AL Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana in Makkah has stepped up its Saudization efforts through its “Duroob” program, the chain's program designed to increase the rate of Saudization at the hotel. Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana, which overlooks the Grand Mosque in Makkah and has direct access to King Abdulaziz Gate, is the first hotel operated by Rotana in the Kingdom. The Duroob progamm was designed to be used in all of its hotels across the Gulf countries. In Saudi Arabia, the program focuses primarily on empowering Saudis in the hospitality industry with career opportunities that also contribute greatly to the Saudization of the local work force. Although Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana already can point to a 30% Saudization rate achieved by hiring Saudis for positions in human resources, accounting, reception, kitchen, restaurant, engineering and electrical, the hotel expects to exceed 45% Saudization by the end of the year. “We are focusing on participants in the King Abdullah Scholarship Program who graduated with degrees in the hospitality and related industries,” said Bassam Khanfar, General Manager of Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana Hotel in Makkah. “We have six of those graduates on our payroll now and we expect to hire more in the coming months.” The hotel's hiring drive was bolstered by an open recruitment day prior to the start of Ramadan, an event that will be repeated during the last week of August. In addition to being a fast track development program that will drive local talent to grow faster within the hospitality industry, the “Duroob” program addresses unemployment among citizens by bridging the gap between local and foreign workers in the labor market. This program is instrumental in helping young nationals secure jobs by providing them with the necessary training and work experience to understand the working environment and be motivated to pursue a career within this industry. Rotana is also expanding its presence in Riyadh with the upcoming opening of Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana, Riyadh, which has focused its recruitment efforts on attracting local talent to the new property. “It is really an invaluable experience to be able to observe and work in a newly opened hotel,” said Mohamad Haj Hassan, Area Vice President of Rotana in KSA, Sudan, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain “New hires will be able to observe and learn about operations from the ground up.” — SG
