The new name over at Radisson

A General Manager for Pre-Opening is performing his relations according to the Management Agreement which means employing, enquiring and forming contracts with suppliers for services in due course of the operation of the hotel. Basically acting as a Manager on behalf of the management. 

You've got a long career in the hotel and hospitality management sector. What are the two big differences between what it is like in Bangladesh and in developed countries?

The main difference is in resources as they are quite limited in this country and one needs to import quite a few, not only for building a hotel but also for operating it, i.e. operating equipment, food and beverage supplies. Other than that because of limited high level properties in Bangladesh it is also a challenge to find trained or qualified staff.

Why hotel management? Why not become a lawyer or a doctor or a mobster? What was your motivation for getting into this field of work?

Pure coincidence. My mother and father worked in this industry, but none of my siblings with the exception of my sister who used to be a very good housekeeper in a five star hotel. Should I have chosen something different, I would choose to be a football player or football commentator – that is my passion.

What ticks you off? What do you look forward to when you wake up in the morning? 

What motivates me is achieving the daily agenda. I like people working relatively free of constraints, but if doesn't move forward it demotivates me. I really look forward to seeing people develop and grow.

We all face one or two things that make us wish we could teleport elsewhere. Leaders hate things too but face have to face them anyway. What's the toughest part in this line or work? 

Toughest part is to see the team not acting as a team. It's frustrating to see people not using common sense.

You've been all over the globe. Aside from Bangladesh, which destinations stand as hotspots for those interested in this career?
There is no specific hotspot; the world of hospitality is so different from place to place, from Europe to Asia. I think there are more five star hotels in Asia than in Europe because Europeans are more focused on saving, so there are less people working in the hotel industry in comparison to here.

Do you have plans for opening up your own winery? We see you've listed wine as your major interest. Would you ever consider being a bartender?

No. Even though I like wine and I have studied wine, I don't find it necessary to open a winery. Why open a bookstore when you have a library? 

If you were to be graduating from a hotel school in 2015, what would be your next step?

The first thing you need to do after graduating is to get into an apprentice program. It takes about two years and you should work in every department in a hotel. Apprenticeship is very important if you want to be a hotelier. So you specialise in all departments normally after or before your graduation. There's nothing more to do after graduation. It's all practice, practice, practice.
What do you think should be the top three personality traits for becoming a successful hospitality management professional?
I always say the three things you need to possess to be a good leader are: 1) knowledge – you  need to know what you are talking about, if you don't know then you need to continue to study; 3) creativity – you need to be open minded or creative - some people can be very knowledgeable but without creativity or being open minded knowledge alone will not help; 3) leadership skills – if you can't listen to people then you won't be able to communicate, and you need to be able to communicate with everyone.

Is there a rule of thumb for tipping the hotel staff?

In my world I give tip based on the service. It's different from place to place as different countries have different rules.

So, what is next for you?

For me next is to turn this hotel operationally as good as our brand standard, and we will see from there.