Like most of Israel's hotels, the King David in Jerusalem closed its doors in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The hotel reopened on July 16. But if before the coronavirus outbreak, 98% of its guests were overseas tourists, with Israel's borders remaining closed to non-Israeli passport holders, Israel's most famous and historic hotel has had to focus on domestic tourism.
King David is a luxury brand in the hotel industry, well-respected and attractive to Israelis. But the switch in focus has been a challenge to the hotel's management who are geared to guests who get out of bed at 6am to go on a tour of Masada. The Israeli guest stays in the hotel until later in the morning and wants different content and experiences including culinary weekends, classical music recitals, tours of the city's hilltops and afternoon cocktails on the verandah overlooking the Old City.
The hotel has 230 rooms, and the current mix of guests is typified by couples on average aged 65 and fewer young families with children splashing around in the swimming pool. Prices are 20% lower than last August with weekend occupancy of 50%-60%, falling to 30%-40% during the week.
The Israeli guest is excited to be staying in a hotel that has hosted world leaders including presidents, prime ministers and kings. The King David's general manager Tamir Kobrin understands that expectations about service are different. "This is a European experience. We have guests that have stayed here every weekend since we reopened and explain that it is the closest they can feel to being abroad."
The hotel has 400 employees and so far only 33% have been recalled from unpaid leave. As the hotel fills up more and more staff are being brought back, some of them veteran employees who have been with the King David for 30 and even 40 years.
How do guests respond to the purple badge Health ministry instructions?
"They ask why there isn't a buffet and why the mini-bar in their room is empty. Israelis demand more and expect faster and more personal service and we are learning to provide responses to 'out of the box' requests. Before guests arrive we receive from them as much information as possible, such as food sensitivities, if they are celebrating something special, what floor they would prefer to stay on, and if they need parking.
Kobrin took up his new position in May after managing luxury hotels around the world over the past 32 years including in the Caribbean, the US, India, the Maldives and Switzerland. In 1998, he spent two years in Israel as reception manager at the King David. "That was the realization of a dream. As a kid growing up in Jerusalem, my grandfather took me to eat apple strudel in the lobby of the King David, and ever since I had wanted to work there.
How would you categorize the Israeli guest?
"He knows how to pay $1,000 per night abroad but in Israel has higher expectations. They say that Israelis and Indians are very similar and it is true. Indian guests have come to hotels that I have managed abroad and they ask for and expect more. This is the task at the King David to rise above the expectations."
"We instruct our managers to change the way they think. They told me that Israelis won't need anything but that's not true, they are still guests who are paying a lot of money. Some of them perhaps saved up many years to celebrate an important event and we have the duty to provide them with the ultimate experience, because it will maybe be a one-time visit. It's important that they go back home and say wow, what an experience."
The iconic hotel was established 90 years ago and opened on December 30, 1930. The King David was founded by an Egyptian family which operated hotels in Switzerland and Egypt. During the final years of the British Mandate the hotel famously served as the HQ for the British forces. In 1958, the hotel was acquired from the Egyptian family by the Federmann family, which owns the Dan Hotels chain. Two more floors were added in the 1960s.
The hotels three suites - the Presidential, the Royal and the Jerusalem - are where world leaders sleep on state visits to Israel and which suite often depends on the choice of their security staff or whether a world leader prefers a corner room or when in the center of the hotel. Often the entire top floor is closed off. The last time the hotel hosted world leaders was for the International Holocaust Day ceremony in January. Weeks after the lights went out as Covid-19 struck and since the lights have been turned back on all the guests are Israelis seeking an experience that cannot be found elsewhere in Israel.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 10, 2020 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020