HOTELIER AWARDS 2012: Unsung Heroes revealed

These five finalists will compete for the Unsung Hero of the Year 2012 title in the Hotelier Middle East Awards to be held on October 31 at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC.

Below you will find extracts and testimonials from the shortlisted nominations for each of the five candidates...

Mohamed Shehata, Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza

About Mohamed
Mohamed joined Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza with the opening of the hotel in late 2002 as the hotels’ tailor. Before that he had owned a small tailor shop, which did not go very well. Mohamed’s main role is to help in maintaining guest room furnishing, fixing depleted curtains; ensuring guests’ cloths are fixed if needed and more. In February he underwent a project of replacing the hotels’ bed skirtings. If the hotel had bought new skirtings from a supplier outside, it would have cost us 25,900.00 EGP. Instead, he made the effort to buy the material and tailor the skirtings internally, thus saving the hotel the amount of 20,500.00 EGP. (A saving of 80%) In June and as the summer was approaching we wanted to refurbish our standing pool umbrellas. To do so, we got many quotations for new covers and found that the suitable ones would cost 3300 EGP. Mohamed then suggested that instead of using an outside supplier, we could buy the material and make it in house. He refurbished 70 umbrellas with the cost of 350 EGP thus saving the hotel 2950 EGP (A saving of 89%) On another note, our colleagues in the Kitchen had a challenge with a suitable cover for their food trolleys that they use to cover the food from our Banquet Kitchen to the Main Kitchen. They used to use plastic wrap to cover the trolley, which could only be used once and was thrown away afterwards. Mohamed decided to make thick plastic covers that can be used regularly and would be easily washed and reused. This not only saved the hotel 2300 EGP per months, but also is a more practical & effective tool to be used.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Mohamed goes above and beyond duty all the time. Mohamed voluntarily works extra hours just to make sure that any project at hand is done in minimal time. He volunteers to replace our Uniform attendants whenever there is a need. This happens at least once a month. Also, in every event we organized that was specifically themed and needed special costumes for the service team, he made the costumes from scratch (Oldies Night, Greek Night, Pharaonic Night, and more) Above all that, Mohamed creates an atmosphere of celebration on each and every occasion/event that we celebrate. He does this by transforming the hotel premises into the theme that is celebrated. During Ramadan for example, all the lobby, corridors, main restaurant and lobby bar where decorated with colorful fabric, lanterns and lights. Earlier this year, when celebrating Chirstmas, he decorated the hotel with bells, ribbons and a huge Santa Clause with deers. Those are only a couple of examples of the great work he does. He is simply a true example of how a team member can impact the spirit of guests and team members by simply working hard and doing it from the heart.

Testimonials for Mohamed
“Mohamed not only helps around the hotel, but also helps with personal things as well. He helped Aya’s brother buy a needed uniform and fixed her curtain at home. Mai says whenever she needs to fix a piece of clothing, Mohamed is always there for the rescue.” Aya Helmy, executive secretary, and Mai Hassouna, training manager.

“I was staying at the hotel on business and had an important business meeting in 15 minutes. While I was putting on my suit I found out that one of the buttons was missing. I had bought the suit from Italy and was extremely alarmed to notice the button missing! How would I replace it in such short time and be at my meeting on time. Mohamed the tailor miraculously replaced the button in less than 7 minutes with one very similar to an extent that it did not show and my business meeting was saved.” Mr. Mohamed Awad.

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Rejikandathil Philip, The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa

About Philip
Philip gained his Diploma in AC & Electrical Engineering from the Indian Technical College in his native Kerala before moving to the Middle East where he worked with various contracting companies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before joining a construction company in Bahrain in 2008. Although he knew little about the Hospitality field he was keen to try a new Industry and joined the Hotel as a Technician in the staff housing complex in the same year. Serving his first three years as a casual employee he was then taking on as permanent staff in 2001.Due to his excellent technical knowledge, innate caring personality and empathetic approach to associates he was promoted to Supervisor of the housing complex in early 2011.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Philip is creative and resourceful and has volunteered ideas on how he and his team can handle specific jobs at the complex to avoid the use of third part contractors. The physically demanding job of trimming the high branches of several large trees in the complex was handled by Philip and his team at just 25% of the cost of using an outside company. He also enlisted the help of our Hotel carpenter to produce a total of 94 TV tables for the associates rooms which saved BD1,410 against the cost of buying from outside. Philip and his colleague volunteered to take over the job of handling the annual maintenance of the compounds swimming pool which saved a further BD170 by avoiding using contractors to acid wash and re grout. A few months ago one of the water pipelines sprung a leak leaving an accommodation block housing 20 associates without water late at night. With the help of a colleague Philip worked until 3am in the morning to rectify the problem as soon as possible. In such a case others may have left the problem until the next day as it was unexpected and not due to any shortfall on the accommodation teams part – but Philips ever present “Yes I Can!” attitude as usual prevailed. This dedication to his tenants and responsibilities also applies during Public Holidays and his annual leave. Philip mainly takes vacation within Bahrain and, whilst he will deputize responsibility to his college, Philip is always on call. Despite his Manager telling him not to as he needs his personal time to rest, Philip is always there when a tenant needs him as he feels “it’s my job” Philip is always ready to help any colleague who is feeling unwell by using his personal vehicle to take them to the doctors or hospital. Two weeks ago one of the Engineers fell and hurt himself at 3am in the morning so Philip immediately rushed him to A&E and stayed with him so as to bring him home after treatment. An extremely unfortunate situation occurred in the past whereby an associated passed away from heart failure during the middle of the night. Philip handled this distressing event in a calm and composed manner, handling all required procedures with local authorities. Whilst this sad happening could not have been avoided Philip is fully focused on getting colleagues medical assistance as soon as possible to prevent possible further situations. To help the Hotel celebrate Earth Hour 2012 Philip and one colleague worked more than 6 hours additional duty to prepare 1,200 candle bags for use in the Hotel. Philip is always ready to take on extra special tasks such as this and is available 24/7 with never a thought or request for any kind of compensation. He also supports our environmental goals as he has arranged Recycling Bins in the common areas of the housing complex to collect plastic bottles and tins which he then delivers to the local recycling centre once a week.

Testimonials for Philip
“Once when the weather was extremely hot I returned to my apartment after a long days work to find the AC wasn’t cooling at all. I informed Philip about it and, even though it was outside his duty hours, he came to fix it immediately and ensured it was cooling once again. This only shows how Philip is concerned about us the residents of the compound. I admire his efficient service and the care he shows to us.” Wilma Daba, assistant financial controller.

“I am a member of the Hotel Cricket team and recently participated in the Inter Hotel Cricket League for a charity cause. On the day of the final match, I felt like something from my back got pulled and was causing me disturbing pain. After coming back to the compound, the pain has escalated and was unbearable. My roommate immediately called Philip to inform and he did assist to take me to the hospital in his own car. I am feeling much better now and Philip’s immediate response meant immediate medical attention.” Abdul Rahim Chougule, AV technician.

“The security and safety of our staff accommodation is so important – especially in the difficult times we now have in Bahrain. Sometimes we cannot provide security coverage at the compound due to sickness of our staff. I really appreciate Philips help at times like this as he will step into cover until we can manage to send a replacement and he does this at any time during the evening or night too. He also reports any concerns or incidents to us immediately with full details which makes it easy for us to follow up and investigate further if needed.” Salman Hubail, senior security supervisor.

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Mohammed Rafiq, InterContinental Hotel Abu Dhabi

About Rafiq
Rafiq started his career in U.A.E. as a gardener for the Municipality of Abu Dhabi, Gardening and Landscaping Department on 29th June 1978. This was when the visa was valid for five years and cost him merely AED20.00. Rafiq learned to understand and converse in Arabic that opened all channels of communications and relationship with the contractors and his superiors giving him the advantage to later on join MLU (McDonald Layton Unicom – Civil Engineering & Building Contractors). They were the main contractors responsible for the building construction of the InterContinental Abu Dhabi. Rafiq joined the company as a Watchman on the 31st December 1978, responsible for building the hotel gardens as well as tree and palm plantings for the surrounding area. Seeing his dedication and passion in every task, the Management of InterContinental Abu Dhabi offered him a job as a Gardener for the hotel on 26th March 1981. The first tree right in front of the main hotel entrance and other five trees in the Marina area that live until today were amongst Rafiq’s initial demonstration of his green thumb. Rafiq had witnessed and took part in various major occasions at the hotel beautifying the premises with his creative ideas using variety of plants.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
By getting the first irrigation water line from municipality, Rafiq started his first environmental commitment to save fresh water by reducing its usage for irrigation and worked closely with the Municipality to gain access to the irrigation water line to supply the entire hotel garden. In 2009, the old municipality main irrigation line broke down inside the hotel premises with the problem area at almost 3.5 meters deep. Rafiq and his team managed to identify the pipe and expose it, when pipe was eventually found, it was difficult to replace or repair it as the type of it was old and obsolete. Rafiq managed to find and get the same type of pipe from some contractors who work directly with the municipality and repair the pipe, all works completed free of charge. Rafiq proved his great initiative in responsible business and in saving the environment by helping the hotel set up the action plan for water saving and increase the green area around the hotel. When the IHG Green Engage program was launched, one of the targets is to achieve savings through water consumption, Rafiq directed the irrigation water line to a tank to store water to be used for beach cleaning and irrigation during the low water supply period by the municipality. With his idea and action, the hotel achieved a saving of almost 200m3 on daily basis. Big or small, Rafiq continued to support the community. He suggested incorporating plant a tree initiative during the Kids’ Summer Camp program in 2012 at the hotel. The program allowed children to plant different types of trees and plants and visit them at their convenience to water and take care of them. He also came up with an idea to build a small green house in the hotel as nursery for the young plants, to use them for hotel decorations and exterior landscaping instead of purchasing certain types of plants. Rafiq is currently responsible for running the operation and maintenance of the hotel gardens, indoor greeneries consisting of around 760 plants as well as the exterior landscape with an area of 48,000m2.

Testimonials for Rafiq
Robert Zogbi, former EAM thanked Rafiq for his strong and effective participation and involvement in the HEO & Environmental Committee's beach cleanup. He cited how Rafiq has contributed to the interior and exterior looks of the hotel and considered Rafiq as a shining star.

“Rafiq has reached the age of retirement (60 yrs old), however, I would like to extend his service for another year 2013 due to his valuable contribution, expertise and high knowledge of the hotel's irrigation system. The hotel is highly dependent on his capabilities and would be difficult to replace him. His contract is to be renewed until a qualified successor is found.” Department head, Magid Bahaa.

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Liza Onabia, Media One hotel

About Liza
Liza has had an impressive career in housekeeping and due to her dedication to the guests, her colleagues and the job in hand we are nominating her for the UNSUNG HERO. Her career in Dubai started at the Dusit Thani in 2003 as a Room Attendant and she was there for 2 years until she had an opportunity to work in London with Hilton Hotels & Resorts for 12 months. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience but found it daunting at the beginning of finding her own accommodation in central London; but she was adaptable and resourceful in order to enjoy her first taste of real independence. In 2006 she returned to Dubai to be part of the preopening team of the Oasis Beach Tower, as a room attendant but she was soon working as the Housekeeping Co-ordinator to ensure everything worked smoothly. In 2007 she was headhunted to be part of the preopening team for The Palace Old Town by the Executive Housekeeper she worked for a short time in The Dusit, Nadine O’Connor; and it was Nadine who also brought Liza to Media One in September 2009 for pre-opening. Liza has proved herself to be ideally suited to pre opening projects but at Media One she has continued to develop her skills and the teams, by her dedication and loyalty to the hotel over the last 3 years. Her first position was as Supervisor with the added responsibility of the Co-ordinators role. But in April 2011 she was promoted to Senior Housekeeping Supervisor due to her ability to meet deadlines, being co-operative with all departments in a firm, but friendly manner. During this year’s enthusiast’s party she was voted as supervisor of the year by all the staff.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Liza excels in all aspects of her role and when the Heads of Department met to discuss the possible candidates for the title of Unsung Hero everyone had Liza in their nominations due to her dedication and passion towards all her duties. She is available at all levels – from actual cleaning with the team, to meeting and negotiating with suppliers and dealing with the many demands made by the other departments within the Media One Hotel. Nothing is too much trouble. The mission statement for the Media One enthusiasts is to ‘GO BEYOND’ and Liza implements this philosophy for herself daily. Liza is responsible for the team of six students from Dubai Centre of Special Needs who have come to the hotel for work experience every Wednesday since 2010. She has trained them to sort laundry and make beds. They are very happy at the hotel as her patience is very long and believes communication is the key to assisting the students to develop and enjoy their time in Media One. Liza is continually doing small things for guests in her own time and with her own money that are truly appreciated and show how she regularly goes beyond her basic job description. When we were working with the Joining Jack charity she personally went out to buy an ‘extra goldfish’ in Satwa for his room ready for his arrival; as the two in the hotel were already being used by other guests. Jack is a four year old boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who was visiting Dubai to raise awareness of the charity in the UAE. Liza also collects and donates book for Volunteer in Dubai to raise monies for charity. She often goes over to the pharmacy in the Marina for guest’s contact lenses and simple medications; there was also a time to get nail cutters as the guest had forgotten his own. Occasionally she has also ironed the guest’s laundry herself as it has been too late for express and the guests are insistent they need for special events. These are not major requests but are ongoing tasks she adds to her busy schedule to ensure guests leave the hotel satisfied. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference! Liza is also an active member of our Enthusiasts’ social committee called United Ventures and has often participated in activities and attended others to support the other teams. She played as part of the volley ball team and was seen on the sidelines at both the football and cricket shouting on members from housekeeping. Liza was also part of the committee for the staff party in January. She was responsible for getting all the décor together to create the atmosphere of ‘Hip Hop & Funky’; the graffiti wall was something special. Another example of Liza’s concern is to be environmentally friendly and she has singlehandedly trained her team to ensure the green initiatives for the hotel are implemented.

Testimonials for Liza
“Liza constantly displays professionalism and innovation far beyond expectation. Against all the odds, she has continually progressed, has stepped in to work countless hours of overtime; and learned as much as possible to support her seniors and more importantly her team, to progress her career with Media One. Liza is helpful and efficient taking on more responsibilities and ‘GOING BEYOND’ in everything she does. Nothing is too much trouble for Liza,” Mark Lee, GM, Media One.

“Sometimes in this industry you come across employees who are so dedicated to their role and their team’s success that you need to tell them to go home! Liza is one of those. Hard working beyond belief, quick thinking under often intense pressure and a team player like I have rarely seen before, Liza is certainly worthy of this nomination,” Luke James, operations director.

“I have worked alongside Liza since September 2009 when we both joined Media One Hotel. Her operational skills are excellent and she is always organising, managing and following up. She friendly but firm and all the team knows what is going on as she always briefs us in advance and sometimes meets team members individually to ensure they understand the message. Liza treats everyone the same and easily forgives and forgets to keep a happy team. People respect her as she works alongside us in the operation if needed and guides us to maintain standards too. My favourite thing about working with Liza is her flexible attitude as she listens to suggestions and sometimes implements them if it makes the job more efficient,” Khem Raj Parajuli, housekeeping supervisor.

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Tahir Masood, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

About Tahir
Tahir Masood joined the hotel as a cleaner in 1989. He works with dedication and ownership. Due to his willingness to learn, he learnt Marble crystallization, polishing and Buffing all kinds of floors such as Marble, Parquet, Granite, vinyl floors and Shampooing of carpets. He conducts training to all new employees on cleaning and how to maintain standards on floors, washrooms, Function rooms, Employee lockers and all other public Areas. Due to his Yes I can Attitude He was nominated as the employee of the month and later in 1999 he was selected as the Employee of the year. Due to his leadership abilities during this period he was promoted to the Position as Head Houseman. In 2005 he had to leave as his parents wanted him to have a baby and he rejoined after the delivery of his baby Son in 2007 February. Since then Tahir has been working in the department not only taking care of Housekeeping but also assisting all Food & Beverage areas as well as Admin staff in all offices when required with a true “Yes I Can “spirit. He is always sharing his knowledge with his team members during day to day operation and during on Job Training. Since 2005 till to date Tahir has received many Honesty Awards for returning left behind items by guests in Lobby, Washrooms and other public areas. Tahir also assists in the hotel Christmas Decorations by assisting in the Installations. He is always willing to assist in all extra work in guest rooms such as moving and shifting Furniture, mattresses etc and works without looking at the watch.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
In the year 2010 the In Door Plant Contract was terminated and since then till to date the Indoor Plants are being handled by Tahir in addition to his normal duties as a Lobby Cleaner. Tahir has assisted the hotel in saving Yearly, a sum of AED 52,800. In year 2010 he worked with 11 staff instead of 13 during the Day shifts, covering all Public areas 16 Restaurants and 04 Bars and the Dhow covering the areas as and when required and worked with a good team spirit with all his colleagues. Two staff was reduced in year 2010 till 2011 which reduced cost by AED 4800. And The Hotel Achieved 100% in Public Area Cleanliness in the Quality Performance Review. Also he managed to work without Florist in the year 2011 by taking care of the flower orders and flower distributions to the outlets/ banquets as well as maintaining indoor plants in public areas of the hotel in addition to his normal duties. In May 15th 2012 at around 5:50 am in the morning, there was a major water leak in the Shabestan Restaurant. Tahir kept what he was doing and started clearing the water from the carpet and other areas. Tahir immediately called one touch service, Security and Housekeeping to get every ones help and assistance to clear all the water to avoid major damages. Year 2011 also had a major water leak. It happened on the 2nd floor behind Palm Grill restaurant. The water was coming up to the Guest Lift area. Security called Tahir who took initiative and started to stop the water flooding into the lifts before he received assistance from others and cleaned the area which again prevented from having a major disaster. Similar to a “Police Man” while walking around the Public Areas he always ensures that Ballrooms & meetings rooms lights & AC are switched off when not in use, to control on Energy consumption. As Tahir is very much cost conscious he assists to reduce repair charges of cleaning equipment by finding old parts from obsolete equipment which could be used and manage to get out of order equipment repaired to working condition.

Testimonials for Tahir
“Mr. Tahir is kind of person who works always on a shade. He works very hard in cleaning public areas, which is a very difficult task. He never complained about his duties and tasks and goes over expectations all the time. Public areas in a hotel is the first impression given to the customers and I must say that due to his dedication we have very good guests comments. I am very happy counting Tahir in the Radisson Blu Deira family. He is a serious asset for the hotel, and having the right attitude. Regards.” Gerard Moutou, executive assistant manager Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek.

“Tahir is very enthusiastic and consistent with his job. He is always willing to go the extra mile by volunteering to help in any task like setting up Christmas decorations, tending indoor plants, shifting furniture etc. His services have far exceeded the requirements of his job. He inspires others to exceed and excel in their performances. Tahir takes ownership of the problem and follows through to its resolution with the Yes I can! spirit. I have observed that he readily takes up challenges as his own responsibility and follows up until it is resolved with perfection .His positive attitude, dedication, passion and caring are few reasons for me to nominate him for the Hotelier’s Un Sung Hero Award of the Year.” Jean Sara Thomas, food safety & hygiene manager.