The Qaryat Al Beri complex's new F&B director, Ahmed Issa. The Qaryat Al Beri complex's new F&B director, Ahmed Issa.

HME.com speaks to Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri’s new complex director of F&B Ahmed Issa — in charge of food and beverage operations across the Shangri-La Hotel, Traders Hotel, Shangri-La Residences and The Villas by Shangri-La, all located within the Qaryat Al Beri complex — about challenges of the role, Gourmet Abu Dhabi, and his belief in the capital emirate's future as a culinary haven...


You’ve been with Shangri-La for a number of years; what is it about the brand that appeals to you?

There are so many things! I think it comes down to the really the strong brand culture. You’ve got many five-star luxury brands around in this market, but at Shangri-La it’s really focused on the core values and delivering service from the heart, recognising the needs of the guests and delivering.

And while other brands might have the same basic structure as us, what makes the major difference is the staff here: they really believe in the brand and its ethos, which means they are confident and happy in implementing that on a daily basis.

And this culture of honesty and respect isn’t just for the guests — it’s about how the team members interact as well, on a daily basis.


Have you come across any particular challenges in your first couple of months in this role?

One of the challenges I have been careful to address is keeping the team motivated.

When you get a new leader, it is a crucial time; as the newcomer, I have to be there to support my team.

But I do have a slight advantage here, as I was at Shangri-La for pre-opening, so there are still many here who I was actually involved in hiring, which has helped to create a healthy start.

Personally, I find the most exciting element of this new role to be the challenge of how we remain consistent in our F&B offerings and continue to surpass guest expectations.

There are plenty of hotels and outlets that have opened over the past year in Abu Dhabi, so guests here have a huge amount of choice.

But when you have competition, there are two ways to look at either: either you stress yourself and drown in worry, or you take it as a positive thing that makes you stronger.

Here at Shangri-La, we take the second route: competition is positive for the destinations, it keep us alert and on our toes, and it ensures we don’t get complacent in delivering a top experience to our guests.

You can get good food or good service anywhere; what makes a difference is the experience; and we deliver on this through focusing on personnel, training, and on making sure we have a value-for money offering.


What plans do you have for the complex’s F&B portfolio?

We have no plans for new concepts right now, but of course we will have a lot of things going on across the complex.

So the plan is for the focus to be on offering a great experience at all our outlets.

For example, for Valentine’s Day we have a fantastic package for villa stays, where guests are picked up by a limo, they come to the hotel, they can have dinner on the beach catered for by a dedicated chef and waiter, followed by an amazing breakfast in the morning, a spa treatment — the works.