The FINANCIAL — More than 40 Georgian tourism workers have moved to the UAE and Qatar to work for Starwood Hotels this year. The majority of them are employed in the service sector.
The FINANCIAL — More than 40 Georgian tourism workers have moved to the UAE and Qatar to work for Starwood Hotels this year. The majority of them are employed in the service sector.
The average monthly salary for hotels’ service staff is USD 500. Accommodation, food and insurance are covered by the employers.
Working in Middle Eastern five star hotels is considered one of the best ways for Georgians to gain valuable work experience in the hospitality sector.
Maia Tsereteli, Executive Director at Key Management Solutions (KMS|Georgia) has been working as HR Manager of Marriott in Georgia. “Jobseekers with experience from working abroad and those with western education are always prioritized when it comes to offering positions of work,” she said.
KMS|Georgia, HR and Consulting Firm based in Tbilisi, recruits tourism professionals for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which incorporates Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis and others.
Sophie Jgarkava, 29, has been working for the Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel, Starwood Hotels, as a Duty Manager since October 2011.
Jgarkava is a graduate from The University of London, King’s College London, with an MBA major in Further Education Management. She has done Master Classes in Communication Art / Public Speaking at Nassau Community College, Garden City New York.
Jgarkava started her career in a small hotel in Tbilisi – Vere Palace – as an administrator and continued her career in London in 4 star deluxe hotel Guoman Hotel / The Tower, a British brand with 17 chains within the UK itself. At the beginning she was hired as a receptionist on a part-time basis as she was doing her Bachelor’s degree. Gradually Jgarkava was promoted to Shift Leader, Supervisor, Night Auditor and later on to the position of Night/Duty Manager.
“After graduating I came back home to pursue my career in the hospitality industry as when I left Georgia Holiday Inn and Radisson Blu were still under construction. I applied for several positions, with no success though. I then contacted KMS and received an offer, which gave me an opportunity to gain invaluable experience full of challenges,” Jgarkava told The FINANCIAL.
“I knew that applying for a management position in the Middle East would be challenging. Being exposed to a day when you have to meet 12 presidents of 12 different countries and 3 sultans was not easy,” Jgarkava said.
As she is the only female at a management position in the hotel, she has more motivation and courage to represent Georgia and live up to the large responsibility.
A couple of weeks ago Jgarkava received the best compliment ever from a VIP guest. “He told me that he would love to see me as a General Manager,” she recalled.
George Arutyunov, 22, is working at Sheraton Hotel Fitness Club & Spa as a receptionist in Doha, Qatar. He lives in the Sheraton Doha Staff Residential Area with other staff members.
“After leaving school in Tbilisi I studied in Belgorod, Russia, the faculty of tourism, specialization in the hotel business. Later I returned to Georgia and continued studying in professional college Ikarus, the specialization of hotel reception. The college hosted the GM of Sheraton Doha Resorts & Convention Hotel, Steven Kalczynskii, who arranged the presentation. It was then that I realized that without experience it would be impossible to find a job,” Arutyunov said.
Out of the total number of Georgian employees hired in the Middle East the gender balance is 50/50. However females are more in demand; in the Middle East women can be served by females only.
“Filipinos, Indians, Chinese and Turks make up the majority of the workforce in the Middle East. Those in top management are mainly from European countries,” said Tsereteli, KMS|Georgia.
“Human resource is the main export of the Philippines. These people can readily relocate and are prepared to live in foreign countries,” she explained.
“When hiring a person our main demand is personal attitude. The service sector requires communicative skills and diplomacy,” she said.
Discussion about this post