Albania Economia
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Fatjon Selimaj, a well known name in the field of tourism and hospitality in Albania, multiple ventures in business, brand ambassador of “Alehandro Wine” in Albania, recently crowned his trajectory in entrepreneurship with a Boutique Hotel under the name “The Crown”. Recently, it was rated among the best in entrepreneurship in the 126th anniversary of CCIT held by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Albania.
However, the starting point of all achievement is desire. In this interview for Albania Economia, Fatjon shared with us his journey in the tourism and hospitality industry.
“I have been in the tourism industry since a young age. Like many young people who at that time did not have many choices, I’m talking about the period after 1997s, where the majority of us were still attached to the trauma of cummunism. Undoubtedly, I have worked in most sectors in the
hospitality industry, growing in my career and definitely with the desire that this sector would be my present and future”.
How did your engagement in business come about, can you recall the moment when you realized that this is would be your thing?
I think that career is like an endless puzzle where every link must be completed with time, experience, desire and a clear target of where we want to reach. When you complete some of these components and you feel confident, then the time is right for the big step, definitely with the valuable help of your colleagues.
Which will you remember in your journey as the strongest confrontation or obstacle?
Definitely my beginnings abroad, leaving my country for a new life was not easy. I was facing a new culture, new people, new language and I remember myself having a low self-confidence at that time. The first months there were difficult but that helped me a lot because I learned how to cope with problems. Every stage of your life impacts your professional life.
As a good connoisseur of tourism and hospitality, the basis of which is staff communication and quality service. What are the main qualities you look for in staff?
The staff is a valuable asset. Personally, at “THE CROWN”, we have conducted many job interviews and definitely almost 3 months of training for the selected applicants. We are always looking for good, honest and dedicated people.
“To be called successful, many elements must be combined. I would start with the luck to always cooperate with the right people, at the right time and place”.
From your personal experience in Turism and Hospitality, how important is to you Human Capital Management?
Human capital is the most important asset because without human, there will not be anyone. Human capital management can create a strong organizational culture that fosters employee development, honest feedback, and commitment.
I stand out for ‘soft management’. I strongly believe in long-term management projects and I try to be a mentor, friend and colleague with all those I work with so that work for them is nice and stress-free.
What advice would you give to someone who is in the start-up phase of a business?
My advice would be to believe, to be unique with their idea and to work hard for the goal they have. The more they try hard and the less they get influenced by other businesses, the more unique their business idea will result.
What is your next goal in tourism and hospitality business?
I have many years of training in hospitality and gastronomy, so the next step is ‘The Crown Hospitality Academy’.
It will bring the on-job training system where our students follow the courses in real hotel and restaurant environments with real clients and will be practically ready for the job market. We are also preparing the magazine ‘Albanian Food Magazine’, all dedicated to HORECA, profiles of the best elements of this career field, articles, cooking recipes, calendar of events and many other things.
Author: Besara Kaja, contributor Albania Economia
