Two SNP councillors in Dundee have asked for a meeting with the man behind the development of the Malmaison to explore the possibility that he might be able to take on Hilton employees when the Hilton closes.
Councillor Kevin Cordell, who represents The Ferry and Maryfield Councillor Craig Melville have both written to Malmaison Developer Michael Carolan seeking a meeting and suggesting that there may be an opportunity for the new prestigious hotel to acquire “a pre-existing and highly-trained workforce.”
Almost 90 staff at the long-established Hilton Hotel on Dundee’s waterfront may either lose their jobs or be redeployed after March 31 next year.
Speaking about their move, Councillor Cordell said: “As someone with constituents affected by the potential closure of the Hilton at the end of March next year, it seemed to me that as Malmaison is set to open in July next year, there could be an opportunity here for the new venture to acquire trained and skilled staff.”
“The Dundee Malmaison will be the 13th in the prestigious hotel chain and is already being considered as potentially one of the most successful in the chain. For many years, the Hilton was one of the city’s premier hotels and it would be great if many of the workforce who face redundancy could be redeployed locally so that their local knowledge and skills would remain in the city.
“Obviously, some may be redeployed within the Hilton group and others may have alternative plans but it would be good to see if there could be some mutually-beneficial arrangement worked out between the Hilton and Malmaison that would benefit Dundee.”
Commenting, Councillor Craig Melville said: “The Malmaison will be open to the public in July next year, ideally timed to take full advantage of the huge upswing in the city’s fortunes that will come with the building of the V&A.
“The Hilton which has served the city well for decades will be closing just weeks earlier. It would make sense to have some staff continuity and perhaps Malmaison will see an opportunity of acquiring highly-trained staff members from the Hilton. These are issues we would hope to discuss with Mr Carolan if we have an opportunity to speak to him.”
