It is time to take a vacation. You want to go to an all-inclusive resort. I have been to 10 all-inclusive resorts, taken a couple of cruises in the Caribbean and Central America. I have been to 30 countries and lived in four different countries.  I have traveled on business and stayed in some of the best hotels in Europe, the US, and Dubai. I love food, people, and culture and have an undergrad in hotel management from Switzerland. This is a practical guide on how to enjoy your vacation at an all-inclusive resort. Trust me if you follow these tricks your experience will be better at an all-inclusive.

Set a budget 

An all-inclusive can cost $ 600 a week all the way to $ 6,000 a week. Start saving a year in advance. You do not want to go on vacation stressing about how you will pay the bills. It is wise to include a taxi back and forth to the airport from your home or parking, tips and excursions. I recommend going during the low season. Avoid March break, Christmas, and New Year. Also, sometimes it is cheaper to fly during the week than at the weekend.

Choose an all-inclusive resort that meets your needs

If you are going as a family, choose a family resort. If you want peace, quiet, and romance then go to an adult resort. If you want restaurants, a marina, discos, and clubs then choose one that is in the downtown area. Remember if your resort is next to the airport, get used to planes taking off and landing and the noise. If you have mobility issues then choose a resort that has elevators and not constructed on a mountain.

Know what is included in an all-inclusive

It is important to know what is included. Make sure that baggage, transport from the airport to the hotel, tips, room service, mini bar, Wi-Fi and other services are included. Premium drinks, excursions, taxis, spa services, laundry, and long-distance phone calls are not included.

Eat yogurt

Two weeks before you head on your vacation, start eating yogurt. Yogurt increases the good bacteria in your intestines and will fight the bacteria that can lead to diarrhea at an all-inclusive.

Check flight times

If you are going for a week and you have an evening flight. You will get to the resort late in the evening or the night and you lose a whole day. I recommend taking an early morning flight. This way you are on the beach by noon.

Check the distance from the airport

I personally prefer a morning flight and a resort within a hrs distance from the airport. If you take a 6.30 am flights you arrive around 10 am. Once you pass customs, you can be at the resort latest by noon.

Sunscreen, tanning and mosquito spray

Make sure you carry the appropriate sunscreen, tanning, and mosquito spray with you. These are very expensive at the resort.

Sunglasses and a hat

If you do not want to get a headache and avoid getting sunburned then bring a pair of sunglasses and a hat.

Research the resort

Look at the map of the resort. This will give you an idea of where your room is located and how close you are to the beach, restaurant, pool, bars, amenities, and activities. On Google Maps find out the attractions, shopping centers, and nearby towns if you want to leave the resort. Also, look into public transportation and hospitals nearby.

Know the weather conditions

Look at the weather channel and it will give you one week and two weeks forecast. It is vital to know the weather, temperature, climate and any other conditions that will impact your vacation. Do not go during hurricane season.

Book your vacation

Now that you have money saved up and done your research book your vacation. Make sure you have your passport and visa if necessary.

Check with your family doctor

Call your doctor and see if you need to take any vaccinations for the country you are visiting. Carry Imodium, Pepto-Bismol and an after bite with you. All three are over the counter medications.

Exchange money

If you are in Canada and heading to Mexico, ask your local bank for Pesos. You will get the best rate. At your hotel, you will get 10% less.

Get to the airport

I recommend taking a taxi or limousine. The parking at the airport is expensive. If you stay at a hotel, make sure the buses come regularly. In a snowstorm, you can be stuck for a couple of hours.

At the airports

Enjoy your flight. As you land at the airport and pass customs walk straight through the timeshare sharks and head outside. Your representative will meet you there and take you straight to the air-conditioned bus and even offer you a beer.

Put all valuables in the safe

You are now at the resort and in the room. Unpack and put everything in place. Before you head to the pool or beach, put your passport, jewelry, cash and any other valuables in the safe.

Traveling with children

Find out about the kids’ club, the age limit, hours of operation, activities and tell them about any allergies. Also, ask if daycare is available after the kids’ club closes.

Take a tour

Walk around the resort. See the distance between your room and all the amenities.

Clothes

Dress appropriately for the pool, beach, lobby, restaurants, and clubs. The beach club might allow you to eat in your bikini. It is definitely a big no in the restaurant.

Restaurants

The resort will have at least 4 to 6 restaurants and about 6 to 10 bars. Ask the concierge about the types of restaurants, the names, what time they open and close and if reservations are required. Also, find out if they cater to any allergies.

Bring your own mug, insulated cup or flask

The drinks outside the fine dining restaurants will always be served in throwaway or plastic cups. If you prefer to drink coffee or your cocktail in your own cup or glass then bring it along.

Meet your representative

Your tour representative would want to meet you the next day. I strongly recommend that you see him/her. They are locals and will tell you everything about the resort and the tours. They can also help you in case of emergencies. The representative will also give you a return voucher which you give to the taxi or bus that will pick you to take you back to the airport.

Take it easy the first day

This is very important. I have seen many people get sick. It is not the fault of the resort. Remember you are in a new country. Brush your teeth with bottled water. On the first day, do not expose yourself to more than one hour of the sun. If you spend 8 hrs in the sun, have 8 Coronas, a couple of Mojitos and then a couple of drinks after you have overstuffed yourself with food. Guess what? You have shocked your body. The shock will suppress your immune system. You will get sick. Also, if you step outside the resort, drink only bottled water and eat at a well-established restaurant. Do not eat from any road hawker.

Do not lose your room key, wrist band or towels

Keep your room key with you always. If you lose your keys, you have to go back to reception, stand in line, explain the situation, answer any questions and then security might escort you back to the room. Do not lose the room keys. You will get a card for a towel. Do not lose this card. You will have to pay at least $20 per towel. You will get a wrist band during your stay at the resort. Do not lose it or cut it until you leave the resort.

Get in the mood

You are now finally here. Relax, take it easy and do that embraces this pace and flow. Be grateful and enjoy.

Forget the Wi-Fi and the internet

Wi-Fi has been around a short time. The internet has been around for the last quarter-century. Cell phones do not enhance your vacation. Take pictures for sure. But do not get worked up if the Wi-Fi strength is not strong or the internet is down. You do not have to check your social media feed every hour or your emails. Forget about checking with the office. Focus on yourself and your friends and family.

Do not schedule every minute

Do not bring your day timer and plan every minute of your vacation. It will ruin it for you and your family. Go with the flow and enjoy talking to the other guests and employees.

Food

After I have visited an all-inclusive and read the reviews, I wonder if we were at the same resort. I am going to spend some more time here. Every resort I have visited, I have checked the kitchen. They are run by professional chefs with professional standards on safety, hygiene, and cleanliness.

I am going to lay down a couple of ground rules. If you are leaving from Canada, the UK or the US, the bacteria and microbes are different in the meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. If you eat a steak rare or a salmon at medium, you should always eat your meat and fish well done. The bacteria are killed and chances of you getting sick are slim.

Before you enter the restaurant, use hand sanitizer. Drink bottled water only. Find out what oil is used. If you have eaten food cooked with sunflower oil and you eat everything cooked in coconut oil, your body is not used to it.

Most of the buffets have chefs making tacos, crepes, omelets, pasta, fish, steaks and tacos. Eat fresh off the grill.

Try different a la carte restaurants. Try various buffet restaurants. Try various local dishes.

Take it easy with the alcohol in the restaurants.

Activities

An all-inclusive will have activities from 9 am to 2 am. A family resort will have a playground, games room, mini-golf, and a waterpark. The adult resorts will focus on dance lessons, massage, tasting wine and everything romantic. In general, expect aerobics and stretching in the pool, games, volleyball, soccer, yoga, Spanish lessons, cooking lessons, guessing the alcohol in a cocktail, ping pong tournament, archery tournament, dart tournament, bingo, history questions to be some of the activities. My personal favorites are volleyball in the pool and ping pong.

On the beach snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, windsurfing, parasailing, and gliding are some of the activities. Try them all.

Do not expect everything to be like home

I would strongly recommend learning a few words in Spanish and French. Always have Google translate with you. Embrace the new culture, food, and entertainment. Do not freak out if you see a lizard, fly, dragonfly or mosquito in your room.

Go outside the resort

One of the things I strongly recommend is taking an authentic tour to see historical sites, villages or a small town. It will open your mind and hearts as to how other people live. Go visit a local bakery, school, local market and you will notice things are done differently. Invest in sustainable, ethical tourism.

Ask questions

Talk to a concierge or someone at reception if you have a question. They are more than willing to help you.

Do not compare resorts

When you go on a tour or for a walk on the beach, you will meet fellow Canadian, American and from British tourists. Never compare your resort to the other. Always remember what you paid for your vacation.

On a rainy day

The first thing to do is not to freak out. Sleep in. Go to the spa. Exercise at the gym. Go shopping. Take a tour of the city. Spend the day at the sports bar. Watch soccer, play some pool or cards. This is your day. Do not let any rain spoil your day.

Tips

In the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America, the staff depends on tips. This is my recommendation. For one week at an all-inclusive, a couple or a family of 3 should budget $200.

The driver who drives you to the resort and back to the airport: $5

Bag attendant: $2 per bag

Housekeeper: $15 a week

Minibar service: $2

Buffet waiter: $5

A la carte waiter: $10

Buffet chef: $5

Bartender: $2

Concierge: $5

One or two members of entertainment: $15

Tour guide: $10

Tip your bartender, waiter at the buffet and the omelet chef the first day and miracles will happen.

Finally, enjoy your vacation. Something will always go wrong. The staff at the resort are humans. They work long hours in extreme heat and on their feet. Treat them with love and respect and you will be surprised.

Photo Credits: Ana Acosta Sharon McCutcheon Karly Gomez Leio McLaren Belinda Fewings yue su Chelsea Gates STIL  Gary Tou twinsfisch David Boca Michelle Spollen

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Janak Bhawnani, Vice President of Operations at Easton Group of Hotels talks about the hotel business and what to look for when you eat in a restaurant.

Janak, whenever I ask you about the hotel business, you tell me you are in the business of hotels not in the hotel business please explain?

At hotel school, it was all about being the maître d’maison, giving service, treating guests with care. It was never driven by the bottom line, but about guest satisfaction first and money second.   In the past, hotels were owned by the brands or by families that were proud to own the assets and they passed on the know-how and reputation from one generation to another.

Today, we have schools teaching students the “business” of hotels earning them the BBA & MBA designations.  It is all driven by the institutionalization of our trade. More and more REITs and pension funds are buying up the assets and are keeping them for a shorter period of time only to extract value and then sell to the next highest bidder.  The Joie the Vivre, maitre d’maison concept is less existent as it is all driven by the bottom line.

At your hotel you run a big food and beverage department, how important is food to your business?

Food is a very important component of our business at my current hotel. We are a big box; convention hotel and the food is about 30% of our overall revenues.  With people becoming world travelers, it is important that we cater to varying palates, hence our offering has to be geared seasonally to inspire our guests to dine with us consistently and use our catering facilities regularly.

As you enter your fourth decade in hospitality how has food changed?

Food is no longer just for eating and surviving.  It is now an experience! Chefs today are getting younger and more experimental.  We have a huge number of restaurants that serve “inspired”, “fusion” or “trendy” cuisine from around the globe. With human movement around the world increasing, so has the dynamism in the culinary world.  Gen X and the millenniums are so well-traveled and well versed with food and are internet savvy that they can make or break a restaurant’s reputation.

When you design a menu and source food do you keep local purveyors in mind?

Absolutely! We think global but also use most local purveyors. This is to keep the local economy strong. It also helps with consistency & freshness.  Examples: – tomatoes from Leamington, meat from Bruce County, foods and fruits from Foodland Ontario.

Fads come and go in food, what is something that will always be consistent?

I strongly believe that good quality fresh comfort food will always be in demand. In this part of the world, steak, salad, Chinese food, pizzas, and pasta will always remain in demand.

As a GM what do you eat daily to stay healthy and have the energy to work the long hours?

I eat a small breakfast of coffee and whole-wheat toast, a cup of soup and salad or a sandwich for lunch and an early dinner freshly prepared by my wife keeps me going for a 12-14-hour day.

You have bought and sold a few restaurants, what are the advantage of a franchise rather than starting on your own?

A franchise has a higher success rate as it is a proven system. They train you about the product, marketing, how to deal with staff, other aspects of their daily activities and give ongoing support to the business for success.

Franchises bring brand awareness with their names from day one. The customer knows what they are getting which will help increase sales. By buying a franchise, you are actually buying a turnkey business that is ready and waiting for you to start. Negatives are:  Fees for buying the franchise and ongoing fees that you need to pay to a franchiser. The entrance fees are usually very high and there are fixed costs every month/year for using the brand name. Also, you have no freedom to change the product line, the decoration of the store or anything else in a franchise system. It is very restrictive and you need to follow certain rules in order to protect your franchise license.

To start one’s own, you need innovation and creativity. Do it if you are a highly creative person full of different ideas and you want to make these ideas a reality. This will allow you professional freedom and growth. When you have your own business, you can work anytime you want. Also, depending on your business, you can work anywhere you want. You don’t need to report to other people.

Be careful of a higher failure rate, unfortunately, startups have a higher failure rate compared to franchise businesses. One in four fails within their first year, half of the remaining fail within five years and approximately 30 percent of the remaining in the last ten years. Therefore, it is very risky to launch a startup.

How you find balance with your job and your family?

Over the years I have learned that both have to be in harmony to be successful. I as a rule do not talk about work with family and family at work. This helps me focus and make sure that I give 100% to each. Also, I use my outlook calendar to its fullest as I schedule my days and try not to change so that I do not miss any milestones in both.

One of my readers wants to know what to look for in a restaurant when they go out to eat?

When trying new restaurants look for harmony; in the décor, ambiance, service, food quality, presentation and of course imagination of the chef. Did it deliver what it promised!

Photo Credits: Kristian Angelo Nick Fewings Elle Hughes bantersnaps Monika Grabkowska Eugene Stephanie McCabe Alessandro Cavestro

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Introduction

After the COVID restrictions are lifted, we will all be dining out more often. I have outlined a few rules that will help you have an amazing restaurant experience.

Customer service is the main ingredient of an amazing restaurant experience. As customers, we expect the service to be friendly, personalized, be given suggestions based on our preferences, amazing food, out of this world presentation, dynamic ambiance, and great decor. However, as a customer, if you follow these strategies you will have a killer restaurant experience no matter what happens.

Make a reservation

A restaurant plans staffing, food preparation and everything else based on reservations. If you show up on a busy night without a reservation, chances are you will not get a seat. If you make a reservation and do not want to go, please cancel the reservation. Through reservations, the workflow is managed more efficiently and you get better service.

Check the menu online before visiting

It is important to check the menu online. In other words, you know if it has gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian or other options. As a result, you do not spend a whole bunch of time looking at the menu and are not sure what you want.

Be on time

Arrive on time. The manager has scheduled the reservations so that the service and kitchen have enough time to give you the best service.

The waiter is not your servant

It is important to know that the waiter is not there to meet your every whim and fancy. The waiter is there to make sure you have a great dining experience. Treat them with respect and you will get great service.

Go with a positive attitude

This is the most important aspect of going to a restaurant. Be positive. Go out there to have fun. Therefore, if you are looking to fill your Yelp or Trip Advisor review, you will not have a great experience. Do not go to the restaurant to take out your frustration on the waiter.

Do not ask to change the food

The menu is designed by the chef for maximum flavor. Do not ask to change the dish completely. Some modifications might be possible.

Spend money

Never go to a restaurant and be a scrooge. You see if a waiter is working from 5 to 9 pm, he is depending on having a guest from 5 to 7 and another from 7 to 9. Waiters work for tips. Waiters make below minimum wages. As a result, if you are just having a drink or a slight snack go to the bar instead.

If there is an issue let the server know

It is possible that many things can go wrong. If the food was not good or something is wrong, let the server know right away. The issue can be resolved. You will probably not be charged for the food, get a discount, get a free dessert or get a gift certificate for your next visit. But please do communicate.

The server and chef are human

The chef and waiter are human. Most chefs work sixty to eighty-hour weeks. The waiter is on his feet for eight hours and has probably not had a meal. Be patient, kind, gentle and considerate.

Tip well

I recommend fifteen percent to start with. The waiter has to give anywhere from five to seven percent of the total bill to the back house to be shared. Remember, waiters have good memories. Tip them well and they will go a mile to make your restaurant experience amazing.

Enjoy your visit to the restaurant, follow these strategies and you will have an amazing restaurant experience.

Photo Credits: Mojo Jojo  Louis Hansel  Persnickety Prints  Brooke Cagle Sasha • Stories Pablo Merchán Montes Adam Jaime Clay Banks Priscilla Du Preez Jonathan Borba Crew

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When I think about where my journey in hospitality truly began, it wasn’t just with a job — it was with a feeling. The sense of wonder that comes from walking across a polished marble floor, hearing the soft hum of a busy lobby, and catching the aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the air. My first job at the Ritz Hotel lit that spark in me. I was barely eighteen, yet I knew I had found my calling.

That passion soon took me far from home, into the heart of the Swiss Alps — to Les Roches, one of the world’s most prestigious hotel schools. What began as a young man’s dream to chase the glamour of the hotel world turned into a life-changing education in culture, friendship, leadership, and humility.

My first job was at the Ritz Hotel. I was barely 18 years old. The marble floor in the lobby, the Italian restaurant, and the coffee shop were all enticing. I was hooked on the glamour of the hotel business. It was something I wanted to pursue further. I was looking at different schools like Cornell, Hawaii, and Nevada. A friend of mine was heading to Les Roches. I got some information from him and slept on it. I looked at all the permutations and combinations and realized I would come out ahead going to Les Roches. One of the better decisions of my life.

A few weeks before I was heading to Les Roches, I was informed that the school had caught on fire. We would be living in Hotel Central in Crans-Montana.

As I headed to Sierre, from Geneva, the train passes between Lac Leman on one side and the beautiful wineries on the other side. Beauty hits you. It uplifts your soul. I was excited.

From Sierre, I took the world’s longest funicular at 4192 meters. This was my first time on a funicular. Slowly, slowly the funicular fights and climbs the mountain. C’est Bluche, the conductor announced. I had arrived at the stop.

I check with the admissions office. Miss Clivaz and  Miss Roduit welcome me. After processing my ID and the payment, I am all set to go. The bus would take me to Hotel Central.

I barely check in to my room. An hour later, Donny Wowor comes into my room. Donny had just done a course in English and is my roommate. He tells me, he is living off-campus. I have a room all to my self.

I am in Service 1. I am still in touch with my classmates Lily, Kang Nee, Michelle, Gigi, Clive, Ton-Joost, David and Max. Janak and I get together quarterly for lunch. In service, I made lifelong friends with Ton-Joost, Alan, Yalon, Honny, and Didi.

I will always remember Mr. Schnyder’s wine classes and Miss Poggio’s French classes. Ortiz, Rankl and Fournier headed service. Fournier always reminded us in his French accent that he went to Rochester Institute of Technology. The language teachers were Mr. Sherry and Mr. Berry. Finally the guardian angels of Petit Paradis, Gilberte et Armand Mounir. One of the favorite rites of passage was to attend La Pacha nightclub. The whole of Les Roches was jam-packed listening to the tunes.

The classes were held mostly in Mirabeau. The Malaysians, Indonesians, and Singaporeans were always told not to bring hot sauce to the table. We had to taste European food with all its flair.

The trip to Gruyere and the Beard cutlery factory were the highlights. Everyone looked forward to the cultural night. You got a chance to eat and taste different foods from all over the world. However, the trip to the abattoir in Cher-mignon will be etched in our memories.

Derek always knocked on my door every Sunday morning to go to church. I never went. John Leo would organize Bible lessons on campus, I never attended a single one.

During our first break, Alan and I headed to Paris. It was the first time, I was in a TGV heading at 200km/hr from Lausanne to Paris. Oh yeah. Talk about two foodies and fashion geeks heading to the food and fashion capital of the earth.

The first year, I was at school, Les Roches wins the Grand Prize Triumph of European Excellence founded by Rene Cassin, Noble Peace Prize recipient. We all get a chance to serve at Dinner. It was my first experience serving at a state banquet. It is something that will always be embedded in my mind.

The summer batch was fun with the good weather and it was time to look for a stage. I headed off to Hotel De La Paix in Geneva.

During my first week at Hotel De La Paix, Geneva, Mauro Berta the Maître D’hôtel wins the best Maître’ D award in Europe. De La Paix was this 200-year-old hotel with many residents of royal blood. Lalin joins me from Les Roches and Udo Hamm joins from Lausanne. It was the start of an amazing life long friendship. Udo with all his connections would take us to the UN in Geneva. Udo is still the only Swiss friend that I made and he lives in Zurich. Udo was the F&B stagiaire and had access to the cellar.

I cannot share some of the crazy things, I did with Udo, but let’s just say, I got to taste some of the best Lafite, Margaux, La-Tour, and Haut-Brion. It was amazing to see some of the bottles lying there for like forty or fifty years. The highlight was tasting a 1920’s Chateau d’Yquem. That flavor drinking it in a 200-year-old cellar where there was no F & B electronic control will be with me till I die.

At Dinner, every night was like ok Natasha Kinski and her family are sitting on that table, the German ambassador is on that table, the Czar’s family is on that table, the Egyptian gun runner is on that table. The wife of the arms dealer wanted her ashtray changed after every flick of her cigarette. The prize for doing that. You got 10 Swiss Francs every time.

The Geneva car show is famous all over the world. Rolls Royce since the beginning chose De La Paix to show off its latest model. One got a chance to meet and serve the who’s who of the car world.

After my stage was over, I asked if I could work in reception for two weeks. Mr. Olav Vaage, the GM himself from Lausanne agreed with pay. Bien sur, Gerald.

I was loaded with six months of tips and headed to London for a couple of weeks before Kitchen.

I have to be honest. I was not looking forward to the kitchen. I had never cooked in my life. The thought of getting grease all over me and smelling at the end of the day was not my idea of work.

We were housed in Hotel Bristol in Montana. The girls were still at Hotel Mirabeau.

Chef Bider with his chak chak, Chef Bertini talked more about his diving than cuisine, Chef Rey in a la carte, I never understood a word he said. Oh yes, pastry Chef Harris with his sarcastic English and Chef Luetolf with his put it in the hofer (excuse me, oven).

I learned to cut vegetables, meat, and fish in every form and cook it using various methods. I learned to eat snails, snakes, and even horses (yes, disgusting to a North American).

I hated butchery. Mr. Emery could not speak English and the whole instruction was in French. I will never forget Glen Garcia and me were told to cut this whole leg of a cow. It took the two of us, to carry it from the fridge. After the amazing instructions, we look at each other and say do we know what we are doing. We just dug in our knives and just started cutting. Mon Dieu, le viande cest cher. Cest la merde. Check out the translation.

Then came the trip to Cher-Mignon. The slaughterhouse. The day we attended, it was the huge Valaisanne cows getting slaughtered. Farmers were famous for making the cows drink water before being weighed. Each cow was weighed and discounted for drinking water. They got an electric shock to the brain. Hung up and one knife to the heart. Within 10 seconds, the skin is taken and you saw the whole raw flesh.

I liked the kitchen demonstration. You sat for six hours seeing the chef’s cook and got to taste all the food. It was during this time that a young pastry chef called Dominique Stoeckli joined. From our time, he is the only staff member left.

Honny Khatwani was my roommate and we are friends till today. Just last week we were talking about all the ethnic problems going around in the world. At Les Roches, Yal (Jewish), Kabir (Muslim), Honny (Hindu) and I were buddies.

It was time for stage again. I headed to Hotel de la Rose in Fribourg. Statira and Thitiporn were also doing their management stage at reception.

I got a chance to work with Chef Robert Vielgrader. The guy spoke perfect English. However, he only spoke to me in French. Let’s just say that by the end of stage, my French was pretty decent. After stage, Statira, Thitiporn and me headed to Austria for 10 days. After the trip, I headed back to school.

As I got into the third year, the new building was getting constructed. The Diploma would also be from the Swiss Hotel Association. We would be the first batch to be given that diploma. Mr. Maes would teach accounting. Max would drive him nuts with his jokes. The German classes were boring. I am still not sure how I passed. Economics was fun. Mr. May taught housekeeping and public speaking.

The new building was ready by June. For the opening ceremony, the who’s who of Valais and Switzerland was there. The management students had to coordinate the whole event which was an amazing experience.

The farewell dinner was emotional. Everyone had tears in their eyes. Three years were over. We knew that there is a good chance we would not be seeing each other. 120 joined the first year, it was down to less than 90 the second year and less than 60 graduates. The hotel business is demanding.

In the last month of the school, Ortiz taps me on the shoulder and asked me if I would be interested in working for the school. I was barely 21 and the thought of teaching 120 students was a little frightening. I told him I would think about it. John, Berndt and I ended up doing our stage at school.

It was an amazing time and I built some life long friendships. I learned a lot about leadership, communication and delegating.

As I was taking the funicular for the last time heading to Sierre, my time at boarding school, university residence had come to an end. It was a ten-year stint and I knew the days of my bed is made, the clothes getting washed and getting my meals done were over. I backpacked Europe extensively before heading to Dubai. It was in Berlin I ran into Honny and Joanne.

I get asked a lot if the $ 200,000 tuition is worth it. In Europe, hospitality is a tradition. In North America, you do it while you are doing something else and you get good tips. I learned about food, culture, studying with more than 100 nationalities. That kind of experience is hard to find. The skills I learned at Les Roches prepared me for life.

Out of all the dating couples, only Glen and Leefen ended up at the altar and are still happily married with two beautiful daughters.

I wish I could send the president or prime minister of every country to Les Roches. However, that is not realistic. Here is my call to action to every Les Roches graduate. You are an ambassador of peace. You need to be the game-changer in society. You need to tell people that we are all the same and the same blood runs through us. Make friends with everyone in your class. You will learn so many things from each human being that will prepare you for life.

Les Roches is just not a school. It is a way of life.

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Rohan Charanji is the Food & Beverage manager at The Club, Abu Dhabi. With over 13 years of working experience in Asia, Europe, North America, and now the Middle East, He brings a diverse understanding of cultures and people to an organization.

Rohan, welcome to my series on Millennials. Tell my audience something important about you.

I was born in India, educated at Bishop Cotton, and studied in Switzerland and London. I have worked in China, the US, London, Thailand, Wales, and currently in the UAE for the last 4 years. 

Talk to me about your passion for hospitality.

My love for Hospitality started when I used to travel around Asia with my dad, meeting people in hotels, especially the staff.

Walk me through your life experiences. What did you learn from it, and how has it changed you?

I had a paradigm shift in my early 20s. I was an intern in Wales.  With my Swiss education, I felt a stupid sense of entitlement. I was asked to mop floors, and clean plates and I realized without hard work you can never achieve anything. 

Who are the Millennials? What do they want?

Millennials for me and my generation are in a rush. They don’t wait for their food, drink, flight check-in or hotel room as much as Gen X. They have the power to research anything and put you to the sword if the product is not what it is supposed to be. 

What should employers know about you and how to treat you at work?

Employers should learn to change old policies and procedures from the previous generation. I read an interesting article that Human Resources and the old school management techniques are extremely out of date and not accepted by Millennials anymore.

What are some of the social causes that you are passionate about that the previous generation missed?

I’m extremely passionate about women’s rights in the workplace. I feel the previous generations didn’t do enough, as there was always this stigma that the job of a woman is in the house. You can see the change almost every day.

Explain to me what food and faith mean to you.

Food for me is something so special. Having traveled to more than 30 countries, along with the history, the culture is so much in the food. Our generation I feel is not as God-fearing as the previous ones. I relate most with being agnostic and I know a lot of people in my generation feel the same way.

What do the words trolling, blessed, phubbing, jomo, and YOLO?

Trolling – Make fun of someone online, Blessed – very formal, bounce – leave, phubbing hundo jomo – No Idea pls tell me. My word is YOLO – You only live once. So have fun do what you wanted to do and become a lifestyle blogger!!! you only live once!

Tell me a good joke.

Why did the rocket lose its job?  Because it was fired!

What should Gen X and Baby Boomers know about your generation?

We don’t play by your rules anymore! You play by ours! You are making policies and laws which will affect my generation and the ones of my kids! (If I do end up having any).

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