. Our crew members are friendly. They undertand our guests' needs - - not only do they understand but they anticipate our guests needs before even the guest realizes it.” “Yes, we do visit different destinations but we are a destination in itself because of all the extra additional activities that we offer and all the facilities that are built to cater to the different demographics of the guests There is something for everyone to do.“ “We have marquee products that only the Quantum class can offer like the North Star, I-Fly at Sea, the bumper cars in the Seaplex.” “The shows are revolutionary. Two70 is something we are very proud of - - a lounge, a theater combined into a dining space. 'Spectra's Cabaret' is fantastic.” “Our entertainment is structured in a way that we cater to the markets that we operate in. We marry entertainment with dining in that there is a free flow from entertainment into dining.” “If you are more inclined toward a quieter zone, you will find yourself [during the day] in Two70 or the library or the Via, for those parts of the day when you just want to sit and watch people. If you want to have a relaxing lunch, the Solarium is where you can have that experience.” In addition, Anthem presents a Royal Caribbean experience. “Each class [of ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet] has its own distinct identity. But it doesn't matter which ship you go on, Royal Caribbean has a sense of delivery, product standardization, the same culture, the same work ethics, the same deliverables. [The ships] have distinctive flavors but the core remains. It is a platform from which we all operate.” |
Cruise ship inside interviews - Royal Caribbean International - Anthem of the Seas - Hotel Director Ashley Quintal