Haitham Assem Haitham Assem

Haitham Assem, marketing communications manager, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

About Haitham
Haitham Assem joined Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates as a front desk attendant in December 2006 and has since experienced exceptional career growth within the company, progressing within a span of six years through the positions of marketing coordinator, marketing executive, senior marketing executive, assistant marketing manager to his current position as marketing communications manager at one of Dubai’s most visible and active hospitality properties from a marketing and communications standpoint.

In his current role, Haitham’s duties involve a broad range of activities ranging from marketing and brand building to the management of the hotel’s reputation and image in the press and public eye. His daily duties involve working with the hotel’s retained creative agencies to develop marketing, advertising and public relations content, campaigns and collateral, planning and managing associated budgets to successfully execute campaigns, enhancing brand image through all forms of media and customer interaction, identifying and utilising opportunities to create positive brand associations for Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, networking within the industry, supervising and supporting media visits and press trips, creating and publicising special offers and packages, planning, organising and attending press gatherings and social events, successfully managing and reporting the department’s finances and developing web and online content to support marketing and PR efforts as well as corporate activities and communication strategies.

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Prior to moving to Dubai, Haitham worked in the hospitality industry in his native Egypt at JW Marriott, Cairo; IHG, Sharm El Sheikh and Hostmark, Sharm El Sheikh. He is currently working towards a professional certificate in marketing at The Chartered Instituted of Marketing UK, and will be a Chartered Marketer in a few months.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Haitham’s enthusiasm and passion for the job have made him yearning for more knowledge to benefit the organisation and took the initiative to enroll himself into one of the most recognised institutes worldwide, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. This course requires a personal time investment from Haitham not only by attending night classes after long work days twice a week, but also studying and passing exams and assessments. Haitham has been able to apply a lot of the knowledge from his studies and took it upon himself to practice and apply his learning in his work environment, educating employees about the role of marketing in improving the guest stratifications and maximising hotel revenue. Haitham is due to graduate in by end of 2012 and he is planning to start his masters right after his graduation to enable him to be more specialised in the Marketing Communication.

Talent development is one of Kempinski’s main areas of emphasis and Haitham has taken this onboard by expanding the marketing communication department and finding the right candidates to be the future leaders of the department. Developing others and the preparation of a shadow cabinet is one of his main priorities in order to continue his career growth within the company, he is currently preparing his team for the next level of their career from day one he has clearly explained to them the way they will grow and what is needed from them in order to achieve it, alongside with his constructive regular one to one appraisal.

Thanks to his operations background, Haitham has been an incredible support during the high occupancy in supporting other operational departments short of staff. He is regularly helping out by being in the hotel lobby at peak times approaching guests and assisting them with their check-in, check-out, solving complaints and enquiries. He spends a lot of time walking around the hotel and meeting the guests, engaging in a conversation to learn their needs, feedback and their wish lists. Asking the guest to share their experience on the online platforms, to share it with the other travellers and responding to their reviews in a very short time.

Testimonials for Haitham
“I’ve worked with Haitham Assem for 18 months and he is valuable member of our regional PR team. Haitham is an ideal PR manager for a hotel – he has the poise and sophistication of a luxury hotelier, he performs well under pressure and is capable of managing a diverse range of tasks, and he possesses the strategic mindset and common sense that are critical to effective PR. Haitham is a leader in the Middle East and Africa region for Kempinski. I use him frequently as a resource for new members of our team and he provides valuable insights into structuring and running a successful PR department. Haitham leads his own team well, utilising their individual strengths to meet the dynamic demands of a hotel PR and marketing department. He works closely with the director of sales & marketing and the general manager to ensure that the PR activities support the overall objectives of the hotel. In a city that is known for its superlatives and a preference for new venues, Haitham has managed to maintain an ongoing interest in the hotel through effective communications in social media, CSR, press events, and great media relations.

"The hotel has been open six years so it’s not the newest hotspot in town, but our occupancy remains high year-round. We are undergoing a massive renovation in our lobby and the space next door in the mall, and despite noise from a dozen jackhammers our lobby lounge remained full because everyone knows the best latté in Dubai is served there. You could attribute that to our barista, but a large part of reputation comes from the PR department. It is easy to lead a PR team for a new hotel, but I believe that keeping a hotel that has been open six years relevant is no small feat for a PR manager. Our revenues reflect this, as well as our reputation in the public and among the media. Haitham has been a valuable asset to Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates and he is certainly an example to his peers,” Lashley Pulsipher, regional director of public relations - Middle East & Africa, Kempinski Hotels

“I have known Haitham since 2008 and I always see in him a person attracting success around him. Being a person who came into hospitality through operational tasks and making his way up to marketing and PR, he seems to do a hospitality PR and marketing close to customers' hearts by aiming to accomplish real goals rather than unachievable fantastic ambitions. Among the Kempinski hotels I work with, I am a fan of Haitham and a great marketing team he is a leader of. It is always a great pleasure to be working with people knowing what they are doing and spreading this to people around,” FJ Esanboev, regional web & ecommerce manager, Kempinski Hotels Middle East & Africa.

“Haitham is truly an asset to our company and one of the most enthusiastic hotel marketing managers we have on board. He's constantly seeking new promotional opportunities for the property and creating all collateral for the property while always being in-line with our corporate brand identity. It is truly a pleasure to work with a professional like Haitham,” Esther Mauer, corporate director brand & marketing, Kempinski Worldwide.

“Haitham helped us with a number of daily communications tasks such as designing roll-up banners, recruitments material, posters, branding the cafeteria, preparing presentation material for new hires and even creating classified ads to be published in various newspapers. Has also helped negotiated prizes for staff parties at no cost to the company through his excellent relationship with various suppliers,” Jeannie Moffat - director of people services, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
 

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