November 2016 47 www.bahrainthismonth.com Burak Olcan Having wanted to be in the hospitality industry since early childhood, Burak Olcan made his way up the corporate ladder to his dream job. As director of sales and marketing at The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel Residence & Spa, the Turkish national harbours an extensive knowledge of the hospitality business with sales and marketing at the forefront of his expertise. “Lots of people find themselves in hotels as a coincidence, but I always envisioned myself in the field,” he says. “Back in my youth, they didn’t have proper institutions which taught what I had an interest for in my country, so I convinced my parents to support my career choice and send me to Birmingham, UK.” Having started off with Hilton Hotels & Resorts, he worked with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group in Saudi Arabia before moving to Bahrain. “Passion is what has held my fascination for the industry. Even though I have to sacrifice some aspects of my life, like social outings and GREAT EXPECTATIONS making time for my family, I love doing this. “On the flipside, this is a social industry and you are always meeting new people,” he explains. The dynamic hotelier has analysed the business sector and praised the progress being witnessed by the nation saying: “Bahrain is constantly developing. You can see this by the airport expansion and surge in apartments, hotels and residential villas, all of which have a significant impact on the economy.” And he’s not surprised since he is much enamoured by the Kingdom and its people adding: “Bahrain is a great place to live, which has been proved by many statistics as an ideal destination of choice by many surveys. I can see why.” Burak feels his job is to serve as the literal connecting point between company and customer, linking message and need. “My priority is to train and educate my team, as well as provide consultancy to our contacts and guests,” he says. “Each year sees new innovations and we have to be in line with all PUJA TIWARI With experience spanning over 26 years, seasoned hotelier Burak Olcan is determined to make a positive contribution to this five-star property. He shares his journey and gives us a sneak preview of all the activities in store for the festive season. the trends. I am continually updating my skill set simultaneously.” Being part of a colossal, international hotel franchise means his second task is to make sure everything goes as per guidelines from the head office.“We have standard operational procedures in terms of sales and marketing, and I have to enforce these and make sure everything goes as planned,” he explains. Of his hopes for the future, he continues: “I am planning to grow in this company, and to become GM is every hotelier’s dream, but I would rather move on to other positions at the corporate level in a different region.” With National Day, Christmas and New Year coming up, Burak adds that life is busy and says he particularly loves this time of year saying: “We have developed a fantastic concept for the festive season, kicking it off with a Christmas tree lighting first and a gingerbread house competition. “A National Day brunch, Christmas brunch and dinner and a New Year’s Eve ball will ensue soon after.”
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