It is no secret that Fairmont’s iconic luxury service is rooted in the dedication of colleagues all over the world.
The Fairmont Family, as this group of 45,000 colleagues is often called, is a unique community filled with stories of compassion, care and extraordinary service. Earlier this year, Fairmont set out to capture some of these colleague stories from around the world.
In partnership with NAMARA, a creative visual agency based in Toronto and New York, seven world-class photojournalists were sent to nine Fairmont hotels from San Francisco to Shanghai. Their goal was to shadow Fairmont colleagues and get a glimpse of what happens behind-the-scenes and to capture the stories of those who deliver luxury service in iconic hotels.
“We know that our colleagues around the world are exceptional people who are truly dedicated to delivering amazing guest experiences,” said Jane Mackie, vice president, Fairmont Brand. “Working with NAMARA has given us an opportunity to capture some of their incredible stories and showcase them in a way that is authentic and meaningful. It is inspiring to see so much colleague passion come to life through a journalistic lens.”
NAMARA photojournalists who worked on the project contribute to leading publications such as TIME, The New Yorker, The Telegraph, The Wall St Journal and National Geographic Magazine. They include Dominic Nahr, Aaron Vincent Elkaim, Kitra Cahana, Brett Gundlock, Ed Ou, Ian Willms and Kiana Hayeri.
The photojournalism project represents the first time in Fairmont’s over 100 year history where guests can gain a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives and experience of the colleagues who deliver Fairmont’s iconic luxury service experience.
Soreen and Sonia Jabbo left Baghdad, Iraq with their mother and father in 2010, when they were just 18 years old. The moment that gave them a second chance in life was when all four were hired simultaneously by the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, eight months after their arrival. Bahir, their father, was accepted into the engineering department, while their mother Nahida and both girls started out as room attendants. Over the course of a few years the four of them pooled their earnings together so that they could put a down payment on a family home.
For the full story and photographs: click here.
“Welcome Home.” This is how guests are greeted as they enter the Fairmont Pacific Rim and ‘home’ is how it feels to stay there too – only nicer. My time there was short but the connections I made with the Fairmont colleagues were sincere. My subjects became my friends. Chef Takayuki Omi received me with equal warmth and integrity. The latter is a trait that he takes seriously: Chef has transformed the Raw Bar into the first restaurant to serve 100 per cent sustainable fish, caught by Oceanwise certified fisheries. Most of what he serves is local and his presentation is art on a plate, an expression of the visual culture throughout the property.
For the full story and photographs click here.
No hotel rings with sentimentality, prestige and history quite like New York City’s The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel. It was once said, “Nothing unimportant ever happens at The Plaza.” After spending a week within its walls, I would have to agree. Yet what I found so important was not the history of visits by celebrities, musicians, kings, princes, and presidents. Nor is it the nostalgia brought on as I think of the many films that have featured this magnificent place. It is the people behind the scenes and on the front lines that hold The Plaza in their hearts that makes it special. What united the staff was a sense of both humility and pride. Some had been there for more than 40 years.
For the full story and photographs click here.
Since 1984, Michael Calnan has been stationed at the golden front doors of the prestigious Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto. The longest serving employee of the hotel, he greets guests with a helping hand and a warm laugh. Always ready and willing to share a story, Michael is a living chronicle of the Royal York’s recent history. He has served the Queen three times; he has received a very generous tip for shining Ronald Regan’s shoes; and since 1984, he has shown every Prime Minister to stay at the Royal York to their rooms.
For the full story and photographs click here.
Leah Owur has been working with Fairmont for seven years. A native to Kenya, she first started working at Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club in her home country. When she had an opportunity to become the food and board supervisor at Fairmont The Palm in Dubai, she could not pass it up. Most of the workforce at The Palm is foreign. The back of the house is a patchwork of nationalities from all over the world. There is always something to learn from fellow colleagues, and a holiday or celebration. Every Sunday, Leah organizes an African barbecue in the park with soccer, hair braiding, and church prayers. “We are a big family who just happens to work with each other.”
For the full story and photographs click here.
Master chef Li takes his work home with him every day. In the mornings, he wakes up early to prepare breakfast for his wife and daughter. His kitchen is organized in the same way as the hotel restaurant he oversees. He uses the same ingredients, and buys from the same markets as the hotel.
Chef Li has worked for decades with the historic Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai at the Chinese Restaurant visited by dignitaries, celebrities, and those who come for the history the hotel offers. Overseeing such a complex operation is no easy task. On his watch, he personally checks every dish before it leaves the kitchen. His work begins hours ahead of lunch and goes late into the night. But his work pays off at the end of the night when he inspects the sink after dinner, “Not a morsel of food left on any of the plates. Perfect.”
For the full story and photographs click here.
While navigating The Savoy’s many hallways, dining rooms, kitchens, suites, lifts and secret passages, I felt the unmistakable impression of experiencing a legend in real-time. The high level of hospitality and opulence at The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed Hotel attracted many of the 20th century’s most famous thinkers, creators and performers. Winston Churchill held weekly lunch meetings in the Pinafore Room; Claude Monet painted masterpieces from his suite on the fifth floor; Bob Dylan filmed Subterranean Homesick Blues with Allen Ginsberg in the Savoy Steps laneway. The restaurants, bars and ballrooms were graced by the likes of Sinatra, Monroe, Hepburn, Einstein and Garland. It is rare to find a place that allows you to live such a rich history, but it certainly seems to exist within those walls. This, in my humble opinion, is thanks to the colleagues. Without a family, a house is not a home. Without that soul, The Savoy is just a hotel.
For the full story and photographs click here.
What is unique about Fairmont The Norfolk is what you do outside your room. Visitors travel to Kenya to take in the outstanding landscapes and perhaps to spot an elephant or giraffe while breathing in the sweet African air. Guests are never disappointed. Whether touring the countryside by bicycle, hot air balloon or by horse, visitors are sure to see something astonishing. I photographed this location because Nairobi has been my home for many years. I remember arriving on the continent and my taxi driver asked where I’m from. When I evaded his question by replying that I was to move to Nairobi, he told me ‘Then you are Kenyan now.’ This is the warmth and welcome that I felt as I spent days with the Fairmont colleagues. When you are there, you are part of the family.
For the full story and photographs click here.
At the end of the workday as the room attendants wait to clock out, laughter spills through the underground arteries of Fairmont San Francisco. Dozens of hugs and high fives pass between employers and employees as if everyone has forgotten the distance that usually permeates working relationships. The Housekeeping Department at the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco has one of the highest employee satisfaction ratings throughout the entire organization. Theories abound as to what contributes to this positive attitude, but many on staff attribute it to the unique culture that’s been developed in the Housekeeping department over the years.
For the full story and photographs click here.
The Fairmont Family 