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.
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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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