How did you start your career with Kempinski?
I started my career with Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay as a waiter back in 2014. I was very excited to contribute to an international brand with such a rich history. From the beginning, my first goal was to learn how to become a true professional hotelier. Over the years, I have learned the basics as well as advanced knowledge around F&B, how small details can add to enhancing guest experience, and how to support guests in their choice of wine or digestives. With each promotion, I have gained additional tasks and responsibilities until in 2020, I started my role as Assistant Outlet Manager at Al Mar restaurant. Since then, I continued to gain experiences, continuing to grow with new challenges and tasks. I am looking forward to what my future within Kempinski holds next.
What’s the best part of your property?
The best part of Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay is that I feel like we are not only working together as colleagues, but rather supporting each other as a family. I know that my peers are always there for me and it feels good to come to work with a highly motivated and friendly team every day. Everyone is providing service from their heart. Hospitality is not only a tool for us, but rather comes with Egyptian heritage and culture. It really does bring us personal joy to simply make a guest happy.
One hidden treasure at our property is the magical sunset of Soma Bay. We have created a wonderful USP around the sunsets with our Sundowner event with live music four times a week. With this, our guests are able to watch the sun set behind the Red Sea mountains while enjoying their favourite cocktails served by the team. It feels great to be able to add value to such an experience.
What has the workplace been like at Kempinski?
I’ve only ever worked in Egypt, my home country, and Kempinski being my first workplace, I do hold a lot of memories here. I have always felt supported from the beginning of my journey and feel that I have grown with the company. To some extent, Kempinski has become my second home and I feel great loyalty towards it.
From just an 18 year old teenager to a fully professional hotelier, working here has enabled me to grow and learn every day on a professional and personal level. Turning 27 this year, my young adulthood has been greatly characterised by the brand. My favourite moment was when I received the 5 years’ loyalty award. It was a great surprise as well as a wonderful sign of appreciation. It served as a great tool of motivation and I felt the acknowledgement from my peers and superiors.
I am very proud to be part of this team. Some of my colleagues have been working with me since day one, others have joined later along my journey. Overall, I share beautiful memories with each and every one of them. My proudest moment with the Kempinski family has been after the preparation for Christmas and New year’s. All the hard work has paid off due to our guests’ satisfaction and happiness, and it was such a rewarding moment for us to see what we can achieve together, even when things aren’t easy.
It is great to see how my tasks and responsibilities are constantly growing. The Al Mar restaurant is usually an outlet for poolside lunch. However, we have recently introduced a new concept where guests can dine and enjoy a poolside dinner once a week from a Mediterranean a la carte menu. Providing a great service by day while also enchanting our guests with a new dining experience has definitely been one of my recent highlights. The atmosphere and expectations in the evenings is unquestionably different. It has been a pleasure to be part of this new journey of the restaurant and I am looking forward to what else is to come.