Karine Nazaryan – Hospitality Professional / Director at Vostan Restaurant

Karine Nazaryan – Hospitality Professional

You have already a wonderful background and big experience in the hospitality industry, especially managing hotels’ restaurants. Could you please tell us several points about the nuances of hotel’s restaurant manager should strictly follow?
I have a lot of acquaintances asking me what motivated me to pursue a career in the hotel and tourism industry. They would be better off asking me to define the purpose of life or explain astrophysics because there is no clear and certain answer to that question. It all depends on what a person seeks from choosing to work in hotels.
The reasons are just about as vast as the industry and as deep as its roots in history. Historically, people traveled around and just as today the basic needs such as a warm bed and healthy meals had to be met. However, unlike ancient times, the industry has continuously evolved to its highest extents – and with future technologies and resources, promises to innovate more and more with every single client. Whether your corporation needs a 100 person conference room, you decide to go on an exotic honeymoon, or finally take time off with your family at a summer resort, working in hotels requires you – professionally – to ensure that your clients’ wants and needs are met and even exceeded; and unlike past times, they are not limited to just a warm bed or healthy meals. Whoever is involved with this industry needs to understand that keeping up with its current trends is a key success factor.
Another reason is that hospitality requires you to work in a multi-cultural environment. Working in a hotel does not mean that internationalism within the establishment stops at your clients; for the people behind the reception, in the kitchen and at the offices come from all corners of the world and they bring along with them their own language, cultural background, and ideas on how to efficiently work within the industry.
In my 10 years of experience, I had the honor to work with colleagues from Italy, Russia, Africa, France, England, America, Argentina, Brazil. All these people had taught me how to maximize my working capabilities based on their own personal experience within their home-countries; which at the end of the day not only enriched my practical skills – but my knowledge on other countries as well. A key factor in this “job description” is to be able to communicate and work with different people from different backgrounds – as one big team.
The hospitality industry allows you to develop yourself – professionally and as a person. Not only do you improve on the professional skills you already possess, but with time and commitment, you learn others due to the variety of colleagues, clients, and situations that will put you to the test. Various characteristics are required for working in a hotel. These range from soft-skills such as organization, communicating or working in a team; to more technical competencies such as serving, revenue management, accounting and facilities management.
Also, probably the most important matter is that you – literally – take care of people. This is debatable, but my experience tells me it takes empathy and commitment to put another person’s needs and desires ahead of your own – while keeping a smile on your face.
Customers come to hotels for various reasons, but in short, they want an experience. They want hotel employees and representatives to accord their time, care and attention. And just as people differ greatly, so does the care and commitment each hotelier exhibits to his/her clients. Some may settle for meeting the basics, such as checking-in a family or serving beverages at the hotel’s bar, but others will take an extra step and not just meet their client’s demands, but also exceed them.
With today’s fast-growing businesses, more and more focus is channeled towards making a profit, which is the main purpose of business in the first place; however, in hotels the products are not limited to events, meals, rooms or drinks – they extend to service and there is always a way to improve services and our service-industry skills.
Finally, the reason why I love hospitality so much is simple: it’s fun – as in enjoyable. All the dynamics, all the shifting with different responsibilities and the feeling you have when you start training and end up in a managing position, it’s more than satisfactory at the end of the day. And it does not stop with the customer-facing part of the hotel, you have the opportunity to meet and socialize with people representing a wide range of nationalities, in an even wider range of places all around the world.
In conclusion, the hotel industry is a pretty interesting and pleasant domain to get involved in. Like any other job, it has its ups and downs, and that’s the great part of it: there is always a place for innovation and there will always be innovators.

At this moment you are the director of Vostan Restaurant. What difference can you mention between managing the hotel’s restaurant and an individual restaurant in general?
The economy of hotels and restaurants is intimately tied to the tourism industry, to business travel, and to conventions. In many countries, the tourism industry is a major part of the overall economy. The primary function of a restaurant is to provide food and drink to people outside the home. Types of restaurants include restaurants (which are often costly) with dining rooms and extensive serving staffs; smaller, “family-style” restaurants and cafes which often service the local community; “diners”, or restaurants where serving short-order meals at counters is the major feature; fast food restaurants, where people line up at counters to place their orders and where meals are available in a few minutes, often for taking out to eat elsewhere; and cafeterias, where people go through serving lines and make their selections from a variety of already prepared foods, which are usually displayed in cases. Many restaurants have a separate bar or lounge areas, where alcoholic beverages are served, and many larger restaurants have special banquet rooms for groups of people. Street vendors serving food from carts and stalls are common in most countries, often as part of the informal sector of the economy.
The primary function of a hotel is to provide lodging for guests. Types of hotels range from basic overnight facilities, such as inns and motels that cater to business travelers and tourists, to elaborate luxury complexes, such as resorts, spas, and convention hotels. Many hotels offer auxiliary services such as restaurants, bars, laundries, health and fitness clubs, beauty salons, barber shops, business centers, and gift shops.
Restaurants and hotels can be individually or family-owned and operated, owned by partnerships or owned by large corporate entities. Many corporations do not actually own individual restaurants or hotels in the chain but rather grant a franchise of a name and style to local owners.
The restaurant workforce can include chefs and other kitchen staff, waiters and head waiters, table busing staff, bartenders, a cashier, and coatroom personnel. Larger restaurants have staffs which can be highly specialized in their job functions.
The workforce in large hotel restaurants typically will include less workforce than a restaurant can have. Most hotel jobs are “blue collar” and require minimal language and literacy skills. Women and immigrant workers comprise the bulk of the workforce in most hotels in developed countries today. In developing countries, hotels tend to be staffed by local residents. Because hotel occupancy levels tend to be seasonal, there is usually a small group of full-time employees with a sizeable number of part-time and seasonal workers. Salaries tend to be in the middle to low-income range. As a result of these factors, employee turnover is relatively high.

Catalina Susan – General Manager of Armenia Marriott Hotel, Yerevan

Catalina Susan – General Manager of Armenia Marriott Hotel, Yerevan

What, in your opinion, are the main skills needed to run a successful hotel?
First of all, you need to be knowledgeable of all the hotel activities, and this you can get with experience. So, I strongly believe that a general manager should have experience working in different departments of a hotel. So, in my case, I worked most of my career, about 16 years in the hotel finance department, but the last two years I was involved with the work of other departments as well, in order to get more experience and more exposure.
Concerning the skills, I’d say you need to be strong, as there are always various challenges, life in a hotel is not easy, and something inevitably pops up and it needs to be solved.
You also need to be hardworking, as you need to dedicate all of yourself to the life in a hotel because when you try to split it in another direction as well, it gets extremely difficult.
And last but not least, you need to be very flexible to adapt quickly to new environments, people, culture, and if you’re not open to something new, you probably will fail as a manager.
What are the biggest challenges a hotel owner/general manager can expect to face?
To be honest, here in Armenia I face more challenges then I did in the previous hotels I worked in, for example in the European Union conditions, even the legislation is totally different from further east. This Marriott is not an easy property. The biggest challenge, I would say, right now is finding suppliers in the current market, as there aren’t that many options here, and surprisingly for me, some supplier does not want to work with Marriott.
It is also difficult to find outsource companies, which is one of the options for running the property with higher profit. And it’s much easier to work with outsourcing companies and hire them during the high season, and the other seasons you just base your work on your regular staff. Also, it is difficult to work in unfair conditions, for example, AirB&B is doing an unfair competition, I’d say, and a lot of customers prefer to go there instead of the hotels, despite the fact that they have different conditions. A lot of people do get disappointed, that whatever is shown in the picture isn’t a reality most of the time, but still, for the first experience they prefer something other than a hotel.
In Armenia it is difficult to find employees because bright minds and good professionals have chosen to leave Armenia, most of them work in Russia. So, whenever we have an opening, it gets really difficult. Turnover is not so big, but for some departments, like front office, it is indeed very high, and we face the issue of hiring people, training them, and consecutively they do not stay long with us, and instead move to another hotel with a higher position, or maybe another Marriott property. The majority of them say that it is a difficult job, but it really is not, and if you really want to grow in that company you need to start from the bottom.
Sure thing, as a General Manager you will most definitely be stressed out most of the time, but it is important not to show it because you will stress the others as well. And so, I try to keep calm all the time, and you will hardly see me upset.
Please describe a typical day of a general manager of a large chain hotel.
The typical day is very busy, usually, I plan my week at the weekend, but it never goes as planned, I only manage to get some 40% done.
I start my morning in the gym at 6.30, I go there 3-4 times a week, this refreshes me to have a long and busy day. Then I do a touring of the hotel, starting with the breakfast area, talking to the customers, I also come to the executive lounge, where we have our repetitive guests and VIPs, and sometimes I spend a lot of time here chatting with them. Next, I check the conference area to see what the events for the day are, whether everything is prepared, then I go through the lobby area and afterward I spend some time talking to the staff.
One or two times a week I pass by all the departments, I greet the employees, find out how they feel, whether they need something. Whenever we have a difficult or busy day I find it especially useful talking to the staff as they may feel overwhelmed, and while talking to them I try to encourage them and make them feel a little bit better.
During the day I do have a lot of meetings, internal meetings with my staff, like selling strategy meetings, I try to catch up with my emails, but I usually end up doing this after my working hours when I am at home, and twice a week I take Russian lessons, I want to learn Russian, I think it will help me in my future career.
What advice would you give to prospective hotel owners/general managers?
First, they need to pay attention to the staff they are hiring, because it is important to hire the right people, and not to be very “cheap”, because some people choose to go for young and inexperienced staff, of course, it is very important to hire young people to give them the chance to build their career, but it is very important to have experienced and skilled staff as well. Marriott is very good at it, because they bring people from other hotels for key positions, as these people know all the rules and procedures. Also, they need to be patient, in the beginning especially, as it might be difficult to teach all the procedures, rules and standards (if it is a branded hotel), if it is not, you set out your own procedures and rules. They need to pay attention to how they choose their suppliers and be very meticulous about everything, even the smallest detail because if you compromise quality and as a result, the customer isn’t satisfied and their impression of your hotel isn’t good, they are not going to come back. So, I can say that the suppliers directly impact the hotel’s guest satisfaction. And last but not least, be dedicated to your work and be aware of everything going on in each area/department of your hotel, you don’t have to show that you know everything, but it is good to be aware of it. And one bonus advice, try to always learn something new, I constantly learn, I also learn from other hotel’s experiences as well, because we meet occasionally with other general managers of hotels in Armenia and share experiences.
You have experience working in several countries. Could you tell us what is unique about working in Marriott in Armenia?
In Armenia the people are different than in other countries, I worked in. They are very warm, and they have hospitality in their blood, they like to talk to other people. The people made me feel home right away, despite the fact that my friends who learned I was coming to work in Armenia would exclaim, “Where are you going? It’s the end of the world’.
I actually knew a lot about Armenia before even coming here, because I am also orthodox and I knew Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as their official religion. So, I always wanted to come here for a vacation, but I never really had the time. So, I got very excited when I learned I am coming here to work.
Another unique thing is the Marriott property itself it is landmark itself, everybody knows it, it is in a very central position, all the diaspora knows about this property, and this keeps our customers loyal. When you think of a hotel in Yerevan, you think at Armenia Marriott Hotel.
Please tell us when and how your journey in hospitality began.
It started in June 2000, in JW Marriott in Bucharest, Romania (I am Romanian), I started as an assistant of the director of finance after other 6 years experience in other two companies, as I was graduating from university with a major in Finance, bookkeeping, so this is my main field. I worked for almost 16 years in finance. In 2006 I moved to Marriott Warsaw, and it is the biggest Marriott property in Europe with 523 rooms. I was Assistant Director of Finance for only one year, then I came back to Bucharest to take the position of Director of Finance, and for almost 9 years I stayed in that position. The latest 4 years of my career in Finance I was again in Warsaw Marriott, and that hotel is kind of a “ramp”, so who starts working there, they usually continue working as a General Manager, because you learn a lot working in that hotel. In 2016 February I started my first position as a General Manager in Courtyard by Marriott in Budapest, it’s an upscale Courtyard, not a standard one. I stayed only one year and four months there and was later asked to move to my current position in Armenia. And I’ve been here since July 2017.
Please tell us what it is like to be a female general manager in such a heavily male-dominated sphere.
It is actually very good being a female General Manager, and Marriott, in general, is trying to empower and promote women, as they are more attentive to details, they are watching differently than men, and they keep better relationships with guests/customer. But in general, it is a bit different, and especially in branded hotels, there are very few female general managers there.
I myself try to always support not only women, but also man, and wherever I work, I try to push my staff to get higher positions, to inspire them. And I think when the general manager is a woman it always inspires others in the company to raise their ambitions. Becoming a general manager was always my desire, I had the option of choosing to go work for the Marriott headquarters Finance department, but I decided to follow my dream of becoming a General Manager.

Salvatore Casarrubia – General Manager of Opera Suite Hotel, Yerevan

Salvatore Casarrubia – General Manager of Opera Suite Hotel, Yerevan

Mr. Casarrubia, taking into consideration your experience can you share some advice for managing a successful hotel.
First, to become a successful hotel, it is very important to have a motivated and professional staff. As an example, for an inspiring and motivating manager, we can take Jose Mourinho, a famous football coach. Maybe, he is not the best tactical coach in the world, but in my opinion, he is the best at motivating and making his players feel valued and appreciated. Following the same logic, I demand from myself to motivate my employees and put them in the position where they can do their best every day, and that is the way to help and empower them to grow professionally, to have new experiences every day, of course by providing the necessary conditions.
It is very important to understand that it is bilaterally effective both for the company and the employee. As a hotel, you can have the worst facilities, but if you have a motivated staff, you will have an advantage over your competitors with the quality of service your staff can provide.
Today I am more than happy to share my experience with my employees and colleagues, I am not jealous. I understand that sometimes it can be a little bit challenging, like in any other industry, working in the hotel has its ups and downs, but I am not talking from my side as Salvatore Casarrubia, I am telling it as a person with all this experience. I am asking my employees to trust my experience and when I tell them to do things in a certain way, I ensure that it will run very good.
Let me tell you also another thing. The position of a general manager is very delicate, you have to say when something is wrong and it is not personal. My goal is not to please everyone, that’s why from time to time I have to make decisions that some people will not like, but again as they say “nothing personal, just business”. My goal is to make sure that the company is running as it is supposed to run, also, of course, take care of my staff. But I must be sure that they are giving all the maximum for the company. You must be sure they are doing what you require.

You spoke about how you need to treat your employees and colleagues, tell us more about your views on how to treat customers.
As for the customers, my thought is following; never say no to the customer. I used to say to my employees, don’t reason with your pocket, because you never know who is standing in front of you. For sure when a customer asks for something very special, they know that they must pay. That is self-understanding. We should ensure that whatever is customer demanding, of course within the law, we are doing our best to provide it at the highest level possible.
When I came here, I introduced the Latin expression to my staff. “Vademecum” which means “Come with me”. That gives them guideline how I wish they treat each other and how they treat our guests. I don’t like to use the words customer or client; I prefer using Guest. In the past, there were no clients or customer, everybody was called GUEST. You must treat them as a friend, as someone you are hosting at your house. Hospitality is not only a job, but it is also a culture.
I understand that it is not easy, working as a waiter, barista or receptionist, for example, as you are serving people. But you don’t have to be embarrassed because you are serving someone, you need to understand that you are providing service, which is a different approach and different mentality. I can see some differences comparing Armenia and Italy in that sense. Waiter understands that he or she is not just serving, but they are providing professional service.
Speaking about professionalism and different approaches, what do you think about professional education in this industry in our country?
Taking to account the problems mentioned above I think It should be very interesting to have a hospitality school in Armenia. For example, if we discuss the case of Switzerland (the country where I was born) they have mountains, beautiful nature, agriculture, banks but very little tourism (compared to other industries). But they have the best tourism and hospitality education in the world, they have the best private schools for our industry. In those schools they provide education for general managers, financial managers, revenue managers, restaurant managers, housekeeping managers, chefs. They are to pay for that, and when they finish school, they already have work. Young Armenians should understand and give importance to professional education. They have a lot of opportunities and chances to build their career in your country.
What do you think about new opening hotels in the country and their management and pricing strategies?
Yerevan is a very beautiful and welcoming city, and I am very happy with the new opening hotels, but in the same time, I am worried that new hotels are making damping, not all I mean. Damping is very dangerous and could be damage the market, it needs a long time and it will be very hard to recover that. I am not scared about the opening of new 5-star hotels, I am glad about it. Normally, they should sell higher than me 4-star hotel (smiling). My position in the market could be a little bit less comparing 5-star hotel. I took many challenges in my life. I had some losses and wins of course. Here I have a very beautiful 4-star hotel and very motivated, professional staff. I feel very confident that we will make a difference not with our walls but with our staff and service that we can offer.
Tell us a little bit more about one day at work as a general manager.
As a general manager, I can come even at 10:00 am. But I am I usually arrive around 08:30, I am not here just to sit at my office and check numbers from the previous day. I go up to the breakfast room. I am checking if everything is fine and I am having a walk in the hotel to ensure that everyone is doing their job at the right time. It doesn’t mean that I am some kind of policeman or I am checking on someone. The message is that I am here and I give example to everyone by doing that.
Can you share your work experience?
My previous work was a big hotel with 140 rooms and spacious meeting rooms, we had 1500 sqm ballroom, it was situated close to Bologna. It was old, like many Italian hotels. I understood that this 1500 sqm ballroom, can and must be our advantage. In the case of that hotel, if meeting rooms work, all the services will work as well.
Also, I worked in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, in Florence for 3 years and Toscana as well. And I had a different kind of experience. I managed a business hotel, a thermal hotel with a big spa that operates mainly for the leisure segment.
I have started my career in this field in 1993 with a very important chain: Accor. I worked for many years in this chain and it is a very important background. I grew up as a professional with Novotel. I worked for Novotel Bologna for several years starting from the reception. I had a very good General Manager Mr. Paolo Rier, He was the General Manager of Novotel Hotels in Italy at that time. He gave me the opportunity to grow up until Front Office Manager. I decided to leave the Accor chain and continue my experience by myself.

Сальваторе Касаррубия – генеральный директор отеля Opera Suite, Ереван

Salvatore Casarrubia – General Manager of Opera Suite Hotel, Yerevan

Уважаемый г-н Касаррубия, принимая во внимание ваш опыт, не могли бы вы поделиться некоторыми советами по успешному управлению отелем?
Прежде всего, чтобы стать успешным отелем, очень важно иметь мотивированный и профессиональный персонал.
Примером вдохновляющего и мотивирующего менеджера может быть известный футбольный тренер Хосе Моуринью. Возможно, он не лучший тактический тренер в мире, но, на мой взгляд, он лучше всех мотивирует и заставляет своих игроков чувствовать, что их ценят и дорожат ими. Следуя той же логике, я требую от себя мотивировать своих сотрудников и ставить их на те должности, где они могут проявлять себя с наилучшей стороны каждый день. Это способ помочь им и дать возможность вырасти в профессиональном плане, каждый день получая новые впечатления, конечно предоставляя им необходимые условия.
Очень важно понимать, что это эффективно для обоих сторон – как для компании, так и для сотрудника.
Вы можете иметь худшие условия как отель, но, если у вас есть мотивированный персонал, вы будете иметь преимущество перед вашими конкурентами в плане качества обслуживания, которое ваш персонал может предоставить.
Сегодня я более чем рад поделиться своим опытом с моими сотрудниками и коллегами, я не завистливый. Я понимаю, что иногда это может быть несколько сложно, как в любой другой индустрии, работа в отеле имеет свои взлеты и падения, но я не говорю от своего имени – как Сальваторе Касаррубия, я говорю это как человек, у которого есть опыт. Я прошу своих сотрудников доверять моему опыту, и когда я говорю им, чтобы они делали что-то определенным образом, я гарантирую, что это сработает на отлично.
Позвольте мне сказать вам еще кое-что. Должность генерального менеджера очень деликатна, вы должны говорить, когда что-то не так, но не переходить на личности. Моя цель не в том, чтобы угодить всем, поэтому время от времени мне приходится принимать решения, которые не нравятся некоторым людям, но опять же, как говорится «ничего личного, только бизнес». Моя цель – убедиться, что компания работает так, как она должна работать, и, конечно же, позаботиться о моих сотрудниках. Но я должен быть уверен, что они делают все возможное для компании. Вы должны быть уверены, что они делают то, что требуется, не притворяясь.

Вы рассказали о том, как нужно относиться к своим сотрудникам и коллегам, теперь расскажите нам больше о ваших взглядах на то, как нужно обращаться с клиентами.
Что касается клиентов, то моя позиция заключается в следующем; никогда не говорите нет клиенту. Я говорил своим сотрудникам: не судите по внешности, потому что вы никогда не знаете, кто стоит перед вами. Конечно, когда клиент просит что-то особенное, он знает, что должен заплатить. Это само собой разумеется. Мы же должны гарантировать, что сделаем все возможное, чтобы обеспечить самый высокий уровень, что бы ни требовал клиент. В рамках закона, конечно.
Когда я пришел сюда, я познакомил своих сотрудников с одним латинским выражением. «Vademecum», что означает «Пойдем со мной». Оно показывает им, как бы я хотел, чтобы они относились друг к другу и к нашим гостям. Я не хотел бы использовать слова “клиент” или “потребитель”. Я предпочитаю использовать слово “Гость”. В прошлом не было ни клиентов, ни потребителей, всех звали гостями. Вы должны относиться к ним как к другу, как к тому, кого вы принимаете в своем доме. Гостеприимство – это не только работа, но и культура.
Я понимаю, что нелегко, например, работать официантом, баристой или портье, так как вы служите людям. Но вам не нужно смущаться из-за того, что вы служите кому-то, вы должны понимать, что вы предоставляете услуги, это другой подход и другой менталитет. Я вижу некоторые различия, сравнивая Армению и Италию в этом смысле. Официант понимает, что он или она не просто обслуживают, а предоставляют профессиональные услуги.
Говоря о профессионализме и разных подходах, что вы думаете о профессиональном образовании в этой сфере в нашей стране?
Принимая во внимание вышеупомянутые проблемы, я думаю, что было бы очень интересно иметь школу гостеприимства в Армении. Например, если мы обсудим случай Швейцарии (страны, где я родился), у них есть горы, красивая природа, сельское хозяйство, банки, но очень мало туризма (по сравнению с другими отраслями). Но у них лучшее в мире образование в сфере туризма и гостеприимства, у них лучшие частные школы для нашей отрасли. В этих школах они проводят обучение для генеральных менеджеров, финансовых менеджеров, менеджеров по доходам, менеджеров ресторанов, менеджеров по хозяйству, поваров. Они должны платить за это, и когда они заканчивают школу, у них уже есть работа. Молодые армяне должны понимать и придавать значение профессиональному образованию. У них много возможностей и шансов построить своей карьеру в вашей стране.
Что вы думаете об открывающихся отелях в стране, об управлении и ценовых стратегиях?
Ереван очень красивый и гостеприимный город, и я очень доволен открытием новых отелей, но в то же время я обеспокоен тем, что новые отели занимаются демпингом, но не все, конечно. Демпинг очень опасен и может нанести ущерб рынку, а восстановление потребует длительного времени, и будет очень сложно. Меня не пугает открытие новых 5-звездочных отелей, я рад этому. Обычно они должны стоить дороже моего 4-звездочного отеля (улыбается). Моя позиция на рынке может быть немного ниже по сравнению с 5-звездочным отелем. Я принимал много вызовов в своей жизни. Конечно у меня были и поражения, и победы. У меня очень красивый 4-звездочный отель с очень мотивированным, профессиональным персоналом. Я уверен, что мы будем представлять ценность не за счет наших стен, а нашим персоналом и обслуживанием, которое мы можем предложить.
Расскажите нам чуть больше об одном буднем дне генерального менеджера.
Как генеральный менеджер, я могу прийти даже в 10:00, кого это волнует? Но я обычно прибываю примерно в 08:30, так как я здесь не для того, чтобы просто сидеть у себя в офисе и проверять цифры за предыдущий день. Я иду в зал для завтрака. Я проверяю, все ли в порядке, хожу по отелю, чтобы убедиться, что все выполняют свою работу в нужное время. Это не значит, что я какой-то полицейский или проверяю кого-то. Суть в том, чтобы показать, что я здесь, и подавать пример всем.
Можете поделиться своим опытом работы?
Моя предыдущая работа была в большой гостинице с 140 номерами и просторными конференц-залами, у нас был бальный зал в 1500 кв.м., он был расположен недалеко от Болоньи. Это был старый отель, как и многие итальянские отели. Я понял, что этот бальный зал площадью в 1500 кв.м. может и должен быть нашим преимуществом. В случае этого отеля, если работают конференц-залы, то все службы также будут работать.
Кроме того, я работал в одном из самых красивых городов в мире, во Флоренции в течение 3 лет, а также в Тоскане. Там у меня был другой опыт. Я управлял бизнес-отелем, термальным отелем с большим спа-центром, который работает в основном в сегменте отдыха.
Я начал свою карьеру в этой области в 1993 году в очень важной сети: Accor. Я много лет работал в этой сети, и это очень важный опыт. Я вырос как профессионал в Novotel. Я работал в Novotel Bologna в течение нескольких лет, начиная с ресепшн. У меня был очень хороший генеральный директор, г-н Паоло Риер, он был генеральным менеджером Novotel Hotels в Италии в то время. Он дал мне возможность вырасти до руководителя фронт-офиса. Позже я решил покинуть сеть Accor и продолжить свою карьеру отдельно.

The Hotelier LLC presented the second issue of its “Hotelier Magazine” which is devoted to covering the ever-growing hospitality industry in Armenia and not only. The event took place at Armenia Marriott Hotel and it brought together over 130 hotel industry executives, representatives of adjacent spheres both governmental and private.

Catalina Susan, the general manager of Armenia Marriott Hotel, Yerevan as well as Susanna Safaryan, Chairperson of State Tourism Committee, RA spoke of the importance of having such an initiative which would bring together the whole industry and would contribute to its development.

Bakur Grigoryan – F&B Director

“The Leader should have an ability to ‘manage changes’”

To manage Food and Beverage department of one of the best hotels of Yerevan should be very responsible job. What are the most important things you must pay attention in your position?

One might think that good Director of F&B needs to be “big picture person only”. That’s true, to a certain extent. When you’re at the top, it’s important to think of larger goals and not get bogged down in the weeds…
However, excellent leaders take details seriously too. They recognize that they must demand quality work from their subordinates.
Obviously, it’s not pleasant to have to fire or discipline someone, but leaders don’t want to risk one bad apple spoiling the bunch…
Also, is very important to have ability to roll with changes: Change can be exciting, but it isn’t always easy. It’s up to great leaders to remain open minded to new approaches and determine what workplace changes are worth pursuing.
The ability to “manage change” is a desirable trait in the CPI personality tests, which measures leadership potential.

How long have you been already working in hospitality industry?

I had a chance to work and to be on trainings in different Brands not only in Armenia. In 2000 when I stated my career as a waiter in a small hotel, the Armenian hospitality field was not this much popular, but if one falls in love with Hotel Industry it is forever, I think.

We know that Opera Suite Hotel has launched 13 Lounge & Bar in your hotel. Can you please give an idea what is the main accent of the bar and what a guest can find there specific and new?

Going out for nightlife in Yerevan is not always the easiest thing in the world. Our Club card holders will already know, but if you’re just starting out, this could be linked to you as well.
Lounge Bar 13 is an upscale establishment for the people who celebrate the end of their day. From Wednesday to Sunday we provide “DJ music- excellent drink combination” guaranteed formula for the true happiness and success. We practice “face control” to keep the mood of this venue’s organic ambiance for our guest.

Opera Suite Hotel has several bars and restaurants and it is interesting to know whether they have the same menu, or they differ from each other by the types of menus and kitchen in general?

In general, we serve Italian, International and Armenian Cuisines in our Hotel.
We serve international Breakfast with the highlight of quality of used products daily in our Bon Appetite Restaurant in 12th floor. 
In our Lobby Bar menu, we have Armenian, Italian and some International dishes available for enjoyment in Lobby complimented with a very rich selection of drinks.
Our Room Service Menu is customized for guests who are striving for privacy, bearing in mind their expectations and comfort of in room dinning.
Our Sinatra Restaurant is a place where not only locals are striving to experience Italian Cuisine with the best view of our Capital city. It is also well known in the city place for organizing customized special occasion dinners.
Lounge Bar 13 is a beloved place, where residents and guests of our Capital city have opportunity to relax in the end of the day with their favorite drink in a very unique ambiance.

Arman Khanyan – Armenian Concierge Association

Please, tell us about the idea of Armenian Concierge Association. How it started, and what was your vision when you decided to create an association for your Armenian colleagues.

The idea of creating the Armenian Concierge Association was proposed by our colleague from Moscow, chief Concierge of the Hilton hotel Leningradskaya Garegin Avagyan with the support of Les Clefs d’Or Russia. Garegin is an active participant of concierge community in Russia and decided to help us in order to build the same professional community. He has a big project related to the development and popularization of our profession in Armenia. Everything started with a big meeting in The Alexander Hotel, where our team together with concierges of the Best Western hotel had meeting with Garegin. He prepared a presentation about concierge community in Russia and worldwide and also gave us information about Les Clefs d’Or organization. We are looking forward for the huge amount of work to be done in order to develop concierge profession in Armenia and will be pleased to have opportunity to become members of Les Clefs d’Or organization in the future.

Give us your idea and opinion about concierge services in Armenia, how do you see it in the future and what are the specifics, if there are any?

The position of a “concierge” in Armenia is a new concept, if in European countries there are already schools for the preparation of concierges, then, unfortunately, everything is just beginning in Armenia. This is due to the advent of the international hotel Alexander. The international rules state that in any four to five-star category hotel there must be a separate concierge desk. The position of a concierge is very promising and we hope that with the advent of high-class hotels, the concierge culture will develop in Armenia.

In October you represented Armenia first time in Moscow during Les Clefs d’Or event. Please, tell us more about the event itself and about the association in general.

On October 27, the annual Moscow meeting of the Russian branch of the Public Organization Golden Keys Concierge was held at the Sheraton Palace Hotel. About 70 concierges from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kaliningrad, Yalta, Tbilisi and of course from Yerevan attended the event. The conference consisted of several parts, after the introductory word from the hotel management and the president of the Golden Keys Concierge association the floor was given to the new members, who presented reports on the work done and on future plans. There was also an educational part, the first topic “Segmentation of clients in the luxury industry” and a master class on the topic “Trends of the modern tourist”.
‘’Les Clefs d’Or’’ (translated as The Golden Keys) is a professional association of hotel concierges, with approximately 4000 members working in over 80 countries and 530 destinations, in literally every corner of the world. Easily identified by the golden crossed keys on their lapels, these members are an elite fraternity, globally connected, committed to professional development, and driven to setting new standards for guest service perfection. With roots dating back to 1929, Les Clefs d’Or was officially founded in France in 1952 as a not-for-profit organization based on two pillars: Service and Friendship. Before earning the right to wear the golden keys, those who aspire to become a member must have several years of experience as a hotel concierge, pass comprehensive testing and prove, beyond doubt, their ability to deliver highest quality of service.

Tell us more about your work as a concierge, why did you choose it?

The concierge provides the necessary information and fulfills almost any guest request, without considering official duties. His job is to predict the client’s desires, to work in advance. Imagine how difficult this position is! Hotel concierge should know everything. He must be “connected” to hundreds of sources of information. Besides, the concierge should learn about this or that information in the blink of an eye, very promptly.

What do you like most about your work and about hospitality industry in general?

There are some reasons, why I like my work. Firstly, you make people’s day, whether you’re a concierge in a hotel, or a kitchen porter working behind the scenes, every time you come into work, you’re making someone’s day little bit better. Your business is all about people. It’s not about widgets or spreadsheets; it’s about making people happy. Second, it’s creative, as well as being a people-oriented industry, hospitality is creative. You are creating a product — be that food, drink, or an experience — and there’s always scoping to dream up new ways of making it more enjoyable for your customers.
Hospitality industry is probably the only industry that makes home feel a little closer even when you are millions of miles away from home. You get to meet & interact with a lot of people from different backgrounds, with interesting & authentic cultures in a friendly manner. These is some features that hospitality industry has.

What are the main qualities that a concierge must have?

In essence, all human and moral qualities are very important for a concierge, such as benevolence, sociability, and ability to make quick decisions. Also, some other important qualities are stress tolerance and tranquility. The concierge should be able to start a conversation and competently support it, and even more important is the ability to listen and hear the client.

Describe your one day at work.

In a typical day in my position I fulfill many tasks regarding tours, car rent, restaurant reservation and so on. Throughout the day I complete various administrative duties as well, including answering phones, drafting documents and emails, greeting customers, supporting and collaborating with my colleagues. I also provide strong customer service and resolve customer issues.

The Hotelier LLC presented the first issue of its “Hotelier Magazine” which is devoted to covering the ever-growing hospitality sphere in Armenia and not only. The event took place at The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Yerevan and it brought together over 100 hotel industry executives, representatives of adjacent spheres both governmental and private.

Co-founder and CEO Vrezh Madoyan launched the event with his opening speech. He particularly said, “The hotel and hospitality sphere is growing with incredible speed in our country and that’s what sparked the idea of having a magazine which would cover the news, tendencies, the biggest events and what’s important the people that work in this industry”. Hayk Voskanyan, the co-founder of Hotelier, highlighted that their vision is that Hotelier would enable the connection between the companies in the hospitality sphere, which would help them solve issues that the sphere faces more efficiently. Jean Cadars, the general manager of The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Yerevan as well as Gevorg Orbelyan of Yerevan Municipality Tourism department spoke of the importance of having such an initiative which would bring together the whole industry and would contribute to its development.