Hilton CultureCategory|

Yasmine Farouk

Meet Yasmine Farouk, Director of Human Resources at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre

Yasmine Farouk, Director of Human Resources at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, brings more than 18 years of extensive human resources experience to her current position. She was also recently featured in Hotelier Middle East Magazine. Get to know more about her and her exciting opportunity with the magazine. 

How long have you worked with Hilton? How many roles have you had?

I joined the Hilton Group in 2017 when I was appointed as Cluster Director of Human Resources, working across the properties in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. In August 2018, I moved into the role of Director of Human Resources of Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

You were recently featured in Hotelier Magazine. What was that experience like? 

Having the opportunity to be featured in Hotelier Middle East Magazine is an unforgettable experience and career highlight. I was incredibly proud to be featured as it gave me the opportunity to showcase what we do at Waldorf Astoria DIFC, highlighting our hotel success story in how we created a diverse and inclusive culture from day one. I believe it is a great achievement to successfully leverage the diversity and inclusion initiatives that are so passionately driven by Hilton. 

We have established a very unique and diversified culture through our inclusive hiring strategy. I believe that diversity has a positive impact on business performance. We have hired a truly varied range of Team Members who come to us from a broad set of backgrounds and a range of expertise. To date, we have more than 50 nationalities represented at Waldorf Astoria DIFC, with an equal gender ratio of women to men. We are also pleased to have a number of female Team Members carrying out roles in traditionally male-dominated departments such as Stewarding, Engineering and Kitchen.

Ours is a great story to tell! I loved seeing the feature in print and felt an overwhelming sense of pride when I was telling the story of our hotel’s opening journey into the hospitality world. 

While located in Dubai, your hotel was going for a different look and feel. Tell us about the New York City-like vibe and what attracts guests to visit? 

Waldorf Astoria DIFC offers the true Waldorf Service in a thriving and dynamic location within the city. 

The 275-room hotel has become a welcome addition to Dubai's bustling financial district, featuring an authentic taste of New York City with acclaimed restaurant Bull & Bear and a timeless design that evokes the elegance of the 1960s. Don’t forget that the French Mediterranean is well represented too at St. Trop, our elegant rooftop pool and bar which has incredible views of Dubai from the heart of the financial district.

Inspired by iconic architecture, lifestyle and mid-modern style of the 1960s, the hotel exudes a contemporary elegance and understated luxury. With stylish furniture, multifunctional design featuring marble, ebony, brass and bronze materials, the hotel has a very sleek and contemporary look.

From a personal point of view, it’s a truly stunning location to work and it feels as though I see something new every day. It’s hard to stand out in a city like Dubai, but I believe our property absolutely rises above the crowd for all the right reasons.

As we always continue to innovate and enhance the guest experience, how do you add a personal touch in your daily role?

The hospitality industry is about connecting with people, whether that’s with our guests or our co-workers. In my role as a Director of Human Resources, fostering the human connection within the team is crucial since we are in a business that is basically driven by people.

Our teams’ experience is just as important as the guest experience, so my priority is to ensure a work environment where our Team Members work with purpose and passion and enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

Our greatest advantage in our hotel is our people culture, which should ensure all Team Members feel empowered and as though they are part of our family.

With the dynamic workplace culture and competitive set of rewards and benefits we offer; we have the ability to attract and retain the best talent which is instrumental in achieving our goal to be the Employer of Choice.

Are there any fun facts you’d like for fellow Team Members to know about you? 

I was personally very excited about it because I am the rare kind of person who loves to be in front of a camera. In fact, I used to work in the media for a period of time as a TV presenter.

I believe that the confidence I built in my time as an interviewer helped me in pursuing my human resources career. I have a love and passion for my job and for the people I work with every day.

Team Members like Yasmine, bring the light and warmth of hospitality to our guests every day. We are committed to cultivating a workplace where Team Members of all backgrounds and abilities can be their very best.

If Yasmine’s story inspired you, maybe it’ll inspire others. We encourage you to share it with your social media networks, and submit your own Team Member story, here. Want to join the Hilton team? Check out our Hilton Careers website today!