HOTELIER AWARDS 2012: Concierge finalists

These five finalists will compete for the Concierge 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...

Gerardo Gabat, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates

About Gerardo

Gerardo, a member of the Les Clefs d’Or UAE Chapter, joined Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates in the position of Assistant Chief Concierge in January 2008 and was promoted to Chief Concierge in October 2009. Reporting to the Front Office Manager, Gerardo currently leads a team of 23 across the functions of door service, bell service and the concierge desk. In 2008 Gerardo managed the preparation for his team’s participation in the Concierge Awards that year, which resulted in the team’s win of the Judges Team Award. He was nominated three times for ‘Employee of the Quarter’ in February 2008, August 2008 and February 2009 at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates and was awarded ‘Team Leader of the Quarter’ in September 2009. Prior to joining Kempinski Gerardo worked with a number of prestigious hotels including the Ritz Carlton Dubai, Cebu City Marriott, the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa and the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort in the Philippines. Gerardo was the Secretary General of the UAE Chapter of Les Clefs d’Or from 2010-2012 and attended the 58th (2011) and 59th (2012) Union International of Hotel Concierge (UICH) Congress in Canada and London respectively.

Above and beyond…
Gerardo has been the Secretary General of the UAE Chapter of Les Clefs d’Or since January 2012 and believes his involvement with the association is critical in helping to raise and maintain the standard of Concierge services within the UAE. He is also very involved with the Concierge Training Program at the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and was part of the first executive committee that spearheaded the training program for Concierges in Dubai. The Concierge department often acts as the first point of contact for guests and as a team they’re often faced with challenging and/or unusual requests. Here are a few examples of what Gerardo was personally asked to manage for his guests: A lady called to ask the name of a song she heard when she and her husband checked-in at the hotel, which Gerardo found out later, was her honeymoon. The lady wanted to play the same music on their first wedding anniversary. Not having a lot of detail about the song, Gerardo was determined to get it for her and liaised with the hotel’s IT team to see if they were able to find it. Lots of attempts later, Gerardo managed to find the song she was looking for, bought the CD and sent it to the guest who was able to surprise her husband when she played the song for him. Another example of Gerardo going out of his way to assist a guest was when a business man was attending a meeting at the hotel and discovered that he parked his car in the mall parking rather then the hotel parking and that his parking ticket was about to run out. He only had a ten-minute coffee break and didn’t know how to get back to his car. Gerardo decided to go with the guest to the mall parking to look for the car and drove it back to the hotel and parked it for him. Not only did the guest avoid a parking ticket, he found his car and was back in time for the start of his next session. Thirdly, an outside guest came to the hotel concierge desk and was in urgent need of business cards. The person was about to start a conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre and was looking to design and print a card within the next hour. Gerardo explained to the guest where in Mall of the Emirates he may be able to get this done, but in doing so realized that the guest was under a lot of stress and offered to do this for him instead. Gerardo went to the shop himself and got the cards printed and they were delivered to the guest, who was not even staying at the hotel, within the hour.

Testimonials:
I’ve worked with Gerardo for almost 3 years now and not only being very innovative, kind and considerate, he just seems to have what it takes to launch forward any idea in the most creative way. He is a good listener and generous in sharing information and ideas. He is an amazing gift and talent in the field of Concierge always going beyond his call of duty to assist guests whenever and wherever he can. He makes it a point that every guest in the hotel walks back with a memory or an experience that they would never forget all their lives. The best quality I admire about Gerardo is his “People Oriented” skills. Assisting guests being his first priority, he also makes sure that his team and his fellow employees are assisted at all times and he would just do anything to make things happen for them. For eg. Last year, we had colleagues from the other Kempinski Hotels joining us on a regional training conference and everyone was eager to get to the 124th floor of the tallest building in the world – Burj Khalifa. Having no time and due to a busy schedule, I couldn’t get the tickets done in advance. This was when I happened to call Gerardo to seek for help on booking the tickets. Gerardo, very patiently listened to me and after I was done telling him my story, he straightforwardly told me “Relax Cletus, Let me see what I can do for you” 3 hours later and the tickets were booked. Not only that, Gerardo personally drove all the way and booked the tickets himself. We were all happy simply because of Gerardo who went an extra mile and made the impossible, possible. A true “Concierge” as he is, Gerardo always has that smile on his face making it so comfortable for people to approach him. His dedication and passion towards his job will definitely make him achieve lots more success in future. Gerardo’s positive and never say no attitude has made a huge difference to the lives of guests and employees and this purely justifies why he should win the title of “Concierge of the Year”
Cletus Mascarenhas- Training Coordinator - Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates

This letter is my personal recommendation for Gerardo Gabat of Kempinski Mall of the Emirates. I have been Gerardo’s immediate leader for couple years. I found him to be consistently pleasant, tackling all assignments with dedication and smile. Besides being friendly and energetic, Gerardo is a take-charge person who is able to present creative ideas and communicate the benefits. He has successfully developed several marketing plans & in close contact with DTCM Training Solutions for concierge enhancement training as affiliated with Les Clefs d’Or, UAE and these have resulted in increased awareness. During his tenure as Secretary General of the Executive Committee, He was instrumental in driving new concierge to take the challenge with passion and dedication in the concierge profession. Though he was an asset in achieving our goals, Gerardo was also extraordinarily helpful in other areas of the organization. I highly recommend Gerardo to be Hotelier Concierge of the Year. He is a great team player and possesses an impeccable attitude that makes the world of concierge proud of him.
In service through friendship, Charles Ferrer - National President - Les Clefs d’Or, United Arab Emirates Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hotels

Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates enjoys one of the best locations a hotel could ask for. Its situated on Sheikh Zayed Road attached to the Mall of the Emirates. Like any other Kempinski Hotel, Kemp Dubai or Kempiski MOE as they call it, has very neatly done rooms, nothing over the top, subtle with every detail paid attention. The reception desk with the water flowing behind it is very welcoming. The rooms very very wekll appointed and carefully done up. The concierge is amazing, you name it and they did it. They had amazing suggestions in terms of sight seeing and shopping. They suggested some of the best places to enjoy local food, whilst suggesting all the MUST GO places in Dubai. The only let down at KEmpinski MOE is the f&b outlets. Nothing spectacular in terms of food and beverages offerings here. the bar1897 is nice with good selections but not a happening place, similarly the restaurant and the coffee shop are just mediocre. Nothing to match with what some other hotels have to offer in Dubai. Although the breakfast and coffee at the coffee shop and the sea bass at the restaurant was real good. The gist: Superb Hotel for rooms & location, since Dubai has unlimited offerings for food, the lack of very good dining options will go unnoticed. destinationBLOG Review TripAdvisor on the 12th June 2012

• We recently stayed at the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates and had a great time. The staff are extremely friendly, work tirelessly to meet every expectation and the hotel itself is in a great location and very well appointed. I had contacted the General Manager, Mr. Alejandro Bernabe, before I arrived and he immediately responded and ensured that my wife and I had the best possible experience. Very personalized service. The Chief Concierge, Mr. Gerardo Gabat, helped us create a custom itinerary of all of the best sight seeing locations and arranged everything. This is the type of service you look for and I was not disappointed. The hotel itself is directly connected to the Mall of the Emirates and Sky Dubai is right next door so lots to do and see. Overall we are exceptionally happy with our stay and look forward to our next visit. Review on TripAdvisor 24th April 2012 – by ‘’911192’’

• Last week I stayed at the Kempinski with my wife and two kids for four days - it really was an amazing experience. Other then the lavish room, quality of food and facilities, the most impressing thing was the staff courtesy and personalized service i received, especially the concierge was very friendly and helpful. I will definitely return soon Review on TripAdvisor by ‘’Bihlal H’’– 27th August 2012

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About Brian
Brian is an integral part of the Mina A’ Salam Concierge Team. He joined Madinat Jumeirah as a Butler in September 2004 before moving to the Guest Services team as a Guest Service Executive in June 2007. Soon after, he was then promoted to Team Leader in April 2008 and on January 2011 to Assistant Concierge Manager. He was instrumental in training the colleagues that won the 4 awards in last year’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) Concierge Competition which included the Best Concierge Team of the Year, Concierge of the Year, Best Customer Service and Best Manager of the Year. With his contribution and guidance the CSI scores of the Concierge Team have significantly improved over the past two years. The Concierge Desk Team finished at Annual average of 9.02 in 2011 over 8.95 in 2010 and 8.86 in 2009. He is a great team player and constantly works and mentor with his colleagues to improve their performance.

Above and beyond…
Brian has been an exemplary professional, exceptionally dependable manager of his team, has shown great flexibility and adaptability in the workplace. He understands the goals and purposes of the organization. Brian Bimbo as a Concierge Assistant Manager has proven himself in all aspects and is a great asset to Rooms Division operation. He runs 31 staff in Concierge Department alongside with the Concierge Manager with a very high standard of service that would exceed expectations to internal and external guests.
• Planning And Execution :- When the hotel was hosting the 2011 DIFF. Brian was responsible for arranging the parking for more than 3000 people on the opening night using 3 different locations, transportation for everyone and the personalised room drops for the guest staying at the hotel. He spent endless hours to ensure that all aspects were executed to perfection and the guest enjoyed a memorable stay at the hotel. In the end the event was just perfect.
• Team site Creation:- Over the past few months Brian has put in a lot of effort in designing the Concierge Team site. He has collected all the data that is required on daily basis at the concierge and posted it on the website. This enables the team members to access the data in click which saves the team a lot of effort and hassle. Also this improves the image of the Concierge as a place where we have all information and we exceed guest expectation why providing not only what they asked for but even more.
• Colleague Development:- Brian spends a great deal of time in the development of his colleagues. He helps them in identifying their areas of strength and weakness. He works on their individual performance giving them feedback on a regular basis. Under his guidance a fellow team member has grown from a bellman to a concierge desk G.S.E.
• DTCM Concierge Awards 2010:- Brian won the Concierge of the Year in 2010 he used this experience to train a fellow colleague that won the Concierge of the Year in 2011 and has recently grown into a position of a Team Leader. This development of colleagues has resulted in multitasking within the department where we have colleague ready to slip into the shoes of others immediately.

Testimonials
Brian has been a key member of the Concierge team. He has a positive attitude and carries positive energy. He believed in the power of a team. He posseses a sort of a quite confidence and an inner belief that drives him to invest in self development and to continually improve his contribution to the Rooms Division team. Brian is very dedicated and humble and I am proud to say that it is and has always been a pleasure working with him.
Roger Hanna, Director of Rooms Mina A' Salam

On the behalf of Genesys Communications we want to thank Brian for all the help and support he extended in ensuring that all guests of Genesys President's Club Programme had a wonderful experience in Mina A'Salam. We very much appreciate his efforst, assistance and wonderful customer service that made out event a success and our clients happy! Genesys and BCM M&I Team (Steven, Katia, Jamia, Anne BK) 3 - Thanks to Brian and his attentive service we had an amazing stay at Mina A'Salam last year. We want to thank him for looking after us and hope to see him this year again.
Ben Bryant and Maggie Anderson (#150231)

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Ankur Bagga, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai

About Ankur
Ankur Bagga, the Chief Concierge at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai and Second Vice President, Les Clefs d’Or, in the U.A.E joined Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai on January 8, 2012. Prior to that, he was the Head Concierge at Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin, Ireland and Assistant Secretary, Les Clefs d’Or, Ireland. Ankur was welcomed to Atlantis as Chief Concierge after spending almost 9 years in Dublin, Ireland. In Dublin, Ankur worked for the prestigious Clontarf Castle Hotel as Head Concierge from 2008 through to 2011 before which he held the role of the Concierge of Clontarf Castle Hotel from 2006 through to 2008. Ankur’s association and membership with the International Les Clefs d’Or continued on from Dublin to Dubai and he successfully made the transition from Assistant Secretary, les Clefs d’Or, Ireland to 2nd Vice President, Les Clefs d’Or, U.A.E in a very short time span.
Above and beyond…
Upon joining Atlantis, The Palm, Ankur immediately focused on building the Concierge brand and has been instrumental in key Activities including his appointment as the resort’s representative as a World Concierge for Etihad Luxury Holidays’ World Concierge Program. He has been featured in City Tourist Guide a few times, including once with his entire Concierge Team and was also presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from RTA for his team’s continuous support of RTA’s initiatives. Traditionally quarterly Standard Operating Procedures training is conducted on property. However, Ankur utilized his creative skills and local connections to organize the first off property training session for the Concierge Team at Dubai Autodrome. Training took place in the race driver’s meeting room at the pit stop and the day was filled with various team building exercises such as outdoor karting, Audi TT Experience, Laser Tagging and a show around, all courtesy of Dubai Autodrome. Ankur’s next training scheduled in September is themed ‘On The Move’ will be held on a state-of-the-art Mercedes bus equipped with LCD screens, iPads and will involve a Dubai City tour and additional surprises. Training sessions of this nature have really boosted the team’s motivation and given them a sense of being part of a dynamic team. This forms a part of creative thinking to do things differently instead of the usual norm. The S.O.P Training Satisfaction Survey results were entirely positive and the team was clearly motivated to perform to their best ability. In a short period of time, Ankur established key contacts within the industry and U.A.E which have enabled him and his team to exceed the expectations of our guests. This was evident when Ankur effortlessly planned an itinerary for an overnight guest which included a private skydive trip with speedboat pickup, a private Formula 1 Single Seater driving experience at Dubai Autodrome, and Lamborghini rental.

Testimonials
Ankur’s buoyant spirit and positive disposition make him a joy to work with. He is exceptional with guests and has a natural desire to serve. This is evident in the numerous guests correspondence received raving about the outstanding service that he has rendered. An organized methodical thinker with strong administrative and organizational skills, Ankur has made a tremendous contribution to the Department since joining. He has led the team to record results in both JDPowers and Internal Mystery Shops. In a relatively short period of time, he has successfully built great relationships and identified key players within the local community. He has been consistently involved with both the local Concierge Association as well as the Les Clefs d’or UAE chapter and was recently elected 2nd Vice President with Les Clefs d'or. Relentless in his quest to deliver extraordinary service, Ankur ensures that he keeps abreast of industry trends and makes all efforts to maximize the efficiency of his team members. He is focused on their development and consistently utilizes his networking skills, to expose them to all that the exciting city of Dubai has to offer. Ankur also understands the importance of maintaining the team’s morale and ensures that they are consistently recognized for their contributions. Upon joining the Department, one of the team’s concerns was the lack of incentives. Ankur immediately tackled this, which indirectly improved the services offered by the team. He is well respected and truly an inspiration for them. Tenacious, hardworking, innovative and reliable, Ankur is confidently leading the Atlantis the Palm’s Concierge team to success and is strongly recommended for the Hotelier Award.
From Daphne Brookes, Director, Guest Services, Atlantis the Palm

“When we talk about a lifestyle concierge, we always think of an individual who has spent at least a few years in the same country/city allowing him an opportunity to get to know the area, people, culture etc. What’s extraordinary in this scenario is the fact that Ankur relocated to Dubai and joined Atlantis the Palm Dubai on January 08th 2012 from Dublin (Ireland). We naturally assumed that he would require a great deal of time to familiarize himself with the city of Dubai, UAE’s culture and then slowly assimilate with his multinational team. Ankur however pleasantly surprised everyone at Atlantis the Palm Dubai, and gave the impression that he had done his homework back in Dublin prior to coming to Dubai. In fact he networked with various Chief Concierges in Dubai BEFORE moving here. In a period of 6 months Ankur managed to be elected 2nd vice president of the concierge association in UAE, Les Clefs d'Or. He improved JD power scores in a consistent manner, increasing the YTD to 852 in comparison to the same time period last year of 840 YTD. Ankur fostered team spirit through a various activities and events for all Dubai concierge (chiefs and employees), gaining their trust and full respect which assisted him with his election to 2nd vice president. There are leaders in life who follow other leader’s footsteps and try to achieve the same results. Ankur however has set his own identity and welcomed others to follow in his footsteps. The focus is not ‘what he can do’ but rather “what can be done as a concierge team”. A great example of this is Max Mwangi (concierge agent) who was granted membership to the Dubai Concierge group and is now being prepared by Ankur for the prestigious Clefs d'Or pins. These accomplishments lead me to the words of Steve Jobs “your time is limited, so don’t waste it in living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma –which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary “These words represent Ankur who has made us all proud of a true chief concierge being excellent through serving excellence.
From Mohamed Samir El Sayed, Executive Assistant Manager, Rooms at Atlantis, the Palm

Ankur is an excellent leader to work with. He is straight forward and extremely professional in the way that he interacts with the guests. This is resplendent in the fact that while at the desk, in his absence I have had to contend with numerous guests who have felt compelled to leave him gifts and thank you notes as tokens of appreciation for great service rendered. A true testament of a satisfied guest. As a leader he has displayed a keen ear to the unique needs of his staff and goes the extra mile to meet those needs for every individual which leaves the staff with a great impression that he is considerate. Barely under a year in the Emirate, Ankur is no longer new to Dubai. He is impressive and fun to work with as he has a wealth of knowledge and contacts hence no guest need is ever beyond our reach. My manager Ankur Bagga is respectable and is a leader that I can look up to because he is true to his words and is reliable. For as long as he keeps it up, our team will definitely go a long way.
From Max Mwangi, Concierge, Atlantis the Palm, Dubai

I would like to nominate Ankur Bagga as a stand out performer for Concierge of the year. Since Ankur commenced at the Atlantis the palm, he has made an immediate impact with his can do attitude and pleasant and guest focused approach Ankur is a true professional who strives on over delivering and ensuring that guests expectations are exceeded every time. Ankur is a pleasure to deal with no request too much of an issue. In summary, Ankur is an asset to the hotel in one of the most important and critical positions within the property. I wish him well in the Hotelier Middle East Awards.
From James Wyndham, Vice president of Guest Relations at Atlantis.

As a colleague and Guest Services Manager, I have worked closely with Ankur for over seven months. Ankur is diligent and highly motivated to his work. His solid quest for excellence became apparent when helped to develop and implement several customer services initiates at the Concierge that smoothed out the bottlenecks in service execution enabling team members and stakeholders to do literally twice as much in half the time. His contribution in sprucing the Concierge’s networking with Travel partners in a short space of time is stupendous. Highly contentious in planning, follow through and organization of projects, Ankur delivers proactive solutions in highly competitive and the most challenging Concierge desk which resulted in positive customer feedback, great customer retention and a value addition to guest experiences. His achievements go beyond the mainly professional. His unique blend of humor and positive energy makes him an ideal candidate to deal with problematic guests or highly sensitive situations. I have always known him to treat others with compassion, respect, understanding and professionalism. I am always excited, ignited and galvanized when we are working together. With no doubt he is indeed, “The art of Concierge”. Based on my experience working with him at Atlantis, I recommend his hard work and dedication in bringing the Concierge network the Les Clef D’or together, not only of Dubai but of the entire UAE.
From Tinashe Muvavarirwa, Manager of Guest Services at Atlantis, the Palm

Hi Ankur, It was a pleasure meeting you at the Palm, we really appreciated all your help and service. We couldn't thank you enough for all the great places you recommended to us. I think we brought back some of the desert heat with us, it's actually warm here! The past few days were 10-15 degrees but today is a lot warmer. If you ever make it out to New York, please do let us know, we can show you what New York is all about! Take care!
-Amisha, a guest from New Jersey

Dear Lubbie Many thanks for arranging the show-round yesterday ... our visitors were most impressed and would still be gazing at the fish if they hadn't had a flight to get yesterday evening! Ankur was excellent, personable and very informative. A great asset to Atlantis. Thanks again.
Best regards Kathi Everden, Editorial Consultant

Hi James, Sharon and I would like to thank you for organizing the show around on Friday. It was indeed an excellent experience as usual. Please pass on our special thanks to Ankur, who indeed did a fantastic job and has a wealth of knowledge about the property. Regards, Moin Anwar Director Trade and Investment (Middle East) Government of New South Wales, Australia Excellent concierge staff congratulations to Mr. Ankur Bagga.
From Jennifer Haley a Guest at Atlantis

Ankur Bagga was excellent our onward transfer did not turn up and he liaised with the company to get it all sorted, he arranged transport from Atlantis and organized the funding directly with them, we didn’t have to worry about a thing, thank you to him!
From Karen Davies, a guest at Atlantis in July 2012.

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Abdel Ghafour Shoukri Abdel Meguid Omar, Holiday Inn Kuwait

About Abdel
Abdel Ghafour Omar, better known as Shoukri, started out as a Security Guard in the pre-opening team of Holiday Inn in June of 2005. As a new recruit from Egypt and with a background in hotels, Shoukri proved to be an asset to our establishment. He was promoted to Security Supervisor shortly thereafter. In time, he proved himself to be a warm, helpful, caring and hardworking individual. As a result, he was transferred from the Security Department to the Front Office Department in October 2007 and started his new position as Bellboy and was then promoted to Bell Captain in May 2009. By January 2012, he was promoted to Chief Concierge.

Above and beyond…
As chief Concierge, Shoukri truly cares for the guests and is genuinely interested in going the extra mile to provide a great experience. Shoukri has received countless recognition cards in his seven years of service with Holiday Inn. However, a few examples of the past year stand out. Holiday Inn Kuwait had a group of long stayers from Boston College. They were studying the culture of Kuwait as part of a summer internship. Shoukri took it upon himself to be their personal guide by providing his personal number, organizing day trips using his personal connections, recommending restaurants and areas to visit. He even found an apartment for one of the guests who had extended her stay in Kuwait but could not afford to stay at the hotel. This guest even wrote a piece on Shoukri which was featured in the local newspaper, Kuwait Times. The Boston College group continuously praised his service and gave him 6 recognition cards during their stay. You will always see Shoukri on the floor, be it at his job or assisting other departments. During this Ramadan season, he was seen helping the waiters during Iftar when Ayam Zaman, the Lebanese restaurant, was full of customers. In March 2012, Shoukri organized transportation and a driver to escort one of the hotel’s guests to his place of work which happened to be on the borders of Saudi Arabia. Once again, Shoukri used his personal connections as the hotel does not provide this service. Another example of Shoukri going the extra mile involves a crew member from Egypt Air falling ill. He called concierge asking for help as he was suffering from kidney cramps. Shoukri proceeded to take him to the hospital once he contacted the airlines letting them know of the situation and that the gentlemen would not be able to come to work and would miss his scheduled flight. Shoukri stayed by his side for the extra 4 days that he was bedridden. The gentleman was extremely grateful for Shoukri’s actions.

Testimonals
“I wanted to obtain some fresh dates, like the ones in the hotel lobby, but I did not know how. I asked Shoukri. He went the extra mile and purchased fresh dates from the store. I am thankful for and impressed by the level of service.” Tankut Sensurucu, July 2012

“Dear Shoukri, We would like to thank you for your exceptional hospitality and care for us during our stay. You truly made us feel welcome and at home. It was a delight to talk to you when we had a question and you were always prompt in facilitating our requests. We will miss you and we hope that Holiday Inn recognizes your efforts as well. Thank you so much.”
Mustafaa, Mu’awiyah and Mina and everyone from Mahad-ul-Furqan, March 2012

“During the last eight weeks I’ve been living in Kuwait, I have met three people who have changed my outlook on life […] It had been four weeks and even though the Boston College professor and six students began their transit back to the United States, I felt assured I was not alone. Shoukri has called me each week, asking how the internship was going, if I was eating well and if I needed anything at all.” As written in Kuwait Times, “Tales from the Underbelly” by Dana Del Vecchio, August 2012

“Thank you for supporting the HR team and showing that you care by taking one of our restaurant managers to the police station. Thank you for your time!”
Fayez Abi Rafeh, Assistant Learning & Development Manager, Holiday Inn Kuwait.

“Shoukri is passionate about life. He always provides a personalized service and it never seems like it’s a job that he’s paid for. It comes from the heart.” Mostafa El Fiki, Front Office Manager

“Shoukri has taught me a lot and is there whenever I need help. He is there to coach me and give me advice. I always observe how he deals with guests and try to do the same.” Athula Arachchige, Bellboy

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Olga Velceva, Burj Al Arab
Before joining Burj Al Arab in February 2011, Olga worked at ‘Genius Hotel Downtown’ in Milan, Italy as a receptionist, at ‘Star hotel Rosa Grand’ Milan, Italy in Meeting & Event Sales department, in ‘ADI Doria Grand Hotel’ Milan, Italy as a receptionist, at the Milan Tourism Exhibitions as receptionist and as a translator at Velcev in her native Moldova. Olga started her career at Burj Al Arab as a Guest Service Executive in our Reception and due to her hard work, exceptional results and dedication was promoted to team leader in our Lobby.

Above and beyond…
Olga went above and beyond any Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Hotels & Dubai’s achievements and any ones expectations when she in the beginning of 2012 won the ‘AICR Receptionist of the year’ Dubai competition and further went to Prague to represent Burj Al Arab & Dubai in the AICR ‘International Receptionist of the year’ competition and won by impressing judges and fellow competitors alike, making her the AICR ‘World Champion Receptionist 2012’

Testimonials:
Olga is a role model when it comes to our Guiding principles. Olga give a great respect to every colleague and guest, she goes the extra mile to make guests happy and never says no as a first response to any guest request. Olga is very flexible and always give support to her colleagues. Olga was recommended to go on a task force to Mallorca to support the opening team of our Jumeirah Hotel over there and she made exceptional efforts to ensure smooth operation in the Front Office which made our company award her with a certificate in excellence for hard. Olga is a great ambassador of Burj Al Arab. Ahmed Ereiba – Director of Rooms

From the moment she walked graciously in the Hotel’s Lobby, everyone knew that she will be a “star”. Not only because of her enormous beauty, which is difficult not to be noticed, but for the elegance and personality which is impossible to dislike. Quite and gentle, yet confident and strong, Olga from the first day started getting attention and positive guests comments. Focused on their needs, anticipating their wishes, unselfishly devoted to provide the Ultimate Hospitality Service, she was always praised for her attention to the details and undoubtedly personalized and warm delivery of the same. No wonder, after receiving a dozen of Guest Comment Cards for only few months after she had joined Burj Al Arab family, she was nominated for Rising Star Award for the month of August, 2011. At the same time, proving her qualities of the skilled and reliable team member, never tired of learning and hotel operation challenges, she pace the path for the new and creative trainings on hospitality service excellence. Unselfishly involving herself in the growth and development of the new colleagues, she was especially remarked for her organization and delivery of the OPERA trainings as well as Induction Programs, from no one but the specialist in that field.
Assist. L&D Manager, Olga Sadikova.

Parallel with the trainings, already promoted as a Team Leader and being a great role model for some time, Olga proved her deep understanding and sensitivity towards other human needs and qualities and was nominated for the Operational Dream Team Leader Award for the month of June 2012. Described as being “very approachable”, “sincere” and “friendly”, she was pointed out from all the team members as extremely inspirational and impressive persona. Capable of displaying an honest appreciation for colleagues achievements, looking at innovative ways to improve operations and customer service, admired from the guests and managers at the same time, Olga is the best example of how one Hotelier should act and behave. The best prove for everything said is the biggest and most famous Hoteliers reward, International Receptionist of the Year 2011. Hardly that someone can deny such a great success and achievement which made all of us proud.
Daniela Bogdanovska – Guest Service Manager

As concierge manager of Burj Al Arab, I have had the pleasure of working with Olga in a professional capacity both within the hotel as well as external formal functions representing our hotel. As a colleague Olga is a true elegant ambassador and diplomat when dealing with our guest and visitors. Having the gift of multi languages, she is very confident in dealing with all guests, in English, Spanish, Russian or Italian. Olga can be relied on for dealing with all kinds of guest transactions, be that the arrival of a royal family or a complaining guest. Olga also recently attended the DTCM Le Clef d’Or UAE Second Anniversary Gala Dinner, she delivered a speech in regards to her recent award and was applauded by the concierge fraternity. Olga truly deserves the reward and recognition as an outstanding valuable colleague.
Oscar Van Der Veen Concierge Manager

Olga has been working here for 1 year with us . Olga is highly respected by colleagues for her willingness to help anyone, anytime she can. She is very organized, very approachable. I found her to be consistently pleasant, tracking all assignment with dedication and smile. In addition to preparing and conducting the training to new comers and existing colleagues, she is also inspiring and motivating the team members which was very appreciated by the colleagues and managers, built a strong relationship within the team. She was recently promoted as a team leader which she deserved well considering her dedication and professional sprits towards to her role.
Eri Tashiro Guest Service Manager