What is your career background?
I started my career in 1998 as a bellman at Sea Rock Hotel, Beirut. In 2000, I moved to Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut, as bell captain and stayed there for seven years. In 2007, I moved to La Cigale Hotel, Doha, as chief concierge for a year. Afterwards, I relocated to Abu Dhabi where I moved across several Intercontinental Hotels properties in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain as chief concierge until I received the opportunity to work as chief concierge at Ajman Saray, a Luxury Collection Resort in 2014.
What attracted you to this industry and what are your main responsibilities at Ajman Saray?
What attracted me to this industry is the hospitality we offer to our valued guests from all around the world. Every day, we meet and greet guests who are visiting the UAE for the first time ever. They have different ideas of what this country is all about, what is on offer, what they can indulge in and need to look out for. As the head concierge, one of my main responsibilities is to advise and suggest what they should do, share the local knowledge, explain what the city is all about and has to offer, book tours and excursions, assist in all their enquiries, and so on and so forth.
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In what ways do you motivate your team members and reward good performance?
There are a number of ways in which we engage and motivate our team members. Some of them follow a professional pattern and some are more intimate, aimed at appreciating a team member’s efforts and efficiency. We regularly arrange training and workshops, so that our team continuously develops and is equipped to serve our guests better. In addition, we have get-togethers, team building activities and outings, so that the team spirit is fostered and we learn to work and play together.
Healthy competition makes for efficiency and extraordinary levels of service, and therefore we have internal competitions and titles like employee of the month. This acts as a reward for all the hard work and dedication our team members put in every day and motivates them to outperform their basic job requirements. We also send out thank you cards for the same – to motivate and appreciate.
What new initiatives have you introduced since you joined?
I represented Ajman Saray, a Luxury Collection Resort, in the 63rd UICH Les Clefs d’Or International Congress in Mendoza April 2015. Also, I added some new destinations to the Luxury Collection Bedtime Stories, which is a brand standard card placed in the rooms at turndown service in which we invite our guests to discovery Ajman and its surroundings.
What have been your biggest achievements in your role so far?
I am the national general secretary of Les Clefs d’Or United Arab Emirates (2014- 2016). I am also a part of the organising committee of the 63rd UICH Les Clefs d’Or World Congress 2016 Dubai.
Is technology an important part of your job? How do you incorporate it?
It is an important part of our job — a very important part indeed. We use it to communicate and interact, and also to participate in and stay informed about what is going on in different social media channels. In everyday operations, we use iPads to explain and showcase the many facilities and attractions at our resort and in the city. This includes options for dining, site-seeing, what to explore and discover, etc.
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