Adagio and Ibis Doha recently appointed Rajiv Tarcar as the new General Manager.
With more than 20 years of experience across three continents fulfilling various senior leadership roles in the hospitality sector, Rajiv Tarcar has worked with international brands such as Marriott, Intercontinental, Premier Inn and now Accor. Due to his flawless track record in Qatar, Rajiv was featured in the Top 100 General Managers Power List 2021 – one of only five GMs from Qatar to make it onto the illustrious list.
Rajiv has an Honours Degree in Hospitality Business Administration from Les Roches in Switzerland, which is known to be one of the top three hotel schools in the world. He also has several advanced certifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in the UK.
Over the last 12 years, his focus has been mid-scale and economy hotels which are low investment, easier to set up, and have a high return of investment. A growing segment of customers are now diverting to high quality mid-scale hotels as their customer service tends to be top-notch and their design quotient is high, offering great value for money.
Rajiv has successfully led seven pre-opening hotel projects in the UK and in Qatar. Rajiv led a greenfield project to grow Premier Inn’s footprint and business in the Middle East by establishing the company in Qatar in 2016. He successfully built Premier Inn’s brand and business in Qatar over a 7-year period establishing a robust foundation for the Qatar JV thus establishing assurance and trust with our partners, customers, and the overall market. His current role is managing two brand-new hotels in Doha. Adagio is an Aparthotel rated 4-star and Ibis is a very popular mid-scale brand, both focussed on delivering ‘best in class’ service, high quality, and great value. In total, the property has 306 keys, half of which are apartments. Both hotels are in the Top 10 on TripAdvisor in Doha.
Marhaba was able to interview Rajiv and have his thoughts on the hospitality industry.
Can you tell us more about your career in hospitality so far?
I began my career in hospitality as a Management Trainee with Marriott, starting in Goa, India, and then transferring to Bristol, United Kingdom. Prior to that, I completed a BBA in Hospitality from Les Roches Hotel Management School in Switzerland.
You have worked in Doha before, a few years ago. How do you feel the hotel landscape here has changed?
When I arrived in Doha in 2015, the city was undergoing significant development in the hospitality sector. Since then, I have witnessed remarkable changes in the hotel landscape and the country’s infrastructure. The city has seen the addition of several new luxury hotels, an increase in international hotel chains, and a growth in offerings and amenities. Doha has truly transformed into a vibrant and diverse destination, attracting both business and leisure travellers.
What plans do you have for hotels this year and beyond?
Ibis is arguably the world’s most popular economy brand with great locations, from London and Paris to Sydney and Tokyo. The brand has been long awaited in the Doha market and we are currently operating at over 90% occupancy with demand soaring. Over the coming 12 months we are opening three new outlets which will change the landscape of the hotel providing more dining options for our in-house as well as community guests. Adagio on the other hand is a premium aparthotel and is offering a fantastic apartment hotel product at great value prices.
What can guests expect from a stay at the Adagio and Ibis Doha?
Ibis is ranked in the Top 10 hotels in Doha on Tripadvisor by our guests who believe that we are offering a fantastic value proposition while delivering a great service, from the booking stage to their checkout. The guests also get to earn loyalty points on ALL programmes, which is our loyalty platform for Accor. Very few of our competitors in midscale hotels offer loyalty points for their stay, and this is our USP.
Tell us what a normal day is like for a general manager of a hotel?
I start my day at 7:30 am with a walk around including the guest floors. It usually takes me 12-15 minutes to say ‘Hi’ to my team and guests who are heading down for breakfast or to their taxi to take their flight home. Following that, I have a couple of hours of back-to-back meetings focussing on commercial strategy, sales, guest feedback and operations.
From the age of 18, I have had a flair for food and beverage and have worked and managed some amazing venues, bars and restaurants in the UK. I am a keen networker and like to visit various restaurants in Doha to be closely connected with what the customer wants.
Any exclusive news you can share with our readers?
The hotel opened less than six months ago and we are a very popular location for tourism corporates and locals already. We had 2,500 iftar bookings during Ramadan so the response to our F&B proposition is very promising. We are opening two new outlets this summer. We are also launching an Indian Street Food Brunch on Fridays in August. Watch this space!
For more information about Adagio and Ibis Doha, contact 4477 6213 or WhatsApp 6002 0926.