3
Henning Fries
It is easy to overlook the people behind
the front lines in our
business but in the end, these are the colleagues who make all the difference.
Having had my fair share of hours feeding the dishwasher and peeling vegetables
in the kitchen at the onset of my career, this experience has served me well in
appreciating the hard work that is being done behind the scenes in order for us
to deliver an exceptional experience to our guests. Later in this issue you will
find the spotlight on just one of these crucial departments who work relentlessly
behind the scenes in our hotels. I am sure this will make for interesting reading.
The Habtoor Hotels Division, under the wise leadership of our Chairman and
Vice Chairman, has a long history of operating its own hotels successfully to this
day. Hospitality is a vital part of the Al Habtoor Group’s DNA and will continue to
feature strongly in the expansion plans of the company.
With the recent acquisition of the Le Mèridien in Budapest and allowing Hilton
to operate our hotels in Beirut however, we are embarking on a change to our
familiar business model. International Hotel Brands are now operating these
assets under management agreements and others are following quickly i.e. the
Waldorf Astoria – Palm and the three Starwood branded hotels on Sheikh Zayed
Road.
Having joined the group back in March, I am extremely excited to be part of
and to help facilitate this transformation. It is my mission for the hotel division to
continue delivering exceptional value to the Group.
Hospitality is a ‘people’ business, where success is achieved by people who
create an experience for guests and customers.
It is all good and well when we see pictures of celebrities greeted by our managers
in our hotels or take home that special award for one of our restaurants.
Henning Fries
Group Director of Operations,
Habtoor Hotels
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