Melik Kizilcan
General Manager Movenpick Hotel, Izmir, Turkey, Graduated 1998, IHTTI
Graduating from IHTTI in 1998 Melik Kizilcan has enjoyed an international career before returning to his home country to take on the role of General Manager at the Movenpick Hotel in Izmir. For Melik it was the end of a long journey a return to the hotel where he had worked as a bell-boy before he left the country more than 30 years before.“I left Turkey in 1979 and moved to Sweden where I spent nineteen years working in F&B, running restaurants. After all this time I decided I needed a change and after much soul-searching decided to enroll at IHTTI to study Hotel Management. It was a great decision and I have many fond memories of my time at IHTTI. It was difficult to return to studies after so long, but with the support of the staff I succeeded and graduated with Honours. My first role following graduation was management training with the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia, USA. From here I moved to the Four-Seasons and from a starting role in reception I moved up to a role in the executive management committee in just 2.5 years – a company record that still stands today!
My work with the Four Seasons took me from the USA to Egypt where I was involved in the opening of the new Cairo Hotel, a fantastic experience as the F&B director. I also worked for the Intercontinental and Sheraton Hotels before I decided to look for an opportunity in my home country. As director of the Movenpick we have achieved some fantastic results including the number 2 ranking for guest satisfaction and in 2009 we achieved the highest growth amongst Movenpick Hotels.
My belief is that as a manager you have to keep in mind that you are dealing with people who are dealing with people and you should always hire people who like to make others happy.”
