General Manager of the Week: David Allan

In the first installment of a regular series, in which we profile general managers from across the Middle East, we speak to Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Media City GM David Allan.

Allan joined the hotel earlier this month, having been general at Radisson Blu Glasgow for the past two years, and Park Inn by Radisson Glasgow City Centre before that.

The 36-year-old explained to HotelierMiddleEast.com his leadership ethos, how he got into the industry, and the legacy he'd like to leave behind.

Why do you work in hospitality and what got you into the industry in the first place?

I was in the UK and completing my forms for university and I was going through the prospectus and couldn’t find anything remotely interesting until I stumbled across hospitality management. So I decided to apply for that, perhaps thinking it was more glamorous than it actually was. I also stayed on at school for a year after that and worked at a hotel and loved that and knew that was what I wanted to do.

Who in the industry has been a big inspiration for you?

I would talk about people like Ken McCulloch, who set up Malmaison and started to bring personality into hotels and a certain sense of style. He’s also Scottish and I’d met him and worked with him on occasion.

What is your leadership ethos?

I’ve always enjoyed working in hotels where I felt my responsibility as a general manager was to make sure that everyone else gets as much enjoyment out of their role so in terms of leadership, it’s about being as open as I possibility can and encouraging a sense of informality and sense of fun.

What gets you out of bed in the morning every day to do your job?

People keep me in hospitality; there are very few industries where you can have such a broad range of interests. And in my job the key is in the title. I’m a specialist in nothing; I know a little about everything. And that suits my personality, to keep moving from project to project.

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If there was one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be?

There are two lines I would change about the industry. The first line is one nearly every hotel in the world uses: ‘Please don’t hesitate to contact us’. I think it’s an aberration to the English language and shouldn’t be used. It’s incredibly clichéd and smacks of insincerity.

The second thing is when people don’t tell the truth about their recruitment process. Nearly every hotel claims they recruit on personality and I’m afraid that’s not always obvious in every hotel you go into.

What would you say your greatest achievement has been?

I won Acorn Award for the Top 20 people under 30 in the UK hospitality. I was GM of the Park Inn by Radisson Aberdeen that won worldwide Park Inn of the Year in 2013.

What legacy would you like to eventually leave at your hotel?

I’ve always wanted to leave a hotel with more personality than it had when I got there. That’s not a reflection of my personality; that’s a reflection of the personalities of the people that work there. Giving people a platform where nothing’s off the table. I work on the general assumption that if it makes us smile it will make a guest smile.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting off in the industry?

To try and get as much out of it as they possibly can. And particularly if they work in a hospitality environment where they are not allowed to express their personality they are wither in the wrong business, or working for the wrong people in the right business.

If you hadn’t gone into hospitality, what do you think you would be doing now?

I would be either a professional golfer or a male model!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I like playing golf and spending time with my family.