Wednesday 20 / November / 2024
Muscat: Muscat's first and probably its most iconic international hotel, the InterContinental, recently appointed its first female general manager after over four decades.
The InterContinental Muscat Hotel has been providing incredible hospitality and services in the field of tourism since 1977, and recently welcomed Anna-Marie Dowling as the Area General Manager (AGM) for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in Oman.
Talking to Times of Oman in an exclusive interview, Dowling said she was delighted to be in Oman for the first time and hopes to pave a path for future female leaders in the field of hospitality.
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“Without doubt, Oman is probably the most beautiful country in the Middle East. When I was in Bahrain, where I spent 3.5 very happy years before coming to Oman, if somebody could say to me you could wave a magic wand which country would you like to go to next, it would have been without doubt Oman. So, I am really delighted to be here.
“I feel very honoured to be the first female GM pioneering the way for future female leaders within our hospitality industry but I also think this a great time for female leaders in our business – yes, I am the first here but I will not be the last,” Dowling said.
Speaking about her plans for the hotel during her role of the AGM, Dowling said she has set many priorities but some are bigger than others.
“Firstly, this InterContinental Muscat is just finishing the enhancement of the bedrooms. We are delighted to be bringing the facilities of the bedrooms up to 21st century standard. We know this was the first international hotel that came to Muscat and with great pride we maintain an iconic status as to being the first international hotel here.
“My second priority would be filling these rooms and really working alongside tourism and other hotels in IHG and see what we can do to bring more business into the city and into the other hotels we have within the country.
"So, we are really working closely with tourism authorities and with our regional sales teams as well and we are looking to tap every opportunity where we can bring business into this beautiful city,” she said.
She said that her third biggest priority is to protect the environment and make IHG Muscat plastic-free as soon as possible.
“My third biggest priority is to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect our environment. We have a very high profile strategy about trying to get plastic free as quickly as possible as we can do so within all the hotels in IHG in Oman and that is something that is personally very important to me.
“And my fourth priority is making sure we are developing our talent, particularly Omani talent because it is so important that we do everything we can to make sure that the legacy we leave here is one where we have developed people in all domains in the business. Certainly, I would like to see a lot more senior management positions held by Omanis within our hotels,” Dowling added.
