This month we catch up with Eddie Ignatius, corporate director of innovation and quality at Time Hotels.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is that it involves me in every aspect of the business, all the way through from the product, our services and standards, right up to customer experience enhancement.
What made you choose this role?
Being appointed director of innovation and quality is very important to me. It isn’t a role you see at every hotel and I chose to pursue it because my career has taken me to all sections and departments within a hotel, providing invaluable insight into the overall operations of a property. Armed with this knowledge, I knew I could make a significant contribution to this important area of operations at Time Hotels.
What do you do when you’re not working?
In the fast-paced world of hospitality, hoteliers don’t get much in the way of “spare time” but when I do have time away from the hotel I enjoy staying in touch with my family and friends back home.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hospitality is a vocation that presents many opportunities to develop your skills, travel the world or embark on new ventures. I have been incredibly fortunate in my career to always be supported by talented and driven managers and that has inspired me to one day set out to open my own hotel. Ideally, I would love to run my own small boutique hotel in a remote area on one of Indonesia’s beautiful islands.
Tell us something that none of your colleagues know about you?
I’m afraid of caterpillars! It’s a fear not many others share so I don’t tell many people! I also enjoy the fear you feel watching horror movies, but sometimes that means you have to sleep with the lights on.
If you could stay in any hotel in the world right now, where would you go?
There is a hotel in Kenya, Giraffe Manor, that is so immersed in the flora and fauna that surrounds it, there are animals popping their heads into your hotel bedroom. I think I would like to stay there.
Can you tell us why you wanted to join this industry?
Hospitality is a fascinating, people-centric industry. Hotels are rich in diversity for both the guests and associates, and the industry itself is all about service.
What would you say to anyone who is starting out in your sector?
If something is worth doing, do it right, from the beginning. Carry out your work with care and respect, and don’t just do something for the sake of being recognised for it.
What’s the worst thing about your job?
I love my job, so I wouldn’t be able to say what the “worst thing” is. I think it’s important to always see things from a different angle and surround yourself with the many positive experiences that happen every day in the hospitality industry.
