Shuja Zaidi SHUJA Zaidi, Vice President-Projects KSA and General Manager for Makkah Hilton & Towers, has stumbled into the hospitality industry by “mere coincidence". He was initially trained as a commercial airline pilot in the US, but when he finished his courses, the industry was “going through hell". Shuja joined Hilton Worldwide almost 20 years ago, and has worked in places from Houston and Guam in the US, to Northern China before moving to Makkah 10 years ago, where Hilton was integrating an extra 800-rooms property to its already existing 600-rooms hotel as Makkah Hilton and Towers. Shuja has managed this grand property over the last 10 years and has achieved a lot of accolades and awards. Shuja is now heading Hilton's involvement in the mammoth Jabal Omar project in Makkah, where Hilton is to open six of the 27-branded hotels planned for the development. The first three of these hotels are due to open in 2013. In addition, Zaidi is focused on the company's growth in Riyadh, which will see the opening of Hilton Garden Inn Al Murooj, Hilton King Saud University, and Hilton King Saud University Residence all in Riyadh and are planned to open within the next 12 months. Makkah Hilton & Towers has recently gone through major renovations and introduction of new services and facilities under the guidance of Shuja who has put in all his expertise and support to accomplish all these achievements. Lagenda restaurant with a seating capacity of 260 seats has been entirely renovated to add to hotel's F&B capacity in addition to a series of various restaurants. These restaurants are offering many varieties of dishes ranging between international, Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern cuisines. The hotel is catering for a multi-national mix of guests in addition to live cooking stations in order to meet guests' expectations. Commenting on Shuja and the team's excellence, Essam Abbouda, Vice President Operations, Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean, said that Lagenda restaurant is a unique experience in itself, adding “I invite the people of Makkah and all in-house customers to visit Lagenda restaurant to experience something of a unique taste within Makkah." He added that Al Noor restaurant that serves hotel guests with a seating capacity of 280 seats and that offers all day dining service has been appreciated by hotel guests as well. Another significant project that Shuja and his team have taken on board is the inauguration of the Executive Floors consisting of 76 units for distinguished businessmen and families. This has been coupled-up by a distinctive Executive Lounge to serve guests staying on these floors. These floors have helped in enhancing hotel services that were commended by all the guests who stayed on these floors. Guests' feedback has reflected the desire for such exclusive services that were appreciated by them expressing their gratitude for such gestures. Shuja and his team have succeeded in terminating the long lasting elevators' challenge once and for all by adding three new panoramic elevators, bringing the total number of elevator to 11 elevators serving hotel guests. This was met by expressed satisfaction from our valuable guests. On a separate note, the hotel management has introduced non-smoking floors, valet car parking service, a business center facility, and wi-fi accessibility in hotel's upper floors which has helped our guests attend to their businesses while performing their Umrah and Haj rituals. Another accomplishment is the inauguration of a new lobby, the first since the opening of the hotel. Shuja said “we have inaugurated the lobby which is considered to be a significant leap and a new addition to the hotel for better customer service and ease of arrival and departure procedures." Knowing the importance of training, Hilton Worldwide has appointed a Regional Director for Learning and Development for Hilton Hotels in Saudi Arabia based in Makkah. This is due to the importance of Makkah and its future projects. This is parallel to the emphasis on increasing the ratio of investments to attract the best young Saudi calibers to work in the hospitality field by introducing the hospitality program “Panorama", which aims at discovering talents and competencies within Saudi nationals. Essam Abouda has praised the teamwork at Makkah Hilton and Towers headed by Shuja. Abouda has complimented Shuja's expertise in the field of hotels, and he has singled out Shuja being one of the most successful general managers in the area. “It is no secret that this development and modernization would not have happened without the permanent support and blessing of the chairman and board members of the Makkah Construction and Development Company (MCDC), owning company for Makkah Hilton & Towers, who fully believe in the importance of providing high levels of service and all means of comfort to the guests of the House of Allah," Shuja noted. – SG
