Rotana Celebrates the Achievements of its Champions

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The sterling work of Rotana’s heroes who go that extra mile to ensure guests are well looked after was highlighted at a special awards event held recently. The recognition formed part of the leading hotel chain’s Annual Conference and Awards, which took place at the Al Ain Rotana and featured ‘Guest Service Champions’ and other Rotana personnel being flown in from across the region.

The agenda for the special occasion was all about honouring Rotana colleagueswho have achieved notable success in their roles or who have gone above and beyond their call of professional duty. The accomplishments of Rotana’s various hotels, the hard work of the General Managers and the special efforts of the Guest Service Champions were all celebrated at the event, which was marked with presentations, awards and speeches.

“We are extremely proud of the achievements of our Rotana colleagueswho gathered atthe Annual Awards Event, which was established as a platform to congratulate, thank and reward them. The programme is held in the presence of Rotana management and is our chance to officially recognise our colleagues’ dedication to their work,” said Mr. Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman of Rotana. “The efforts of these colleagues exemplify the organisation’s commitment to the highest of standards. It is their refusal to settle for less that ensures that the Rotana name is renowned in the global hospitality industry,” he added.

Guest Service Champions being honoured at the event included Mohamed Ibrahim, who accompanied a sick Rotana guest to the hospital. On arrival at the medical facility, the guest realised he had forgotten his wallet, so Mohamed paid the doctor’s consultation fees so that there would be no delay in admission. Lucman Batawe received an award for climbing 22 flights of stairs with a breakfast tray to serve a diabetic guest their vital breakfast. A power outage had affected the elevators, but Lucman didn’t hesitate to make the extra effort. Solomon Lagebo was honoured for driving to the airport after his duty shift had ended in order to locate a guest’s lost iPad. After a long search that saw him working closely with the police, the device was found and returned to the guest.Two colleagues were commended for acting quickly to save children who had fallen into swimming pools. Athir Boutros jumped in to rescue a five-year-old girl at Erbil Rotana, as did Nazar Mohamed who plucked out a young boy at Al Salam Rotana.

Individuals who had achieved success in their roles and were given awards at the event included Nader Al Mobader, General Manager of Karbala Rayhaan by Rotana who was presented with the President’s Award for successfully opening the Karbala Rayhaan by Rotana, the only 5 star hotel in Iraq. Nader was able to maintain the same level of service that Rotana is known for, despite the challenges of the location. Manager of the Year went to Hala Massaad General Manager of Raouché Arjaan by Rotana. Under Hala’s tenure, the hotel exceeded the GOP of the previous year, while returning a record high customer satisfaction index and a high colleague retention percentage.

Collective awards were also bestowed on Rotana teams from its hotels and from its various programmes. The Chairman’s Award went to Al Murooj Rotana, which had successfully applied the Duroob programme, a scheme that broadens the horizons of UAE citizens. Hotel of the Year was scooped by Centro Barsha, which was ranked the top hotel according to positive online guests’ comments on hospitality review websites, in addition to retaining and increasing the number of repeat guests. Hotel Achiever of the Year was awarded to Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana, which succeeded in getting the best financial results, surpassing the budgeted number for the year. It also received the highest results in the guest satisfaction survey. Hotel Opening of the Year was picked up by Bahrain’s Majestic Arjaan by Rotana, which returned a highly impressive financial performance during its pre and post opening phases, while Top rotana.com Hotel Performer was Oryx Rotana, which scored the highest percentage of increased room nights booked online through rotana.com. Finally, the Rotana Earth award that recognises CSR initiatives was given to Villa Rotana, for its outstanding contribution to the community throughout the year.

“We are delighted to celebrate these incredible performances. It is clear that Rotana’s promise of Treasured Time resonates with all our team following the hard work of the company’s unique human resources infrastructure, deployed at every one of our hotels. We are looking forward to honouring even more great achievements from our dedicated colleagues in the years to come,” said Al Nowais.

About Rotana:

Rotana currently manages a portfolio of over 85 properties throughout the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe with an aggressive expansion plan in place. Rotana has chosen to acknowledge how precious time is by making all time spent in their range of hotels ‘Treasured Time’. This means Rotana has pledged to understand and meet the individual needs of all guests. In so doing, Rotana has evolved its product brands to include, Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana and Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana. Treasured Time. The Rotana promise to you.