Hoe Saoedische hospitality het anders aanpakt

the Future of HospitalityWhat exactly do they look like? Where is it? And how did they it's a family business. How did that work for the years before that?

Hael RajabWell, first of all, I was actually I I I was hired back in in United States in some of the hotels as a guest experience guest experience associate and destination marketing specialist. And then that gave me a little bit of experience of the hospitality and hotel hotels, how how do they work and stuff like that. When I went back to my father, you know, it's a business family. When you talk about business family, what else we can say? It's a business family. You protect it you protect it as your son. You you do everything as an entrepreneur. You do everything with that hotel and these properties as it's your yours. And the the thing that we want we want we wanted to do, we want to operate the hotel and own it own the hotel and operate it at the same time, which is little bit hard.

Hael RajabBut, yes, we have this hotel. It's it's, you know, it was built back in 2000 back in 2003. Mhmm. But in 2018, we do the pre opening. We did the pre pre opening, and then we open we reopened the hotel. Okay. And then we have another property. It's just it's, let's say, 32 furnished apartments, and they're near to near to to each other. The thing is, when you want to do the first thing with with the with the properties like this, you want to make the pre opening process, taking out the, you know, interest infrastructure job from engineering, and then make the pre opening with a high standard for four star hotel.

Hael RajabTo do this, we hired general manager who had very good experience in pre opening,

the Future of Hospitalityand he was working find that person? How did you find your manager? Sorry for interrupting, but I wanna hear the more details. Well,

Hael Rajabit was a hard process, but it's you know, the thing is I want to I'm I'm fascinated about InterContinental Hospitality Hospitality Group, IHG. Mhmm. And then I searched I searched a lot about the GM who who went from the them, and then open a local hotels. And then buy this. I I combine these two things. He opened a local com company with a good experience from IHG. So Okay. Yeah. I found That's fine. Lebanese Lebanese guy. He's he's not he's he's about 55. His his name is Josef Al Ghazal. If he's hearing me, I'm saying hi to him. He's a good good good person. His experience was in pre opening.

Hael RajabAnd then when you when I when when we did in the term of acquisition, when we did that combination of local opening a local company and at the same time, having a good experience from IHG, That's what we needed, actually. And then I talked yeah. I talked to him. We we hired him. And then the thing I talked to him with clearly mind, they said I I said to him, I need to be a big a big hospitality and hotelier character assist in in in the hospitality sector in the future. And then I said, yes. I learned a lot a lot from him. We sit together in one office, and then we did the pre opening stuff from engineering until pre opening, and then we did the the opening.

Hael RajabWe opened the district hotel back back in 2019 in Najran City, which is in the South region of Saudi Arabia. It was nearly the timing of the pandemic, COVID nineteen. So Oh, it's alright. Yeah. It was a bad luck, but we we had a chance to to do some slightly changes around the business. And then Mhmm. We now we are doing very well in terms of operating. Wonderful. So

the Future of HospitalityOkay. I wanna hear a little bit more about that later on, but first, I want to go back a little bit more about your passion for hospitality. Can you share with us what it is that you like so much about the hospitality industry?

Hael RajabWell, here, the culture of Saudi people, the thing that I think you you have never heard of it, the culture of Saudi people when they when a guest coming near to their door, they will just grab him, let him sit down at their house, and then just get him Arabic coffee, welcome him, and then do the welcoming things to them in a nice way. And at least we can do a big meal to to them. So, you know, hospitality, it's it's something that's that's natural in our in our characteristics. So while I was in United States, I found out that hospitality, it's the first thing that you tell people about yourself.

Hael RajabYou know? It's a smile. When you smile to someone that you don't know, that's the key of hospitality. So Okay. I feel like you can you can combine the leadership skills with hospitality. It will be the the best combination ever. So if you have a leadership skill and then combine it with hospitality and then go and dive in in the hospitality with the operation and stuff like that, I I I thought that it would match my personality. So, yes, this is about how I how I love hospitality and how what I want to to do. Yeah. You bring a bit of your

the Future of Hospitalitythe characteristics of the people of Saudi Arabia, the the the the the the nature of the people of Saudi Arabia, and you like to highlight that and bring that into into the business and show the people how that's done. That's also how you work with your general manager, how you found him in in in in Lebanon or he's Lebanese. And together, started working. And did he already bring that same feeling of hospitality, or did you did you need to change anything because he's from another country?

Hael RajabWell, you know, it's hard. He was working in Saudi Arabia, but the the the hardest part was moving him from the capital city city of Saudi Arabia to to my city, which is in the South Region. Got it. There is no one is there. Population is only 400,000 in in in Midrand City. So I get to I get to convince him what the hospitality things, you know, smiling and little That's how you use your smile.

the Future of HospitalityLovely. You use your smile. Okay. So that is working out quite well. As I as I hear, can you update me a little bit how your family business is going? I mean, that's not your core business right now, but your dad asked you. You did the job. We will make the connection to what you're doing right now a little bit later on. But how are how are the things how are things going right now? And who are who are the guests? Also, I would like to know who are the guests.

Hael RajabWell, you know, it's a four star hotel and local company that comes it to our to our hotel, Redeous and Blue and other international companies. But the thing the good thing is we are completing very well. Why? Because we do the thing with heart, with our heart. We compete. We don't stop. Now the general manager of the hotel, she's a Saudi lady. She's young, 30 years old, and she went she went from receptionist back in two thousand seven sixteen. Now she's the general general manager for the hotel. She had the understanding of finance and operation and sales, and that that was one of our biggest accomplishments in our in our hotel, where you move someone from basics until managerial sector.

Hael RajabNow, you know, talking about the RevPAR and ADR and the hotel, we are an average with the city and the concept. We are hosting the soccer club soccer clubs football clubs, which is club, which is based in. We host last week, we host Briss briskan Najud bin Hebrewal. She came to do a festival in our hotel on one of our banquet halls. Yes. We have a lot of companies, a lot of pharmaceutical companies and government. We do the ledger. So in terms of guests, we cover all. Why? Because the yeah. City The city is small. The hotel is fair enough to be number one or number two in the city.

Hael RajabA good competitor with a ship ship brand. Yeah. When you have a good relationship with people from government and private sector and stuff like that, You could generate, you know, a lot of cash from their sides in terms of hosting them in the hotel.

the Future of HospitalityWonderful. Like I said, indeed, a good competitor with the bigger brands, you named a few, which are more corporate. And the difference that you make is you do it. This is a family business. It's more from the heart. It's more from the country, from the region. And that's probably also why you get these guests like the soccer club and and and the government. Wonderful. That's that sounds really good. Let's make a little jump to guest in company. That's your creation. Can you tell us a bit more about guest in company? Well,

Hael Rajabwhen I was let me just go back to the last part in in terms of being an assist manager in the hotels. Yes. You know, an assist manager in hotels should be the bridge between the owner and the operating company. Now, in our case, we are the owner company and the operator at the same time. So I had the experience from do two angles where I do this and this. Now I I got fascinated about the s assets management style and and sector in in hospitality and motives. And then I got dive into the asset management. I found that I have a characteristics of of of of business development.

Hael RajabI have I have the business development basics and stuff like that. I have the finance methodologies and stuff like that. Now what I think is very necessary to enhance the guest experience is to having people from outside to do maestry shopping or maestry guests inside the hotel. So I came up with this idea, which is guest in company. We do consultation, and we focus on sending mystery shoppers to hotels or hotel owners or operators. We are still in the baby stage baby baby steps stages, But we we have we have the marketing campaign is ready, strategy and goal, subjects, and everything. Milestone is ready. We are doing a round for investors to invest invest with us.

Hael RajabAnd I think it's very, you know, crucial subject to enhance enhance guest experience in hotels.

the Future of HospitalityWhich so it's it's just starting. You bring your experience and your insight when it become when it comes to asset management and the other one, I forgot about that. Asset management and development. System development. Right. So that's your consultancy business. Who are you targeting? Who are you, yeah, targeting? What's your the the the with which kind of hotels or businesses are you trying to help?

Hael RajabWe target people like us, locals Right. Who don't who doesn't have the chance to go with the international hotels or franchise companies, and they want to operate the themselves. What we can do, we can do the customer experience, you know, strategies for them. Guest mapping journey for them, we can do this. And we can do by sending these mystery shoppers, we can do the consultation for branding and business development. So we are targeting the people. Why? Because we suffer a lot. You know? We suffer a lot in this subject. And now I came up with these ideas to help people like our business family who have, like, two properties or one property, and he own it by himself and operate it by himself.

Hael RajabAnd he wants someone to help him in in terms of guest experience or business development.

the Future of HospitalityWonderful. And your your company is located physically in in in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. Correct? In Riyadh. Yes. Alright. Tell me a bit more about the vision of the Saudi government or the the Riyadh local government because there is like a a vision for 2030 twenty twenty thirty. Right? Can you tell me a bit more about that?

Hael RajabWell, when when we talk about hospitality now, Saudi Arabia is playing a crucial role in terms of hospitality and destinations, Geiger project destinations. And Saudi Arabia now, they have a good experience in religious tourism and hospitality where they host thousand of people and million of people every year annually. And it's it's a hard job, you know, because you have to do government has to with a lot with these things, you know, about hospitality, hotels, and insurance for life for their lives for their their lives and stuff like that. And at the same time, when we talk about twenty fifty vision, Saudi Arabia now play playing a big role to make a very massive destination where it will be world class destinations, such as Al Ola, which is a heritage heritage place, consists of deserts and rocks.

Hael RajabVery beautiful place. I hope you you can come one day there.

the Future of HospitalityThat would be nice.

Hael RajabSure. Yes. Red Sea Global, which is a very nice place near to the Red Red Sea corner. Okay. And then we have Neon, consists of a lot many destinations. So tourism and hospitality is a destination. And we have Assir, which is a city where very beautiful mountains is there. And then lastly, Al Gidea, which is a entertainment destination, and 06:00 06:00 inside this this destination and inside this where it it will be located in Riyadh. All of these destinations, some of them already opened, some of them Mhmm. Are not opened yet. But by twenty thirty, most of them will be ready. People will come and enjoy Saudi Arabia, and you will see a very big different lifestyle in in Saudi Arabia in terms of hospitality.

Hael RajabSo now when we talk about this, these destinations in terms of operate these destinations in terms of hospitality and tourism, government will need people who have who have who has who have highly who who are highly educated in terms of hospitality or stuff like that. So, yes, that's that's the goal or milestone that I'm targeting to be part of the vision of the 2030 for Saudi Saudi Arabia.

the Future of HospitalityWonderful. And this sounds to me that you are at the right moment, at the right place, at the right age, and everything seems to fall together for you with all your experience, your insights, your family family business, and your private business, your your development business and development consultancy business in Riyadh. You are also still studying. Correct?

Hael RajabYes.

the Future of HospitalityAnd where is that?

Hael RajabWell, I I I study global m MBA and global Global hospitality. Yes. Global global hospitality And Lavoche University in Switzerland.

the Future of HospitalityIn Switzerland. So you do that from Riyadh? Or

Hael RajabIt's we do residential weeks, but it's from Riyadh.

the Future of HospitalityOkay. What made you decide to because I know quite some people who study at or have studied at La Roche, so I know the place very well. What made you decide to to go there?

Hael RajabWell, La La Roche was just ranked as the second highest university in terms of hospitality. Very huge, you know, university in terms of hospitality. They're doing a lot of good jobs. And the name of the MBA that I took, which is global hospitality, will move me from hospitality itself to globe to to the globe in this in this sector. Where I found it very interesting, I'm I'm now taking taking assets management courses and hotel valuation courses, marketing, and stuff like that. I think it will move me from big basic points or managerial managerial points to points where I think I will be someone who can take a decision in the country

the Future of Hospitalityand the sector, which is hospitality. That is your Aussie. So you have you're quite ambitious. So that is where you want to be at some point. That's your goal. How where do you see yourself in ten years from now, if I may ask?

Hael RajabWell, as as I mentioned earlier, the places where I work in, in hospitality sector, it's assets management, business development, and guest experience. When you combine them together, I think it's a it will make a great combination. After that, with a financial and some certification that I I can take in the future, I need to be in a place where I can take take decision with the with my government and and and in this sector, is a very unique sector, powerful, and very great great sector. Hospitality forever.

the Future of HospitalityGreat. You got there's quite some ambition, so I'd like to keep an eye on you. I'm great we are connected. And who knows? Maybe we do another podcast in a few years from now to see where you are. So Sure. Make sure you make sure you get there.

Hael RajabWell, I promise myself, and then

the Future of Hospitalitywe'll see. Yeah. I love it. So I am really glad that I had you on our show because you are the first guest on a podcast from that part of the world. So thank you for sure sharing your insights. Thank you for sharing your ambition and the vision of your country by the government, and I really, really look forward to see all that happening. And, we can meet at some point there because, as you said, it's beautiful.

Hael RajabThank you so much for being on our show, Hael. Thank you. Thank you so much for for choosing me as the first guest from Middle East Middle East or The Gulf. Thanks for having me. And, yes, one day, either you visit me or I visit you.

the Future of HospitalityWonderful. Alright. Thank you.