Mashary is also working alongside Emaar Hospitality Group CEO Olivier Harnisch and others within the leadership to design Women in Leadership programme where the team is actively inspecting the different aspects of women working in the hospitality.
“As you grow in the management role, it moves more into the operations, then the overall operations of the hotel which led me into the two openings that I’ve done. They are two very different hotels. They are both luxury, both five-star, one is a resort and the other is a lifestyle city resort,” she recounts.
Now, as the general manager of Manzil Downtown Dubai, Mashary, who will be in charge of 155 staff members, is gearing up to introduce changes and initiatives starting with an Emiratisation Graduate Programme. The hotel will welcome 40 Emirati students who will receive year-long training to be the “next generation of leaders within the hospitality industry”.
“We are expecting them to join in November 2018. It’s a one-year accelerated management programme. So they will start with a shock of a journey but it will be filled with intensive values, work ethic and lots of learning. It will be intense, but the ones we have chosen from the thousands that applied are up to mark for it,” she reveals.
Besides Emiratis, Mashary is also working alongside Emaar Hospitality Group CEO Olivier Harnisch and others within the leadership to design ‘Women in Leadership’ programme where the team is actively inspecting the different aspects of women working in the hospitality.
“Women who have been in the industry but left to take on motherhood and later want to come back – how do we make that happen? It’s easy for them to transition, so why not give them the opportunity to come back and re-enter the industry?” Mashary questions.
“As for women in hospitality in top level jobs, we as an industry are slow, maybe even behind. So we need to look at the big picture and why and that there could be part of the solution.”
In terms of short-term vision for the hotel, Mashary says it’s inevitably about the bottom line. “The vision for Manzil is what every hotel wants, is the capital P – profit. The second capital P is people. That third P that we need to capitalise on is the planet,” she tells Hotelier Middle East.
Mashary plans to put her background in food & beverage to use and make some changes to the dining outlets to reflect the Emirati culture and the hotel’s tagline: ‘When Home is Arabic’.
“I’m planning to introduce some changes to the F&B outlets while also encouraging more Emirati concepts. This hasn’t been seen often in other hotels whether it’s through food or ambiance.
It has [Manzil Downtown] always been an Arabesque hotel but not an Emirati hotel. Menus often have Levant dishes but not Emirati. So by starting to introduce a few Emirati touches, we will make the place special and homier. Manzil, after all, means home,” she points out.
For Mashary, sustainability is priority, too. She has been focusing on building the skills of youth for the industry and has diligently supported the community and government initiatives to achieving the UN Sustainability Development Goals by 2030.
“I think starting [sustainability] in hospitality, bringing in the right practices and the right balance moving forward is a good idea as it is one of the fastest growing industries. It is the key to tackle the change and encourage these possibilities here because you can be part of the solution here and worldwide,” she points out.
When asked what is in store in the near and long-term future, Mashary is quick to add that rigid plans are always unreliable.
“In my short time in the school of life, I’ve learnt that nothing ever goes according to plan. So I don’t plan anymore. But working towards a goal and a path is crucial. Today, it’s Manzil Downtown, the next step is heading a five-star resort but what comes after that? I haven’t planned that yet.” Mashary concludes.
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