Priceless Advantages: Why We Need To Nurture Emirati Talent In The Hospitality Industry

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You’re reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

As the founder of a homegrown hospitality consultancy brand, nurturing Emirati talent within the sector is a subject that is of the utmost importance to me. Indeed, at my enterprise, Ròya, we do all we can to encourage more Emiratis to take up positions in the hospitality industry.

Dubai is home to one of the most dynamic, growing, and ever-changing tourism and hospitality sectors in the world. The Emirate boasts almost 800 premium hotels suitable for travelers of all tastes and backgrounds, and new destinations continue to open on a regular basis.

In these 800 hotels, I would like to see at least 800 Emiratis taking on managerial positions.

Currently, we are a long way away from achieving that figure, and I hope more hotel operators will do more to attract, train and up-skill local talents. After all, the benefits of hiring local Emiratis are endless.

Hotels can benefit considerably from their knowledge of the UAE, and their understanding of its culture, heritage, and traditions. Guests will immediately notice and appreciate their unique bond with their home country, and their genuine passion and love for it.

Few things make me happier than seeing Emirati employees sharing tales and stories about the UAE with guests. I have no doubt that Emiratis are the best people to showcase the fascinating history, customs, art, and landscapes of the UAE, and highlight its unique charm to the rest of the world.

Hiring Emirati nationals also gives a venue a sense of authenticity that cannot be achieved through hiring expat professionals. For example, the hotel concierge is one department that would particularly benefit from hiring local Emirati talents. After all, the concierge should be able to expertly inform guests about the local area. Emiratis would be able to do this with ease, and provide a true representation of the seven emirates.

However, I have seen cases where the hotel concierge team members are all new to the UAE, and sufficiently lacking in knowledge. In these cases, the concierge has no choice but to gather all their information on the UAE from the internet. This isn’t delivering the service that guests expect from a five-star hotel.

Empowering the next generation

Ròya International prides itself on being a springboard for promising hospitality professionals who are just starting out in their career. Many former Ròya International employees have been picked up by major international conglomerates such as Marriott, IHG, PWC, JLL and Knight Frank. I am extremely proud of our position as a world-leading incubator for hospitality talent, and one way that nurtures the next generation of hospitality leaders is by offering internships to recent graduates.

We launched our international internship scheme in 2015. Through this program, we take on graduates from the world’s top hospitality schools in Switzerland and France, and give them the opportunity to shadow and learn from Ròya employees.

It has been such a huge success that we decided to expand and launch a similar internship initiative in the UAE in 2022. Now, talented Emirati graduates from Abu Dhabi University, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, and other local educational institutions can also gain first-hand experience and on-the-job training with Ròya International. We receive great feedback from those who take part in the program, and numerous interns stay on with us afterwards as full-time team members.

This partnership with UAE universities is a powerful tool that allows us to make strides towards encouraging more Emirati talents into the hospitality industry. I would also like to see more young people from other Gulf countries entering the sector, too.

In addition to Ròya’s International Scheme, the homegrown hospitality consultancy will soon launch its transformative Program to Accelerate Impact in Ròya (PAIR), which is aimed at nurturing both Emirati and expat talent.

In today’s competitive global landscape, empowering the next generation is crucial for the progress of enterprises. PAIR combines practical experience with comprehensive learning, providing a unique opportunity to shape individuals’ careers, and accelerate their impact. Emirati participants gain practical skills, exposure to industry best practices, and a deep understanding of the hospitality sector, enhancing their employability, and empowering them as future leaders in the UAE’s sustainable development.

At the same time, for expat talent, the program fosters a dynamic and inclusive environment, enabling career growth and providing insights into the region’s cultural nuances, while equipping participants with a global mindset. PAIR thus promotes cross-cultural collaboration, fostering diversity appreciation and unity among participants, contributing to the UAE’s inclusive society.

By empowering the next generation through PAIR, Ròya International is paving the way for talent development and success in the hospitality industry. This transformative initiative offers practical skills, industry exposure, and career growth opportunities for Emirati and expat participants alike, while fostering cross-cultural collaboration and shaping future leaders.

Hiring and retaining the right people

Of course, you should never hire a hotel employee based on their nationality alone.

While all Emiratis may bring useful in-depth knowledge of the local area, it’s also essential to ensure that they possess all the required skills, and that they match your brand and ethos. When you do find the perfect team, you then need to make sure that you retain them, and look after their best interests.

Over the past 25 years, Ròya International has expanded from a team of just two hospitality experts, to over 50 experienced professionals spread across our regional offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Riyadh. Many of our employees have been with the brand for as long as 10 to 18 years, and this is testament to the healthy, inspiring and motivational working environment that we provide.

We put great emphasis on training and mentoring our junior members of staff, as well as employee wellness and happiness. All these things are essential if the UAE wants to attract more Emirati talents into the hospitality sector. After all, when your team feels valued and appreciated, they are more motivated to achieve better results, and stay with your property for the long term.

An exciting time for UAE hospitality

In my 25 years in hospitality operations, I have never seen a more exciting time to work in hotels or restaurants in the UAE.

As the Gulf nations continue to diversify their economies away from oil, I believe that more and more focus will be put on hotels, restaurants, and tourist destinations. Great things lie in store, and all of us in the hospitality industry should ready ourselves for some very busy, yet thrilling, years ahead.

We must work together to showcase the UAE as one of the globe’s most desirable tourism and business destinations. To do this, we need to focus on recruiting more Emirati and Gulf talents into the industry, be willing to adapt and evolve along with new trends, and continue to offer flawless, 360-degree services for visitors and residents from across the world.

This article is from Entrepreneur.com