Exclusive Interview | Ramzi Assily, General Manager, Golden Tulip Doha
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Over 35 years of experience, Graduated from the Glion Institute of Hotel Management in Switzerland. Major experience is in the Middle East, North and Central Africa as well.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Perseverance, dedication, pleasant personality, adaptable and for the GM position, must be familiar in all fields.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
Attitude, willingness to work hard towards personal development, flexible (this is not a 9 to 5 job), take responsibility, team player. Experience is second.
Editor: You have been running at 65% occupancy with around 500 covers a day between room service and outside catering, doing better than last year. What is your secret? What can other hotel leaders learn from this?
There is no real secret, you will need to adapt and look from within for local opportunities. For every bad thing happening there is a hidden good thing that can be exploited.
Self-assess the situation to minimize the damages rather than going drastic such as closing the hotel and sending everyone home.