Lazarus is a hands-on vice president who has worked his way up the Hilton ladder and is not afraid to get his hands dirty.
My foodie senses were tingling as I entered the Conrad Dubai, where I was scheduled to meet Hilton Worldwide vice president of food & beverage for Middle East & Africa Simon Lazarus. “With great power comes great responsibility,” or so the Spiderman comic book says. And if anyone can claim to have power and responsibility, it’s Lazarus.
Starting his hospitality journey with a hotel management course, he bussed tables in his first job as a waiter, mixed drinks as a bartender and worked his way up the F&B ladder to become an assistant F&B manager. Lazarus made a surprise move at this stage and entered the kitchen to learn more in the food and beverage business. A culinary course later, he was recruited to work in the Hilton Toronto. And since then he’s never looked back.
Lazarus has spent 20 years with Hilton and lived across seven countries. Seven years ago, he moved over to the corporate side of the company and placed his focus on special projects, moving to the UAE two years after that. Prior to his role in this region, he was in charge of the UK and Ireland for food and beverage. Currently under his remit are 62 hotels in the Middle East and Africa, which include more than a staggering 300 outlets vying for his attention.
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While seated in the relaxed ambiance of the newly opened Conrad Dubai, in its wine bar Cave, Lazarus says, with a twinkle in his eyes: “We have about 6000 team members and 19 countries. It keeps me very busy; keeps me on my toes.”
A BUSY BEE
Lazarus is, self-admittedly, infrequently to be found in his office, instead moving out and about across the areas he commands. When asked what a regular day is like for him, he is initially stumped and says: “My days are so diverse, I’d have to outline about four or five different days!
“It could be anything from flying off to Nigeria at 3am, changing planes in Lagos and doing a full property review for two or three days and coming back through Addis Ababa. It could be that I was on-site in work boots and a construction hat looking at the new Waldorf Palm that’s being built, walking through the restaurants, checking the finishes and the logistics. Or it could be meetings with owners.”
He reveals that one of his favourite parts of the job is getting involved in the nitty gritty of operations, carrying out courses and working on strategies. In essence, it’s all hands on deck for him?
“Absolutely; the food and drinks don’t make themselves and mix themselves. I’ve washed pots, I’ve mixed drinks, and I can go behind any bar and teach people what is essential. If you are in the business of selling great food and great beverage, you have to know what’s going on and what to do. And frankly, I enjoy it ... it’s my passion.”
PLANS IN MOTION
Hilton has had a flurry of activity over the last couple of years in the region, says Lazarus, and indeed, this can be seen with the launch of its two luxury brands in the area (Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah and the Conrad Dubai), new F&B outlets within these venues, refurbishments of existing outlets (Wavebreaker in Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort and Hemingway’s in Hilton Abu Dhabi), and upcoming moves such as the as yet unrevealed culinary team for Hilton Creek’s Table9, following the impending departure of patron chefs Scott Price and Nick Alvis.
Lazarus is proud of his team’s achievements in the recent past, and points to the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Dubai in the UAE as prime examples of the hotel giant listening to what its customers wanted. “I’ve been working on Conrad for four or five years, and on the Waldorf for three years and it’s truly exciting for us to launch these.”
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