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The newly-appointed general manager of the Marriott Executive Apartments in Juffair has had a baptism of fire ... taking on his new role during the height of the unrest in Bahrain.
The hospitality sector took a massive hit as tourists stayed away but Sam Van Campenhout is confident Bahrain can bounce back and attract even greater numbers of visitors to the kingdom.
Mr Van Campenhout, 43, has recently arrived from Belgium to continue an illustrious career that spans more than 20 years. Despite the general caution advised by friends when he announced that he was moving to the Middle East, he had no hesitation in taking up the challenge.
He said that he is very lucky to inherit a well-managed hotel that boasts 87 per cent occupancy. Giving credit to a ‘fantastic team’, he said: “I am very positive and spreading this energy is one of my missions every single day. I have faith in the country and the leadership and I am confident that things will get better.
“I am very excited about this assignment because I always wanted to come to the Middle East. I have always enjoyed my holidays and business trips to the region and I do not regret coming here.
“My present challenge is to understand the dynamics of the country and understand how things work here in the people’s perspective as well as in the business world.”
Mr Van Campenhout has been with the Marriott Group for 14 years. One of the main items on his agenda is to launch the Residence Inn for extended-stay travellers later this year. The 78-unit property will be located in Juffair adjacent to Marriott Executive Apartments.
“We pride ourselves in excellent service and it comes with a price,” he said. “We don’t believe that dropping prices is going to attract customers. This is a family hotel and I have both business and leisure customers. Marriott is a brand that attracts people looking for security and a good standard of living.
“We have only one restaurant and do not provide alcohol. As a result it’s a good place for a families to enjoy a meal. It is a friendly place where you can enjoy your time and where kids can walk around if they like. Even if you stay alone, we want you to feel happy.”
Mr Van Campenhout believes that the most important challenge for everyone in the country is to promote the kingdom and tell the world what a wonderful place it is to visit. Appreciating plans laid out for the Airshow and Formula One next year, he said: “I think the drive to get F1 back into the kingdom was a fantastic exercise. I was very sad that the decision was not taken in our favour in the end for a rescheduled race in 2011 but they did a great job of trying to get it back.”
He is now looking forward to having his family join him from Brussels. His wife Gyorgyi is from Hungary and sons Nicolas, 13, and Thibault, nine, are looking forward to joining the French School in Busaiteen.
