TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
A passionate and true hotelier to the core, Nael El Waary, Cluster General Manager of Roda Hotels and Resorts in Dubai, is on a journey to steadily take Roda to a new level of training to enhance staff service quality and ensure memorable guest experiences.
TT BUREAU
“If you look after the welfare of your staff well, you can be rest assured that they, in return will serve the customers well,” believes Nael El Waary, Cluster General Manager, Roda Hotels and Resorts, Dubai. Taking up the position three months ago, El Waary explains the strategy, “Training the staff will be a key area which I will be focusing on. For this, there are several international services and training programmes to be introduced to ensure that every staff member is well trained to exceed expectations so that they remain loyal to the brand. I would also be looking at structural changes to the property as my main objective is to drive Roda to the next level in terms of high service standards.”
El Waary added, “In order to ensure customer satisfaction, you need to have staff who are happy and passionate about their jobs.”
Having been selected to Cornell University, El Waary pursued hotel management as it involved meeting new people from diverse surrounding and provided opportunities to travel around the globe. At the time, his father was not in agreement with the decision as old school required one to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer and hotel management was not even considered a proper vocation for development. “I remember when I told my late father that I was selected to the university and I have decided on hotel management. He asked me if I was going to be a waiter or a cleaner. At that time, the perception of hospitality or hotels was totally different. It was always an industry to serve people but at the time, there was no adoption of it and clearly a misunderstood career.”
Expressing satisfaction at his chosen field, El Waary instantly fell in love with his job as it helped him bring out his true personality. Having started off his career in New York city, he travelled to various other destinations and had the opportunity to work and get trained in London, Amsterdam, Los Angles, San Francisco, New Orleans and a few countries in the Middle East such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spearheading various hotel renovations and extensive pre-opening experiences in the Gulf and international too. El Waary steps in once again to a home-grown chain to deliver his magic.
Apart from the local and international awards and accolades received at various properties during his 30 years of career, the ability to work locally and internationally and of course, meeting and learning about so many cultures from all over the world.
El Waary’s style is to be accessible all the time to his customers both internal and external. “You will not find me at my desk. Although I have to overlook three other properties, I have divided my time and implemented a very strong management in public areas to be available to deal with any unexpected challenge. Being passionate about the business, it is important to follow the principle ‘lead by example’.
Speaking about the prominence of technology in hospitality, he said, “I agree that technology eases out many administrative procedures but hospitality is an industry which exists because of the human element of finding someone who could speak with you.” El Waary’s cordial and hospitable smile assures that Roda is on the right track to achieve its goals of becoming a respected brand and the future hospitality.
