Hotelier Middle East – May 2019

PEOPLE

18 HOTELIER MIDDLE EAST | May 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 05

M

ohamed Dali’s role as operations

manager at the Hilton Tangier

City Center Hotel & Residences

in the North African country of Morocco

has taken him across several countries

over the past 15 years. Along his journey,

Dali has been taking care of guests,

making sure their experience is one that

meets standards of both the guests and

the hotel itself. From Morocco, Dali has

revealed to Hotelier Middle East some of

his hospitality secrets and achievements

that make sure that his guests return to

the hotel again and agian.

My job in 50 words

In my role as operations manager, Hilton

Tanger City Center Hotel & Residences,

I have to deal effectively with both guests

and team members on a daily basis.

Therefore, it is my job to make sure all of

them (guests and team members) enjoy

an exceptional experience at our hotel.

Length of time in hospitality

I have had the chance over the years to

work in different countries and for a

variety of different hospitality brands.

To date, I have now spent 15 years in the

hospitality industry. During that time,

MY FAVOURITE

Advice received: Go step by step, and give

each step the time it deserves

Meal: Tunisian couscous

Holiday Destination: Vienna

Hotel stay experience: The best one I

remember was TUI Holiday Village

Hobby: Listening to music or going out for a run

I have experienced different cultures and

positions which have shaped the way I work

and have helped to make these 15 years a

fruitful career path.

Time in your present position

I was named operations manager at Hilton

Tanger City Center about a year ago. Prior to

this, I was the food and beverage director for

the Hilton Garden Inn Tangier City Centre.

Slowly, my career goals evolved until I made

it to the operations manager position.

My hospitality journey

I have always been inspired by my father

who worked in hospitality in Tunisia. After

I had attended high school, I started basic

hospitality courses at college. I also took

on work in a pastry department at a local

hotel. For me, this was the beginning of my

career, and it was the moment that I realized

this is where I wanted to be in life. At this

point, I decided to then engage myself in

more studies in order to improve myself.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to travel

to Germany where I was able to complete

an apprenticeship. I am aware that I have

always had this passion for hospitality and I

feel proud that I have succeeded in making

hospitality my occupation.

Three biggest challenges

First of all, being away from my family has

been the biggest challenge. I left my wife and

two daughters in Tunisia and as time goes

by, I miss them a lot. Secondly, as operations

manager, I now have the responsibility

of handling multiple departments. As a

person who previously worked in food and

beverage, the new duties made me anxious

at the beginning. However, in time and

with Hilton’s development programs, I

am now able to face this situation

better. Finally, for the third and final

challenge, I would say it is having

the ability to adapt to a new culture.

Believe it or not, Morocco and Tunisia

have quite some differences, despite

that they are close neighbours.

My strategies

My strategy for the smooth running of

the hotel is the result of a combination

of several departments and their

engagement. As the operations

manager, I take time to listen actively

and with empathy to the guests and

teams, and to build up the capacity

to solve problems. In addition, I think

possessing real leadership qualities

can help make the perfect strategy.

Three things you absolutely

enjoy about your job

What I love about my job is the people

involved in it, be it customers or team;

this can be most rewarding. I also

enjoy belonging to a global hospitality

chain, which helps me to achieve

strong standards and a culture that

put hospitality above anything else,.

This is something I really enjoy.

Also, I enjoy the corporate social

responsibility projects that we

initiate,. These projects aim to make

a social impact on our surrounding

environment.

My single biggest achievement

Until now, and one that I am proud

of, my biggest achievement was

successfully opening the first Hilton

Hotels & Resorts property in the

country of Morocco.

BACK OF HOUSE:

Meet

MOHAMED DALI

OPERATIONS MANAGER, HILTON TANGER CITY

CENTER HOTEL & RESIDENCES, MOROCCO