CITY INSIDER DUBAI: KIFAH BIN HUSSEIN

Kifah Bin Hussein

General Manager, Andaz Dubai The Palm

Tell us more about your day-to-day role and what keeps it challenging and exciting?
Our hotel’s operation runs 24/7, therefore, I do my best to balance work and life duties. I am an early riser and what helps me to be at my best is meditation and mindfulness activities to help maintain positive energy.

As soon as I get to my office, I confirm my appointments for the day with my PA and then get on with the best part of my day; the daily tours of the hotel to physically check the various areas of operation and to meet and greet my team. Human connections are the most important part of our industry and I enjoy them the most. I also make the time to meet some of our guests, especially the long-staying guests, this helps me keep my fingers on the pulse and check our guests level of satisfaction, and through their direct feedback I can identify areas of improvement. I intentionally benchmark the quality and consistency of our products and services via a couple of checkpoints, and that starts with my daily coffee and occasionally trying some of our signature dishes.

In general, I do not skip my lunch at our employee restaurant unless I have a business meeting with lunch and this is again another opportunity to meet some of my team and ensure our F&B offering and quality for them is not less than what we offer to our guests.

In the early evening I do my workout at least five times a week, and get myself ready for the evening tour to inspect the operation, meet the evening team and get ready to go home unless I have some evening entertainment for any of my guests or business partners. We all know that hotel business is not only a career; it is a lifestyle!

What are some of your favourite cultural hotspots in Dubai and why?
I enjoy learning more about the new things in Dubai and keeping myself up-to-date, but the activity that I enjoy most is taking the abra to cross the Creek from Deira to Bur Dubai. There I traditionally have my favourite oversized Dosa followed by a half-day tour of the area, in particular, Al Bastakiya and old Bur Dubai. I enjoy the real-time portrayals of the daily life of people in this part of the city, the sound of the abra crossing the Creek, the smell of spices in the souq, and the art exhibitions and cafes along that area.

Please share with us some of your professional goals for the rest of the year.
Our plan for the remainder of 2020 is to make sure we maintain our efforts to increase the awareness of the Andaz brand and to distinguish our hotel from other hotels by offering unique experiences to guests. Our focus and commitment to care for our guests and employee’s wellbeing and to be their best will still be our top priority and goal. ✤

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