Rebecca Nachanakian is the hotel manager of Jumeirah Etihad Towers, a position she was promoted to last month having been director of conferences and events since 2012. The 38-year-old, from Lebanon, previously worked for the luxury hotel InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut in her home nation.
7am
I take morning tea and have yoghurt with fruit for breakfast. After showering, I check social media on my phone pretty much straight away – both for personal use and for Jumeirah. I spend most time on Twitter and Instagram. I also check the news – local news, what’s going on at home in Lebanon and France 24.
8am
I live in one of the residential towers at Etihad, so it’s just a two-minute walk to the office. I am happy to stay in the towers – to be on call but also to save travel time. I hate getting tense on the roads. I do have a car, a Golf GTI, and I’ll head out at the weekends. It’s a beautifully furnished two-bedroom apartment, and I have an open house policy for family and friends.
8.15am
I go through the previous night’s numbers, allocate tasks to my direct reports, check any new reviews of the hotel and send personal thank yous to the writers. Then I head out for a tour of the hotel, starting at the front desk, and take feedback from guests.
10am
There are a series of meetings each morning: the executive morning briefing with the general manager, where we go through the day’s activities, particularly any VIPs or events; a revenue and strategy meeting, where we review promotional activities and numbers for food and beverages, the spa and sports and leisure for the coming six to nine months; then I’ll have partner and sponsor meetings, say with Lamborghini.
12 noon
I have a one-to-one meeting with a different department every day, such as housekeeping, IT, conferences and events or food and beverages.
1.30pm
I have lunch with a client, a department head or the general manager. Lately I’ve been lunching a lot with the director of food and beverages to discuss a new restaurant concept and the upcoming third anniversary of Tori No Su, the Japanese restaurant. People ask me if I get bored of hotel food – I don’t have the opportunity. There’s always something new, we have 12 restaurants.
2.30pm
I go back to my desk for an hour of solid emails. Obviously I’m checking emails on my phone while I’m on the move during the day too. Then I’ll meet marketing or sales and go through promotions. For instance, we’re already budgeting for the hotel’s fifth anniversary and the 45th UAE National Day in November and December next year. Then I’ll do another round of operational checks in the hotel, right down to checking there’s enough basement parking spaces for our guests that evening.
6pm
Most days there will be a VIP or ambassador, or birthday celebration, in one of the restaurants so I'm normally in the lobby by now, welcoming VIPs and long-standing resident guests. The hotel has 199 serviced, furnished apartments as well as nearly 400 bedrooms. These are often hired by companies for staff assigned to contract projects in Abu Dhabi. Some guests stay for two or even three years. Recently we had the crew of Fast & Furious 7 stay for three months (the Etihad Towers appeared in the movie, when Vin Diesel's character drives a Lykan Hypersport off the 45th floor of the tallest).
7pm
I dine with guests or clients. Luckily I’m not the type who wants to eat everything; I don’t have a big appetite and I do restrain myself and avoid fat. I’ll have a little manaeesh or falafel as I love Lebanese food. If I need to, I eat at home but I’m not a fan of cooking or washing dishes. I prefer to go out, see what’s happening in the market, new restaurants opening and talk to people.
9.30pm
I go to the gym in the hotel. A colleague is my personal trainer – she stays back to train with me two to three times a week. Otherwise I’ll use virtual training apps on my phone for toning and use the treadmill and bikes. I have access to the spa but I don’t go that often.
10pm
I head home and make phone calls to my parents, my sister and nieces. I prefer calling to stay in touch than social media. I miss home and although I love the feel of living in luxury, I miss my parents’ apartment in Beirut. I prefer taking a long weekend every six weeks to go home to a big one-month holiday. I tend to fall asleep as I’m reading the news in bed, normally between midnight and 1am.
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