What is the most important aspect of an engineer’s job?
Nicholas Fernandez: It is the safety of the hotel, which is arguably the most important aspect of the property as a whole.

Part of my job description is to handle the security of the hotel and to make sure we are always safe. That is our responsibility, and that is why it is such a valuable job.

Of course a vital part of the job is also to provide air conditioning, water and so on, 24-hours a day, because if it breaks down that is when we have big problems.

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Srilal Palihakkara: Hotel engineers are a different breed because they are not only engineers, they are also in front of the customer as well. Part of our job is customer satisfaction, which makes it very different from other engineering roles.

Ashroff Shakoor: You have to be a people person, not just an engineer. You see the people you deal with, so you can get anything done if you have a good team who can also deal with customers.

Often people think you are just mechanical and you come and maintain the hotel, but it’s not just mechanical — we all know that there are so many things you need to look at with hotel engineering. You have to get your hands dirty, only then are you a true hotel engineer.

Wael Farouk: We have to look at the bigger picture — you have to be a competent business partner. Engineering is not just a supporting department; we have to show ourselves as a business partner.

We have to be involved in the operations as much as we can be — not just from our point of view, but from the other departments’ points of view as well.

Gilles Despres: I will push it even further than that, because I think from my point of view, it is more about guest satisfaction — I believe I control this more than anything else.

Especially in a five-star hotel, guests are harder to cater to, so we need to create an environment in which they feel that they are catered to properly, without abusing the energy we have.

The guest needs to feel they are in a five-star hotel, but that we are not abusing the resources to make it feel like a luxury property — that’s really what I try to focus on.