Getting things done
Henini was on the ground in Qatar five months before the property opened and as part of the pre-opening team, witnessed some of the unique challenges of being a hotelier in the Middle East first hand.

“There is a lot more involvement here from the owner. On one hand it’s good because you get their support and financially it’s very secure, but it all comes down to the relationship with the general manager.

“Staffing’s a little challenging in Qatar too but we did our recruitment in Dubai and used a recruitment agency. We now have a multi-national team of 108 comprising 20 nationalities and we’re aiming to increase that to 25.”

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Around 10% of the property’s staff base has come from existing Fraser properties worldwide.

Henini also reported challenges with suppliers, saying that Qatar is a suppliers’ market and there is room for more companies to drive down prices of goods.

“Having worked in London, we’re very used to efficiency and here it’s very unpredictable, you have to work hard to get a result, here it’s a very different culture,” he adds.

“I speak a little Arabic which helps and you just have to adapt — this is a developing country moving in the right direction; if you look at Dubai 20 years ago it was probably the same.”

While Qatar may pose some resemblance to Dubai 20 years ago, the state is keen to learn from mistakes the emirate may have made.

“The saying here is we’re following in the steps of Dubai without making the mistakes.

“Qatar is still in the early stages of development and there is a need for the service industry to improve, but Frasers can capitalise on bringing the good service here.”

One of the first of many new hotels to open, Fraser Suites Doha is well placed to attract the business travellers that will influx Doha following the opening of the new Qatar Convention Centre and as the city prepares for hosting the FIFA World Cup, with major accommodation and infrastructure projects underway.

“It’s very vibrant city, business is booming, we want to be a part of that. Everyone will be here in Qatar after a year or two and in the meantime we need to build the relationships to keep our customers coming back,” concludes Henini.