TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
Armed with over three decades of experience in hospitality and having worked in countries like Turkey, Canada, Czech Republic, Kazakhastan and UAE, Timur Ilgaz, General Manager of Cove Rotana Ras Al Khaimah, is acknowledged for his excellence in managing resorts, leisure and city hotels. TravTalk celebrates his achievements.
SHEHARA RIZLY
A Turkish national, Timur Ilgaz spent his childhood in the environs of starred hotels, thanks to his hotelier father. Mesmerised by the dynamic and vibrant industry, Ilgaz followed in the footsteps of his father and went on to pursue studies in Economics, to find a position as a night auditor at a property. Ilgaz further went on to gather training in all the departments of the hospitality sector which gave him maximum exposure. From manning the reception, duties in food and beverage outlets, housekeeping, etc., he worked his way up to become one of the youngest General Managers at the age of 28.
“My father was a hotelier and I did follow in his footsteps. It was my great passion since childhood as I spent most of it in hotels, so basically I grew up in this industry. As I was studying Economics, I found employment as a night auditor at a hotel. So during the day I studied and by night, I returned to worked. From the time I was 18 years old, I wanted to get an experience and explore other destinations,” Ilgaz said.
Ilgaz’s first stint abroad was in Toronto, Canada, as Assistant Manager at a fivestar property. From there he moved to Czech Republic, where he was assigned to a property with 800 rooms with a banquet capacity of 5000 guests. His next move took him to Kazakastan to work at The Regent Almaty and later moved to the UAE. Ilgaz has managed and lead Al Ghurair Rayhaan and Arjaan by Rotana, opening and operating of Amwaj Rotana in Jumeirah Beach and the successful renovation project of Jumeirah Rotana in Dubai. He brings years of expertise in managing different types of properties and has been versatile in bringing method, team work and energy to his team throughout.
In the Middle East region, persons of Turkish origin are known for their traditions, values, and culture along with their well-established Mediterranean hospitality and close-knit family connections. Ilgaz with his background and experience, will ensure that Cove Rotana soars high in terms of service and quality to create memorable experiences that define the essence of true hospitality. His vision for the property is to provide a good, relaxing and experiences that last a lifetime. “This is one of the most beautiful properties in the UAE with a wide expanse of beach stretching to almost a kilometer. The whole property is more than 300,000 square meters serving different markets throughout the year.”
The five-star Cove Rotana is a relaxed property which caters to different categories of tourists from around the world. As Ras Al Khaimah is a perfect staycation getaway many locals and expats living in other emirates drive up to the property to indulge in the luxuries offered. The resort has three different areas which can be chosen by the guests to spend their relaxing beach holiday. Apart from the 150 villas in one, two and three bedrooms with its own swimming pool, kitchenette, garden, etc., especially designed for the discerning travellers, there are over 200 identical superior rooms and a special area known as the ‘The village’ for tour operators to have their clientele in a totally different area secluded from the rest of the property. The whole property houses over 1000 beds with eight food and beverage outlets, swimming pools, water slides, state-of-the-art facilities, kids activity club and many others to the list.
