Could you give us some historical background on the Sheraton Hotel and Towers here in Tashkent?
Our hotel resumed operations in August 1999, but the first customer we received was on October 14th, 1999. Since then we are operating in Tashkent as one of the leading hotels.
What is the current state of the tourism sector in Uzbekistan?
As far as I am concerned, the tourism in Uzbekistan is very promising and is actually booming, and nowadays I have noticed that tourists from all over the world, mainly from Europe, are coming to Uzbekistan. Our tour operators started including Uzbekistan in their packages . We noticed that the flights from Europe to Tashkent are mostly fully booked.
Sheraton is a very well known brand, could you tell us about the hotel in Tashkent, about its operation, facilities and different services?
Sheraton has 251 rooms including all the suites. We have different types of restaurants, an indoor pool and two outdoor swimming pools, a fitness center which is fully equipped, Turkish bath, sauna, business center, 24 hours room service, fully equipped laundry and dry cleaning facilities, a huge landscaping area, tennis courts - most of the 5 star facilities. We also have a shuttle service to the airport, daily tours to Tashkent, a travel service office and boutiques in the lobbies. In other words we try to fulfill all the needs of our guests.
The Sheraton Tashkent hotel puts into consideration the royalty of the customers to the first place and to bring a friendly atmosphere. I think we have succeeded it somehow and created a casual atmosphere in the hotel. Most of the guests' comments that come to my office are mainly about that customers enjoyed staying at the hotel, and that our associates are friendly.
Being a new player, what are the guidelines of your marketing strategy ? What is your position towards the Intercontinental Hotel, which has been operating for much longer?
I believe that competition is healthy and the World Investment News Ltdr is the customer. I love competition, which makes me always active and alert. For the coming few years there will be a greater demand for the hotel rooms due to the fact that tourism is booming and there is a healthy economic situation. As I said the World Investment News Ltdr is the customer, and the World Investment News Ltdr is the one who knows how to manage and tackle the market.
Our strategy as of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts is to open more hotels in different destinations in the country like Samarkand, Khiva, Bukhara because as I said the demand is there and this is the long term plan for our company. There are many historical sights in the country and the people are very interested in visiting the Silk Road and to reactivate its history. We are already conducting negotiations of opening a hotel in Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara as well.
What measures have you taken to improve the quality of your service?
We conduct continuous training mainly for the local associates because the future is for them not for expatriates. As far as I note, they are willing and eager to learn and we, as international management companies, should give them a chance and this is what we do. This will help to improve our services and help the local caliber. So training, training and training…
| How many employees do you have?
We have 300 employees. We try to explain to the young employees how important it is to join the tourism industry, and how important it is to work in the hotels; somehow, I believe we succeeded in making them acquainted with the importance of working at the hotels.
What final message would you address to our readers, all potential investors?
I believe that the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan issued at the beginning of June is very healthy and it is a very good step towards opening the economy. In fact, I was the first one to use exchange from the bank and I was very happy to have this. What I note is that most foreigners are happy and their comments are very positive on this decree. It will also encourage investors to come and start doing business here in Uzbekistan. The president and the government are working very hard towards opening the economy
You just said that the government is trying to attract more and more foreign investors from different countries and the objective of our report is to attract foreign investors into the country. What would be your final message to our readers which are potential investors?
My message to the investors is that they should come to Uzbekistan, which is a virgin country. There are a lot of opportunities to invest in the country and make money. For instance, if you take the agricultural sector, it is the best I have ever seen. Fruits and vegetables are really one of the best. The lands are huge and the real estate is readily available. Factories can export to the Gulf countries, which are very near and which provide plenty of opportunities. I think the investors should start acting now and should not delay.
If we may ask you a more personal question, what has been your professional bakground in the tourism industry?
As for myself, I'm Egyptian. I have been working in the hotel industry since 1965, for the last 35 years. I started working as a hotel porter when I was 18 in a small private hotel in Cairo. Then I graduated the Hotel Industry Institute in 1970. After that I joined the Sheraton Hotels. Since then I have been working for Sheraton for the last 30 years. I've been serving Sheraton hotels in the Gulf and in Saudi Arabia where I served as the Area Manager for Sheraton, and then I was transferred to Uzbekistan. I have been travelling to most of the European countries and all over the world and I'm happy to serve in Uzbekistan.
NOTE: World Investment News Ltd cannot be made responsible for the content of unedited transcriptions. |
