Yasir, our hearing and speech impaired shoe shine butler is the staff member most often mentioned in our guest comments, as he is the first and the last person many of our guests see when arriving and departing from the hotel lobby, where he sits regally throughout the day on his Rosewood throne, waiting for the next recipient of his big smile and his highly “polished” shoe shine routine.
He came to us after years of trying to find a meaningful job elsewhere in Karachi, but due to his disability, (he is completely deaf and cannot speak) no one would hire him, as is the case for many other physically challenged job seekers in this country, where millions of hale and hearty souls also remain unemployed.
We never had a shoe shine service in the lobby previously, but Yasir was so engaging and so lively, we thought we would kit him out with a set of fine brushes, and a proper shoe shine chair and footstool, and since then, he has become an integral part of our Guest Service Team, handing out welcome drinks, assisting guests with their luggage, opening doors, and of course shining lots of shoes.
Yasir arrives very early each morning in time to offer a free shoe shine to guests on their way to breakfast; slipping soft slippers on to their feet while he takes their shoes off in a basket to receive his special treatment, which includes a final swish of musky fragrance inside each shoe, the recipe of which is as closely guarded as the recipe for his famous Cinnamon iced tea, served up to his guests as he brings tired shoes back to life.
The success of this somewhat unusual HR (Human Relations) program encouraged me and my very active CSR (Corporate Social Repayment) team to launch an initiative amongst the hotel community here in Pakistan, called SHINE, which aims to ensure that each hotel in the major cities voluntarily hires someone just like Yasir, who is either hearing or speech impaired, or physically impaired in some other way, either as a doorman, shoe shine butler, or as a car washer and waxer, or indeed for any other suitable service front of house or back of house role where they will also get an equal opportunity to shine, and to earn not only a fair salary, but also more importantly, self respect, which for many of us, able bodied or disabled, only comes through meaningful work.
So far the response from my fellow hoteliers has been encouraging; with five hired already, and our sub contracted car valet company also offering to hire another two unemployed hearing and speech impaired young fellows, not to drive our guests’ cars, but to wash them, and to act as keys handlers and greeters.
But just imagine what would happen if every hotel around the world could do the same, and give others like Yasir a chance to SHINE, not by law, but by choice, wouldn’t it become a more “polished” and truly hospitable habitat for all of us?
About the author
Gordon James Gorman, General Manager Avari Towers (since 2006)
Gordon James Gorman has spent more than 40 years in the international hospitality industry, starting his journey at the Heart of Midlothian Football Club in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1972, not on the soccer field, but in the kitchens of their fine dining restaurant as an apprentice chef, later working his way up to the position of General Manager via stints at leading hotels in Glasgow, London, Paris, Rome, Nairobi, Mombasa, Abuja, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Hua Hin, Bahrain, Riyadh, Seoul and Karachi, with leading international brands that include Rosewood, Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Dusit, Accor, Hilton and most recently with Avari International Hotels in Karachi Pakistan, where he has spent the last six years.
He is an active blogger and feature writer for HOTELS magazine, ehotelier and various other Hospitality industry websites, the founder of FBAT, the Food and Beverage Association of Thailand, a much in demand keynote speaker on the subjects of Hospitality Management, Marketing Leadership and Young Entrepreneurship, and is an active supporter of many local charity and community projects in his adopted cities of Karachi and Bangkok.
His first book, entitled Five Years in Pakistan, Tall Tales of Hospitality from the Frontier of Terror, currently in the process of editing and publication, tells the story of how he and his team transformed the iconic Avari Towers, Karachi, which in 2007 was an uncompetitive four stars hotel, into the city’s leading five stars hotel, over the most tumultuous five years period in the nation’s history.
On his office walls at Avari Towers can be seen photographs of Mr Gorman, taken with many famous people, including President Zardari, President George Bush, Nelson Mandela, H.M. the Queen Elizabeth, Pope John, The King of Bahrain, President Moi of Kenya, Tony Blair, David Cameron, and many others to numerous to mention, all illustrating a lifetime of dedicated service which continues to this day in Karachi.
