Abdul Baaghil, 44, has dedicated his life to making your travels comfortable. As a renowned hotelier, Baaghil has a proven track record working for luxury hotels and now has branched out opening his own firm, Original birth, a company that manages luxury boutique hotels. We got a chance to speak with Baaghil.
Elan: Can you tell us a little about your professional background and how you got into the hospitality sector?
Abdul Baaghil: When I was a child I frequently traveled with my parents and stayed at luxury hotels, that’s where it all started as I was captivated by the environment, human and service element. I then decided that once I finish school I would join a prestigious Swiss Hotel School and pursue my passion and dream in the hospitality industry. I joined the Hotel Management School of Les Roches in Switzerland and continued further with my education at the European University in Montreaux Switzerland and graduated with B.S degree in Hotel Administration. I’ve worked with the Hyatt Hotels and Resorts in San Francisco to the St. Regis. Hotel in Philadelphia. Afterwards, I continued with the Ritz-Carlton company from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to Tokyo.
Elan: You recently founded the company Original birth. What does it bring to the market?
AB: Farouk Tatanaki and I founded Original birth in 2011. Original birth is a hospitality company that manages luxury boutique hotels and restaurants. At Original birth the experience is tailored and personalized to the tiniest detail. The environment could be fun and intimate or a home away from home. A lifestyle company where luxury is only personal we believe everyone is an individual in his or her own way whether it’s a guest or one of our brand ambassadors. We have no service manuals but we do have values and a company culture that we live by and strong believers of service that is intuitive. Additionally, from a design standpoint and culture our vision is to incorporate and name each property to its local culture where the hotel, inherently has a sense of belonging.
Elan: Why was it so important for you to launch an environmentally friendly company?
AB: I believe as a company and as a citizen of the world it is our responsibility to be environmentally conscious and to take effective measures that contribute to the overall environmental initiative. We will include in our programs to create awareness not only in each property but within our surrounding areas too. Many corporations have recently engaged in the environmental initiatives but what’s most important, in this day and age, is not to market yourself as an environmentally conscious company in an effort to increase market share, like many of the homogenous hotel company’s do, but to actually practice that. I call it, “a true environmental revolution a self revolution.”
Elan: You have projects all around the world. Do you have a favorite?
AB: We are a start-up company and we do currently have two projects but in terms of favorite places we would like to be in major gateway cities but equally we would like to have a retreat in the Serengeti or an urban retreat at the Great Wall of China.
Elan: What’s one of the greatest challenges you’ve had to overcome in your business?
AB: Seat warmers and people at higher levels playing the corporate political game rather than delivering the end result.
Elan: What advice would you give to young professionals considering a career in the hospitality sector?
AB: Intuition, passion, persistence, determination and never compromise with the integrity of the brand…always be yourself.
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