Gerardo Gabat
Assistant chief concierge
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
Dubai, UAE

Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates assistant chief concierge Gerardo Gabat reports directly to the front office manager and is responsible for managing both concierge and bell service sections, leading a team of 18.

Since joining Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates in January 2008, Gabat initiated a training programme to increase employee knowledge of local events, including organising a show-around of new hotels such as Atlantis, The Palm, as well as participation in events such as restaurant launches and familiarisation with the services of tour companies.

Commenting on the programme, Gabat says: “It’s about building a good network and rapport, it’s not like you are working alone. Moreover, it’s always better when you’ve seen something personally”.

“It is so fulfilling to see your guests happy to take your recommendations; I will never get over that,” he says.

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“The programme was the first of its kind initiated in the hotel and has not only served to upgrade the team’s knowledge of events and attractions in Dubai, but has also enhanced their level of confidence and service orientation,” says nominator Sanaz Ghahremani, assistant marketing manager at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates.

“Gabat also spearheaded the preparation of the front office team for their first ever participation in the Concierge Awards 2008, resulting in the team winning the Judges Team Award in recognition of the exemplary team effort demonstrated during the competition,” says Ghahremani.

An active member of Les Clefs D’Or and the Union International of Hotel Concierge, Gabat started his career operating the Bell Service at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort in the Philippines in 1995 and since then has served in various senior guest relations and front office positions within the Shangri-La Hotel group, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton in the Philippines and Dubai, before joining Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates.