John Allan. John Allan.

John Allan, Hilton Doha

About John
In April 1989, John Allan started his career with Hilton Hotels in the Finance Department at London Hilton on Park Lane and surprisingly grew his way up and out into F&B Operations as Bar Manager of the same property. In 1995, he set cap to the United States where he joined Hilton Head Island in South Carolina as Beverage Manager where he was then promoted to Restaurant & Bar Manager. From 2002 to 2006, John moved to San Francisco and joined the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company as Assistant General Manager then General Manager. In 2007, John joined Trader Vic’s in California, USA as General Manager where he also assisted in the Opening of Trader Vic’s Riyadh in Saudi Arabia for 3 months. And this February 2012, John joined the Hilton Doha team as Restaurant Manager for the introduction and opening of the 1st Trader Vic’s in Qatar.

Above and beyond the call of duty...

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John ensures that Trader Vic’s is the Number 1 Revenue Generator at Hilton Doha. Though the restaurant is fully booked all the time, he commits to always going the extra mile and offer alternative solution to guests in terms of timing and dining at Lounge experience to ensure that the guests’ requests are not declined. Trader Vic’s has the highest team members’ retention rate in the hotel and moreover John expanded his team from 34 to 62 to meet the demand and volume of business. All team members are personally trained by himself on Trader Vic’s Concept during their Induction. Even though John physically arrived and joined the team in February 2012, he worked on the pre-opening of Trader Vic’s Doha while still being in California. He fully supported the F&B team during opening after his working hours by helping other F&B Outlets and Banqueting Events while at the same time overseeing the Pre-Opening of Trader Vic’s during his normal shift

Testimonials for John

“Opening the first Trader Vics in Doha is an event that we can be proud of especially our Trader Vic’s Manager John who has dedicated his effort since the pre-opening time. Dealing with an overbooked restaurant requires leadership, strong business acumen and high sense of urgency all great qualities of John Allan. Making sure to interview each and every member of his team, hiring everyone and growing a team from 0 to 40 people, training them and empowering them to deliver the best service in Doha is another one of his high skills. John is not only a great Hilton person but also a truly Trader Vic’s person. He doesn’t hesitate to greet each guest and welcome them with his famous ”ALOHA” accompanied with his great smile that is always drawn on his face even during rush hours of service.” Solange El Corm, director of HR.

“John Allan excels in leading his team and keeping them motivated even at their busiest peek where there are over 300 guests to serve. He always has a smiling composure which makes him approachable to all Guests and Team Members alike. Meeting targets and ensuring that all his Team are fully engaged to achieving desired financial results as well as Guests’ satisfaction.” Frederik Wisselink, F&B manager.

“John Allan is a great professional. He is a very experienced in operating the Trader Vic’s. He is very dedicated and always projecting a “can do” attitude. He successfully managed to open and run Trader Vic’s despite many challenges. He took ownership and manoeuvres the outlet by heart and ensures that a high level of quality and service is delivered to the guest. The welfare of his team members is also on top of his list. He always ensures that they are cared for and highly motivated. He has created a very professional and efficient team. With this, it resulted in a positive and good score in the TMES 2012. With all the effort and excellent leadership.” Joelle Chan, director of operations.

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