Name: Hafidh Al-Busaidy
Home Country: Oman
Designation/Industry/Company:
General Manager, Intercontinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Other countries you have lived in:
Japan, India, China, USA, UK
What brought you to Malaysia?
I have been here for five months and am loving it! I came to take over the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur as the previous GM had retired.
KL has always been an interesting city for me, and the opportunity to come and be part of the InterContinental team here is very exciting.
What do you like or dislike about the country?
I love the people, friendly outgoing and passionate about what they do. The diversity in Malaysia is fantastic, from the food, culture, and attractions.
Name some typical weekend activities you enjoy.
Weekends are spent exploring at the moment, the markets and various neighborhoods in KL, I am looking forward to getting out of the town and spending time exploring the islands and rainforests.
What is your favourite holiday destination here? Why?
I visited a number of times previously and fell in love with the island of Rawa. Peaceful, simple, and breathtakingly beautiful!
Describe a memorable eating experience you have had here.
Jalan Alor I guess is a real experience and the food is amazing. With its culinary diversity I guess it is a little early to tell so far. The Chinese restaurant Tao, here at the InterContinental has some of the most incredible exciting Chinese food I have ever tried! Maybe I am biased but do come and experience it!
What do you miss most about your home country?
I do miss home, having spent time in Japan, Doha, India, and China before here, and not really had time to visit for a holiday. Naturally the warmth one gets surrounded by family, and of course Oman’s amazingly beautiful beaches and super kind people.
What advice do you have for a newlyarrived expat?
Find a great gym or park… anything to counterbalance the non-stop eating!
How long do you plan to stay in Malaysia? Where would you like to go next, and why?
I am a little task oriented so am looking forward to staying until I have achieved the goal I set for myself – it is a longer term goal so I would expect at least 3-4 years. My team and I are working to create the best hotel for service here in KL and the competition is fierce, however coupled with our fantastic location for business and leisure and the renovations that we are completing for the rooms, function space and club lounge we can focus our efforts on creating service that sets us apart.
Is Malaysia a good place in which to work and do business? Why?
For the hospitality business, Kuala Lumpur is great. We are seeing growth in visitors both for business and leisure, infrastructure growth and new hotels coming on line over the next years, creating a vibrant and competitive environment that allows us to grow both as businesses and personally. The country has lots to offer so in many ways, it is the place to be.
Read more:
- A Chat with an American Expat in Malaysia
- An Expat from Australia Shares Her Experience Living in Malaysia
- A Brazilian Expat in Malaysia Shares her Experience
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Source: The Expat Magazine November 2014
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