In today’s globalized era, the respective hospitality industry is the backbone of every country’s cultural identity. The hospitality sector in itself is the conglomerate of a united whole of regional diversity, social milieu, traditional warmth and historical significance. It all gets reflected in the emergent modern leadership particular to every region.

In the case of the Middle East, this quality is upheld by the most elite general managers, who are redefining the fabric of hospitality in the present and for the future.

In this league, as a Radisson Hotel Group Employee, that is, the General Manager of Radisson Blu Resort, Jizan, Sulaiman Okairy shines brightest like a star with his leadership philosophy of ‘Yes I Can!’

From Dreams to Direction: A Saudi Visionary’s Rise in Hospitality

Prior to his journey with Radisson Hotel Group, Mr. Okairy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and, a Minor in Marketing and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, both degrees from the University of Southern Indiana in the United States.

He started with RHG in 2018 as a Sales Executive in the Sales & Marketing department, supporting the hotel to enhance its direct business through Government and Corporate accounts.

Through his first year, the industry was new to Mr. Okairy and interesting at the same time. It was also a new field for Saudis as it was not one of the industries that people used to work in.

Navigating the New: Breaking Boundaries in a Nascent Industry

As he went through the first year, he gained good knowledge and skills as a new joiner in the industry. The beginning of the second year was more intense and more focused, especially after Mr. Okairy was promoted to Sales Manager.

He started engaging himself more in the commercial aspects of the industry to have a full understanding of the workable strategy that he was implementing to help the hotel gain revenue and hence gain its profitability through all the available resources.

In the same year, Mr. Okairy got a certificate from a prestigious institute in the U.S. which is AHLEI, an institute that was founded in 1953 in Orlando, Florida, United States. He earned the Certified Hospitality Sales Professional (CHSP) designation after passing an intense exam. He also started working with the Director of S&M on his leadership skills to be ready for the next role.

Climbing the Ranks with Purpose and Precision

A year later, Mr. Okairy was promoted to Assistant Director of Sales, helping the Director to manage the team and make sure the department was performing well and implementing the strategy to achieve and even exceed the budgeted revenue for the hotel.

He gained a extensive knowledge and skills and even engaged himself with the operational departments, especially after he started being a manager on duty several times during the months.

Once he passed his third year, Mr. Okairy got a promotion to be a Director of Sales at the same hotel. Later that year, he got a scholarship from the Saudi Ministry of Tourism to study Les Roches, which is one of the top hospitality schools in the world.

The Scholar and the Strategist

At the same time, he was nominated and selected to participate in the Accelerate GM program that RHG introduced to develop its high-potential employees to become General Managers in One Year time frame.

RHG selected 20 participants from its hotels around the world, and Mr. Okairy was one of the first-ever groups of the Accelerate Program. The next year, which is 2023, was full of achievements as he finished the Accelerate Learning program in June in Madrid, Spain.

Then, Mr. Okairy graduated with an Executive Master in International Hotel Management from Les Roches in September in Marbella, Spain. He also began the practical component of the Accelerate program in Manchester, UK. It was a great experience to work with an experienced GM in a different market with different clientele, which gave me a different view of the industry.

At the end of 2023, he finished all the requirements of the Accelerate program. He became a General Manager of Radisson Blu Resort, Jizan, in January 2024, which Mr. Okairy continues to date.

Yes I Can: The Mantra That Built a Leader

Along with his mantra, some key values and visions guide his management philosophy in today’s rapidly evolving hospitality landscape. As a Radisson Hotel Group Employee, his long-term vision is to be the company of choice for guests, owners and talent. Whenever a guest plans a trip, an investor or owner is thinking of a partner, or whenever someone is looking for a career in the hospitality industry, they will all think of Radisson Hotel Group first.

“So, we have our own beliefs as we work with RHG, which guide us to be different from all other companies in the industry. Our beliefs are the following: We deliver memorable moments every day, everywhere, every time, and we enjoy serving with our “Yes I Can!” spirit. We grow talent; talent grows us. We have many minds with one mindset. We value open and direct interactions to build trust. We value open and direct interactions to build trust. We believe anything is possible. We have fun in all that we do.”

Building Guest Loyalty, One Memorable Moment at a Time

Mr. Okairy and his team are redefining the guest experience to meet the expectations of modern, discerning travelers by being proactive. He adds, “We use our philosophy “Yes I Can” to serve them and make sure we make every single stay memorable. We also make sure we turn our new guests into long-term loyal guests who always choose Radisson wherever and whenever they travel. We use our available resources to ensure we meet and exceed our guests’ expectations.”

Mr. Okairy further states that technology plays a crucial role in the hotel industry in general. However, RHG utilizes technology in a way that makes the experience start right, even virtually. “We believe the experience starts when a guest starts looking for a hotel to stay in while they’re away, and this experience would bring a new guest from being a potential guest to being a loyal guest through the online experience.”

They made sure that the guests could find them easily and find all the important information available online to choose the hotel. They also make sure all their online content is always up to date, especially since they are in a rapidly changing industry and surrounded by all events that are going on in the world. They also utilize their systems to ensure a guest feels at home when they’re staying at RHG property. “We use our platform to personalize every single stay, so a guest can enjoy his stay and have a memorable stay as well.”

Sustainability with a Soul: A Business Model that Cares

Furthermore, Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) has established itself as a leader in sustainable hospitality through its comprehensive Responsible Business program, which focuses on three core pillars: Think Planet, Think Community, and Think People. These initiatives are aligned with global sustainability frameworks and aim to reduce environmental impact, foster community development, and promote ethical practices.

At the property level, they have done many activities that align with the company RB program, such as saving water and electricity through simple practices such as using sensors in the electricity switches as they think about the Planet.

Also, when it comes to thinking about the community, they had an activity where the team donated blood to the local blood bank and had an event for orphans during the holy month of Ramadan.

Moreover, for Think People, Mr. Okairy and his management provide training to their employees and as a company, they provide over 1.5 million hours of training with a focus on engagement and professional growth. “We also focus on DIE (diversity, inclusion and equality), which means that we emphasize workforce diversity, inclusion, and equality to foster an equitable work environment,” he shares.

Overcoming Obstacles, One Challenge at a Time!

Reaching where he is today, Mr. Okairy faced numerous challenges. When he started his current role, he found out that some of the individuals did not have a full understanding of the hospitality industry and were treating their jobs as normal jobs, which, in his opinion, was wrong.

“Being in the hospitality industry requires a certain number of skills and knowledge to provide the best possible results so guests can enjoy their stays at our property,” he says. He started focusing on theoretical and practical training. Also, he provided the best practices in every single department to make sure their people got the opportunity to learn and gain more skills and knowledge. Mr. Okairy also had an issue with the market demand as it was not high since the business level in the area was not that high. He started looking at the commercial strategy and made smart changes to make sure they were getting their market share by offering the right rates to the right guests at the right time. They ended up improving their quality scores and revenue figures as well.

They usually collaborate with hospitality schools and universities to attract the best talents to join their hotel. “We had a collaboration with Jizan University and Higher Institute of Tourism in Jizan to attract the best talents in the city,” says Mr. Okairy, adding that they retain their talent through Recognition & Reward Programs such as their monthly gathering, which they call “Employee of the Month “where they celebrate the best two employees for the Front of the House and Heart of the House. “We also have a strong organizational culture focusing on trust, respect, and empowerment across the hotel.”

Culture Meets Commerce: The Art of Hospitality in the Middle East

Mr. Okairy further adds that cultural intelligence plays an important role in in leading successful hospitality ventures in the diverse markets of the Middle East, where there are some influences on business practices and guest expectations, such as cultural, religious, and societal norms. “Knowing the cultural norms such as hospitality traditions like offering Saudi Coffee on our property helped us to understand and exceed guests’ expectations. Also, since we work with a multicultural team, we have to find out the best communication style to deliver messages to everyone and make sure all team members are heard to build trust among them. We also consider local culture when it comes to marketing, so we make sure our marketing materials are meeting the local expectations.”

From Local Talent to Global Leadership

Divulging his plans, Mr. Okairy says, as they are working in Saudi Arabia and as a Saudi citizen, he can see the huge investments and the initiatives that the government is doing, which is supporting Vision 2030. There are some mega tourism projects, such as NEOM and the Red Sea projects, which show the level of investment that the government is making, which will enhance the country’s position of world-class luxury, which will lead to a high demand for hotels and resorts in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, technology is going to affect the guest experience, such as by using data to enhance it.

Legacy Beyond the Lobby

Finally, as a General Manager working with Radisson Hotel Group, Sulaiman Okairy would like to leave a legacy that extends far beyond operational success. He wants to leave a legacy that influences the organizational culture, team improvement and the entire hospitality industry as well. He wants his team to remember him as the GM who invested in the people, motivate them, empowered them and helped them to become the best of their selves.

Also, to remember him as the GM who helped to develop future leaders to lead the next phase of hospitality in the country. Moreover, he wants to leave a legacy as a leader who drove the operational excellence through the team using the available resources.

For the industry, he wants to leave a legacy of a GM who contributed to the hospitality industry through purpose, integrity, and community impact through fair labor practices. “Also, I want to be remembered as the GM who influenced other young hoteliers from different backgrounds to be the best hoteliers in the industry through mentoring.”

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