Jobless - What my Search Taught Me

At the beginning of October 2013, I was in my comfort zone. Steady job with an employer I considered family. Working Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm with lots of time to see family, make plans on the weekend and live a comfortable life.

Despite my level of comfort with my life at that time, somewhere deep inside I was restless. I didn't know it at the time, but now looking back I think maybe I chose not to know it. I had been working the role of Extended Stay Sales Representative for over three years and despite improving my numbers year over year, 2013 had been a tough year. The hotel had taken a different direction in a push to improve the Average Rates and that had made achieving the lofty targets laid out for me a little more difficult. Subsequently I found myself missing my monthly targets consistently which severely affected my motivation level. The hotel had compensated for these higher targets by expanding my job parameters to include non-extended stay smaller corporate accounts. This gave me something concrete to work towards and I will always be grateful for that diversification from which I learnt a lot those last few months.

So when the hammer fell on Halloween 2013 (Oct 31st), I wasn't too surprised. To be fair, the situation was handled wonderfully well. I had never been in such a position before and I feel that all the powers that be at One King treated me with the same utmost respect that I had given the hotel for the previous six years.

Being the positive person that I am, I immediately consulted with Lauren, family and friends and came to the conclusion that this was a necessary change and an opportunity to turn my direction back towards hotel operations and specifically the Front Desk. After taking a couple of weeks to lay some groundwork for my job search I dove into it with the eagerness and anticipation of bigger and better things to come.

Fast Forward to June 2014 and I was still jobless. It was not an easy experience to say the least. I thought that with my educational background and varied experience at One King, it would have been a walk in the park. What it turned out to be was a up and down journey with lots of hours spent alone with just my thoughts. I came to several realizations:

1.   My Education Didn't Carry The Weight I Thought It Did

The five years I spent at George Brown College obtaining my Hospitality Operations Degree were five of the best years of my life. The thing is, most employers while taking it into consideration, cared more about what practical experience I had under my belt versus how many text books I had read. Therefore with Front Desk being my priority in the job hunt, my lack of previous Front Desk experience hurt me.

2.   Job Hunting Is More Quality Over Quantity

At first my focus was sending out as many resumes as possible. I sent out hundreds and not ONE of them came back for an interview request. My search took place all over the world with applications sent out for jobs internationally as well. The day I started to narrow my search and focus in specifically on organizations I wanted to target, my results improved and I began to get calls for interviews.



3.   Moving Might Not Have Been the Best Thing

In January 2014, we received confirmation that Lauren was pregnant and this immediately led to me reconsidering my thoughts about a move out of Toronto. I came close to obtaining a dream position with a terrific hotel in downtown Vancouver doing three interviews with them. This was in February 2014 and with everything that followed during her pregnancy, I am very glad that I never got that position. I would have moved without her initially and not only would it have been tough for her, I would have been extremely distracted in Vancouver and that could have affected my job performance significantly.


4.   Being Creative About My Job Experience

Now this definitely doesn't mean make up my job experience. As I was going for a Guest Services position at the Front Desk and I didn't have any previous actual Front Desk experience, it was critical that I found ways to connect my work as Extended Stay Sales Representative with the Front Desk. The fact is while my job was mostly Sales related, it was a unique market segment to work as it did involve maintaining strong relationships with my guests as well as working closely with the Front Desk to ensure that my guests were looked after during their stays. Convincing potential employers that my lack of Front Desk experience was not a hindrance and that my sales experience was actually a benefit was the most challenging part of the hunt.

5.   Be Truthful to Yourself

December is not the best time to be job hunting and that lull in the market carries over well into January. It was a tough time to search and I was getting no hits. There was a time from mid January through to the first call I got from that Vancouver hotel where I was asking myself some seriously difficult questions. For the first time in almost seven years I was questioning my abilities, my career choice and my own personal career choices over the past few years. Its extremely easy to fall prey to these darker and more negative thoughts that come when things aren't going the way you'd like. I realized that these conversations I was having with myself were necessary. They were difficult questions and in order to move forward I needed to think about them and answer them truthfully.

6.   Support is There When Needed

This leads me to my sixth and final point. I want to pay my respect and humble appreciation to my family, friends and loved ones who were there for me on the darkest of my days. In the end, that was my journey to take and mine alone. However I can point out multiple meaningful and deep conversations with both my parents that helped me get through those moments. My mother in law for the countless jobs she searched for and sent my way. My friends who were behind me all the way whether to boost my confidence or just simply to make me smile when I needed it. My brother for continuing to inspire me on a daily basis. When I needed to escape, he was there. My wife Lauren's continuous support throughout everything. She backed every decision without blinking and unconditionally loved me in the most negative of days. When Vancouver looked like a possibility she was all for it despite being on the most incredible nine month journey of her own with all the uncertainty it brought.

Finally I'd like to thank my baby girl Zahra. Even though she had not entered into the world as yet, she was my inspiration. I can safely say that being off for the first six to seven months of Lauren's pregnancy and having a chance to support and share with her through those times was the single most rewarding experience of my life until that point. Knowing that my efforts were all going towards creating a future for Zahra gave me the best motivation anyone could ever ask for.

I can't wait to see what that future holds!

Till next time....

To Be Inspired Again

I started writing this blog because I was inspired by the word "Service". I wanted to be able to share my inspiration with others or at the very least create some sort of diary of record that might give my kids some idea of what made their Dad tick.

It all started very well however somewhere very early on this blog fell into obscurity just like every other diary I have ever attempted to start. I just stopped....and didn't think twice about it until two life changing experiences that have occurred over the last year or so.

Firstly my position at One King West Hotel and Residence was made redundant about a year ago bringing to an end for me 6 years at what was my first hotel employer coming out of Hospitality school. It was an amicable ending and I'll write more about that in a future entry (not too distant this time...).  After 9 months of job hunting misery (more on this in a later entry too) I was offered the position of Guest Services Representative at the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport and my career was in a sense; reset.

Then more recently I was blessed with the birth of my first baby girl when Zahra Jean Shirazie came into the world on September 12th 2014. This was my motivation...she is my motivation. She will forever be my motivation.

The question is why? What connection is there between my career in Hospitality, the birth of my baby girl and an inspiration to write in this blog again?

I feel that one of the keys to outstanding guest service is the ability to be genuine. Too often have I stayed at hotels and resorts and been greeted with that cookie cutter smile that looks like its been cut and pasted ou
t of the first page of the "Guest Service" manual. Its difficult to trust someone to look after your stay if you don't feel that they genuinely have your best interests at heart.  One of the lessons I learnt from my parents early on in life was to be genuine in my interactions with others. It is a lesson I try to apply to not only every guest who walks through those hotel doors but also with my colleagues, family, friends or even strangers.

Greet your guest with a smile you would give a long lost friend. I actually put myself in the mindset that I know this person walking towards me and I feel this helps. When the guest is talking, take a moment to hear the guest out. Truly listen to what they have to say. If you do it right, chances are higher you will be able to accurately assist the guest precisely with what they require. Don't do it right and chances are they will be right back at your desk with three other issues within the hour.

Is this genuine guest service a trait that can be learnt? Is it one of those things you either have or you don't? I don't know.,..perhaps if it is something that can be learnt, it is a deeper learning. A lesson to be applied to life...Treating others how you would expect to be treated. Or better yet...treat others how you would expect others to treat your mother or father because really there shouldn't be a better bench mark.

It is this approach to my work and my life that I would like Zahra to know and learn from. Be genuine...listen...learn....and you will find yourself halfway to happiness.

till next time...

You know the hotel business can work in diversely fascinating ways. Every now and then you are given the opportunity to experience a moment that can both move and humble you. It is part of the reason I love the work I do.

We have a private tenant who stays in one of the units here at One King West who has a young son who is sick with a life threatening disease. When the time comes for this little boy to go into chemotherapy treatments at the renowned Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, they usually set up base here at hotel until its time for the treatments to begin. He is a bright child; brave in the face of adversity. Intelligent and inquisitive he shows no signs of the terrible sickness that ails him. Instead he takes it head on through the support of his incredible parents.

It pains me to see a child so young afflicted by such stress at an age when he should be out playing with other children. However I am also inspired by this little boy because if he can take on his very serious troubles head on at his age, then I should be able to handle my very minimal issues with no problem at all. It fills me with confidence and hope for the future.

Best of luck little man! I'm sure you're gonna be just fine.


The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is recognized as one of the world’s foremost paediatric health-care institutions and is Canada’s leading centre dedicated to advancing children’s health through the integration of patient care, research and education. They were responsible for diagnosing my brother with his rare genetic condition, Homocystinuria and it was through this diagnosis that Hamza was able to make positive and necessary changes in his life in order to improve his quality of living almost 10 fold in the last 10 years. I will always be grateful.

Richtree - Time for Change?

So I just found out two days ago that the flagship Richtree location at Yonge and Wellington in downtown Toronto would be closing for the next six months. In fact not only are they closing down but the original Movenpick group is returning to the location with their Marche brand. This is an interesting development in a saga that stretches back as far as 1996 when Jorg and Mariann Reichert formed Richtree Inc. in essence splitting their partnership with Movenpick.

I worked for Richtree for over a year as team leader of the Rosti department and consider that year an important stepping stone in my career development. Now while I never had the opportunity to work at the flagship location (I was at Square One in Mississauga), it truly was magnificent. However when looking at the food quality from a customer perspective I find it interesting that Richtree was just never able to maintain the same level of quality as Movenpick Marche had managed to in their 12 years of operation. Even now working down the street as a concierge at One King West, when guests come to me looking for the restaurant, they refer to it as "Marche" and less so as Richtree.

According to a news report by the Toronto Star in March 2009, Movenpick plans to open 10 locations along a variety of brands including their flagship location which will still be at Yonge and Wellington. Other brand varieties include Bistro, Natural Bakery and Marchelino and will each offer a different experience for diners. They are expecting to make up to $30 million dollars a year in sales and are convinced they can lure patrons back to what was a highly successful venture.

The closing of the locations at Brookfield Place will however not affect any of the other Richtree locations currently in place including Square One and the Eaton Center amongst others. This means that Richtree will be in direct competition with Marche for business in Toronto making for a highly interesting situation later this summer. The link for the full article from Taste T.O is pasted below. Stay tuned!!!

Taste T.O. Article

Stonegrill on Winchester: A Review

One of the purposes of this blog, is to share with the world my experiences with quality hospitality environments. Today I'm gonna discuss a fantastic culinary experience that I had the privilege to share with my girlfriend Lauren at "The Stonegrill on Winchester" over the weekend.

Its not often that I go to a restaurant only to be blown away by their originality, excellent service and top quality food. As we drove down Parliament street into the heart of Toronto's iconic Cabbagetown district, I was reminded slightly of why I tended to avoid this neighbourhood so much. The stretch between Queen and Gerrard is run down with no shortage of interesting characters walking about. Yet what a surprise it was to turn onto Winchester st and find a wonderful oasis of a restaurant that shone like a beacon of change for the entire area. After a quick run around the block of older residential homes we found parking easily and headed inside.

I was immediately impressed by the ambiance of the place. The lights were turned down low yet not low enough to be overtly dark. We were immediately greeted extremely pleasantly and led to our corner tables. The restaurant was well spread out and we had a direct view leading into the kitchen where we had the opportunity to send many complimentary glances the chefs way.

The emphasis at The Stonegrill in on taking your time. You order your appetizers and there is plenty of opportunity for conversation before they arrive. The quality of the appetizers was terrific as I had the Sea Scallops which came individually placed over incredible cilantro pesto in little Chinese soup spoons. Perfectly cooked with some ingenious presentation, my taste buds were practically dancing. I think I will go for the tartar the next time I'm there as I am a big fan of Sambal sauce and I don't believe I've ever had quail egg before.

The real quality of The Stonegrill doesn't set in however untill the main course. Now one could do this two ways. Take the safe route and pick from one of their excellent main course items, such as the Surf and Turf burger which Lauren had. The meat had a real homemade burger feel to it and came shaped as a nice big patty. The lobster meat was a garnish on the burger and combined with the guacamole, was just phenomenal. Despite only having a taste, I could have easily gone for more. For the real meat lovers however, The Stonegrill has a selection of fine cut meats ranging from 10 oz AAA certified Angus beef to more obscure choices like swordfish and ostrich. These come out raw sitting on top of a volcanic stone that is heated to 750 degrees. The meat then cooks right in front of you playing havoc with your senses until you decide it is done. I like mine medium and 8 minutes of cook time had the most perfect juicy steak ready to eat with just a seasoning of rock salt so the true quality of the meat comes out. Pure heaven.

Finally you can't have a solid meal without a shot at dessert and my creme brule was very well prepared with a hint of orange jam and cream on the side. Just a superb roundup to a great meal.

Cabbagetown has taken its fair share of stick in recent times, but it seems that efforts are underway to boost the image of this landmark Toronto area. The Stonegrill on Winchester is leading this charge from the front, bringing some quality food and class back to an area that richly deserves it.

Giorgio Armani to open first hotel in Dubai

With all the financial troubles that have plagued Dubai over the past year, they finally had something go right for them. The much heralded Burj Khalifa has finally opened and with it promise of brand new luxury hotel designed by Giorgio Armani. The building marks the end of an era of unfathomable spending by the middle eastern city and also the beginning of an era of serious uncertainty. It is safe to say the glory days are long over. Will they ever return? If so when? More importantly should they ever return? It can be argued that those few years of glory are primarily responsible for the uncertainty that exists today.

I would never have imagined when I left Dubai in 1997 that things would ever grow as grand as they did. Part of me always wishes that I had a chance to see some of it. The Dubai I knew was in no way grand or expensive. It was a good life, yes but in no way grand. I will go back one day and it will probably be one day soon; and even though the Dubai I know is from another place in time, I look forward to getting to know an older, wiser city.



The following article has been taken from the Hotel News Resource:

The groundbreaking Armani Hotel is set to debut March 18 inside Dubai's spectacular new Burj Dubai tower. The hotel marks legendary fashion designer Giorgio Armani's first hospitality industry venture, and is expected to lead the way for several other Armani hotels and resorts in key international cities within the next decade. 'Burj Dubai is a remarkable architectural achievement and provides the perfect setting for my first Armani residence,' said Giorgio Armani of the 162-floor mixed use tower, currently the tallest building in the world. Armani Hotel will occupy six floors of the tower and feature 160 rooms and 150 suites. Despite its March inaugural ceremony date, the Armani Hotel will begin accepting reservations in January at www.Dubaishortstay.com. There, travelers can also pay in advance for visits to Armani Hotel restaurants or Dubai excursions on yachts, boat cruises or fishing vessels. Armani Hotel will occupy a very exclusive place of honor among the distinguished landscape of Dubai Hotels.

The hotel will feature Armani's signature design style throughout guest rooms and suites, as well as the upscale lounge, spa, chocolates store and floral shop. Even if opting not to stay in this world-class Dubai hotel, tourists may visit one of its eight restaurants for a unique dining experience and excellent fare. The flagship Giorgio Armani's Hotel Dubai will greet travelers at the intersection of style, comfort and excellence. A stay at the Armani Hotel is a breathtaking, luxurious experience nestled inside a remarkable tower that is sure to become a top tourist destination. Surrounded by downtown Dubai markets, spas, and sightseeing excursions, the Armani Hotel is a must for any serious world traveler.

Some Hotel Trends for this year

Hello everyone!

Gonna take a few minutes to fight through this exhaustion and make a little post. Have been working mostly mornings this week to cover for my boss. Adjusting to the mornings has been tougher than I thought, as I just cannot seem to shake the sleeping late bad habit. Even on nights I'm out early, I still end up being awake till 2 or 3am. This is as you may imagine not conducive to waking up at 5.30am. So here I sit, tired, frustrated and taking it out on the world around me.

This is me stopping all that and restarting my evening.

*Big Breath*

I know I don't write here to often but I've been feeling the need to lately. I will be hopefully regular in my posting of industry news and articles as well as keeping those interested up to date in my career. Please feel free to leave comments and thoughts, especially on the industry related items. There is nothing like a little good discussion to get those juices flowing.

For today I have a little article by Ilan Blum from the ISIS group. It is to do with some trends that independent hoteliers can use to help them compete with the big chains. Its an interesting read that I picked up courtesy of the Build Your Own Business Simulator newsletter. Check it out below:


How an Independent Hotel can turn lemons into lemonade by Ilan Blum

Before the advent of commercial applications to the Internet, an independently owned hotel was unable to market itself online as efficiently as the large hotel groups and chains. Even though many of the independents have worked to increase reach with their own websites as well as through links to the big search engines, most have not taken advantage of the Internet’s power to level the online playing field.

For example, inventory at independents can go unsold even in peak travel times. This is less likely to occur in the case of the chains. With their websites that show multiple locations within an area where the traveler wants to stay, the hotel chains have set themselves the option to redirect travelers internally.

Because an independently owned hotel is just that, and doesn’t have the advantage of the multiple-choice website, hotel management can find itself unable to move unsold inventory even in times when it should be easy to do so. And it makes no difference whether the hotel’s target client is a business or leisure traveler.

At no other time was this more self-evident than in December 2002, when Manhattan was not just sold out but, in some cases, overbooked. That holiday season brought the first signs of recovery, post 9/11, that the city’s hospitality industry had seen. Still, many independently owned hotels failed to capitalize on booking opportunities when they found themselves with an odd room night here, a couple there, oftentimes because of last minute cancellations.

This problem continues. It exists throughout the year. It is not just isolated to the holiday season. New York, as a city with constant conference and industry convention traffic, is also a favored tourist destination. The city’s hotels can show sold out at any given time of the year.

So what does the independent hotelier do, in peak times, when a prospective guest accesses the hotel’s website and it shows sold out for days that guest is requesting accommodation? How does this hotelier redirect the guest and indicate that there is, in fact, availability on other dates right around the time of that request? And further, how best can he or she be proactive and tempt a prospective guest to make use of the hotel’s unsold room nights?

Utilizing the power of the Internet, their own websites and the search engines they are connected to, there are three easy ways the independently owned hotel can make lemonade out of a lemon, turn problems into opportunities:

1. Pretend You’re Part Of A Chain...
The manager of Hotel “A“should seek out managers of other independently owned hotels, located in the nearby vicinity, similar in quality to theirs. In peak travel times, chances are that Hotel “B” is having problems similar to Hotel A. When a prospective guest gets to Hotel A’s website and sees that Hotel A is sold out for the dates when he or she wants to stay, a text message should appear and inform him that Hotel A is, in fact, sold out but Hotel B is not. On days when Hotel B is sold out and Hotel A is not, it works in reverse.

This is synergy. Travelers are not inconvenienced. They have a place to stay. They don’t waste time going from website to website looking for accommodations. The problem is never a problem. Our traveler ends up thinking positive thoughts about Hotels A and B.

2. Tell The World You Still Have Rooms Available...

Most people know what it’s like to be new in town, need the proverbial widget and not have a clue where to find a store that sells them. It’s hugely time-consuming, a real hassle, to go from place to place to place looking for a widget, especially when you need one right away to get an important job done.

The widget analogy holds true when people search online for room availability during peak travel times. They go from site to site, only to find that there are no rooms available at the hotels whose websites they are visiting.

From the hotelier’s point of view, there might be a hotel with room availability. How can a match be made between the prospective client who is struggling to find a room and the hotelier who is looking to sell his available rooms?

There is a solution.

Search engines, such as Google.com and Overture.com, offer their hotel management customers, who use “Cost Per Click” (CPC) advertising, administrative tools to change text banners in realtime. For example, if management sees that it has availability on December 24, 27 and 31, it can change the text banner on the search engine’s page result to show room availability on those dates. So when a user types in certain keywords (the keywords the hotel has decided to use), looking for a hotel, he or she will see that the hotel has rooms available on the above dates.

Just like the person looking for the widget, the search is hassle-free…and the hotelier gets rid of his unsold inventory.

3. Send Last Minute Email to Last Minute Decision Makers…
Proactivity always rules, but it is key in the new millennium. In an online survey conducted in 2002 by Trends Research, a Greenville, SC market research firm, 84% of those surveyed said they would consider taking a vacation at the last minute in the then upcoming year. 60% said they were more likely to plan last minute travel than ever before.

How did they define last minute? 54% defined it as 15 days or less before day of departure.

It stands to reason then that hotel management should take how people make their travel plans into consideration and send last minute emails (remember…‘last minute’ means up to 15 days before) to past guests, if for no other reason than that they have been previous customers.

A bonus: emails make the guest feel like he or she is special. (Hoteliers should get in the habit of sending emails to important clients on an on-going basis. Never let them forget you’re there, waiting to serve them.)

It seems simple. Act like you’re part of a chain, let prospective clients know what your availability is and remind them when you do.

In the press to keep up with other problems that plague them, independently owned hotels often overlook simple ways to unload unsold inventory. While no hotel is ever 100% booked, there are many days during the year when they should expect to be filled. For hotel management to be able to put together prospective clients with unsold room nights is like making more green lights on the road to a profitable year.

Till next time :)