NEW RECRUIT: Doha Marriott's new F&B director

Dietmar Platz, Doha Marriott Hotel’s new director of food and beverage, tells Hotelier Middle East his ambitions for his role, as well as the importance of using the finest ingredients

What attracted you to hospitality?
When I took my first professional kitchen job, in 1980, I had no clue where it would take me. I was hired to do an apprenticeship in Klingenberg, Germany, and from my first weeks I knew I had found paradise. Cuisine was all I could think about, and it still is! Everything was new and wonderful and I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the philosophy on food and cooking.

Can you give us a career history?
I subsequently worked in all kitchen departments, as executive chef and then as a director of F&B, and my experiences have influenced my approach to the hospitality industry.

I started my career in 1992 as an executive chef in the Philippines and joined Marriott, at the Polat Renaissance Hotel in Turkey in 2002. In 2004 I moved to China at the Renaissance Hotel Beijing.

I continued to stay Asia-bound at the Renaissance Tianjin Hotel and Convention Center before moving on to conquer Georgia as a cluster director of F&B at the Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott in Tbilisi. From The Imperial Riding School, a Renaissance Hotel in Vienna, Austria.

What has been your greatest career achievement so far?
To be part of different opening teams and hotels around the world, the smile of a satisfied customer, and to follow the success of my former associates — many of them now are managers all over the world.

Why have you stayed with Marriott?
Marriott has such a strong corporate culture and inspiring values that it has always motivated me to stay and grow within the company. Wherever you travel in the world these values are there and you feel you are part of a family.

Article continues on next page...

What is your favourite style of food?
When it comes to cuisine itself, I can pass on one thing that I know for sure. Ingredients are everything! More important than profound culinary ideas is the commitment to using only the best possible ingredients.

Not necessarily luxury products, but foodstuffs at the height of their flavour. Sophisticated techniques and creativity are bonuses, but the foundation of truly fine cuisine is rooted in the ingredients.

What are you most looking forward to in your new job?
I want to be the kind of director of F&B that puts all people — customers, co-workers and community members — first. I believe that the a team spirit and a willingness to get hands-on are high priorities. I’d like to set standards and, as a leader, take responsibility. I want to guide, inspire and keep the team focused.

What are your plans for the next two years in your role?
I am trying to bring my knowledge and exposure to create a blend of European refinement regarding pleasures of the table, German ingenuity in operating a big enterprise, Japanese minimalism and poetic elegance in effecting a sensibility, and a modern approach to incorporating health and dietary concerns.