Holiday Inn's Vinay Bhatia heralded as Hotelier Express' F&B Manager

The Hotelier Express F&B Manager of the Year at the Hotelier Express Awards 2018 was revealed to be Holiday Inn Embassy District Bur Dubai assistant F&B manager Vinay Bhatia.

The highly commended nominee is Wissam Alshater from Abu Dhabi’s Capital Centre Arjaan by Rotana & Centro Capital Centre (see the full shortlist here), and Bhatia received the award from A. Ronai managing director Gavin Dodd.

Bhatia transitioned into the leading role of the food & beverage department and led the team to great achievements in 2017. In the last 12 months the hotel’s F&B department focused on guest satisfaction, improving the service culture of the department and revenue generation – all of which he did to a very high standard, with 2017 being the most successful year in the business history of the hotel in terms of food & beverage revenue generation.

Bhatia, elated after the win, told Hotelier: "If you want to win any battle the most important thing to focus on is your team. It’s very important to develop them and their skills. When I started my career, I remember how my general manager used to train me and tell me how important skills are. That’s a point that I’ve always kept in my mind. Every day we have a 30 minute session where we do training, developing both knowledge and skills."

He candidly said: "Revenue is something which I never consider – my main priority is guest satisfaction. The main principle is to focus on your guest and the revenue will come.

"The award goes to my team, I’m just accepting this award on their behalf."

The Hotelier Express Awards 2018 took place at the Grosvenor House Dubai on February 28, 2018, and was supported by a range of industry partners including: A. Ronai, Duni, Diversey, Guest Supply, MMI, OSN For Business, and Tint.