HOTELIER Magazine 3rd Issue (English) | Page 14

VOSKAN KOKANYAN GENERAL MANAGER AT MARRIOTT TSAGHKADZOR You are now working as a general man- ager of Tsaghkadzor Marriott Hotel. Tell us more about the specifics of the hotel market in Tsaghkadzor and the city in general. To run a hotel, not in the capital is quite different. As you know Tsaghkadzor is a small town and known as a ski resort. The market is very seasonal with a short book- ing window. The town itself is not offering much to entertain visitors. Two main attrac- tions are Kecharis Church and Orbeli Brother’s Museum. What are the main differences between manag- ing a hotel in the capital and managing a resort hotel like yours? Please tell us more about the chal- lenges and advantages of resort hotels in Armenia. 14 • HOTELIER • wwww.hoteliermagazine.net • In general, there are no advantages but only challenges to run Brand Name Hotel in the resort area… We are hosting both groups and individuals, and their expectations are different than in the capital. As Marriott, we should provide the best service and lodg- ing in the market which we do day to day, but to keep all standards is challenging. Our motto is Modern Luxury in Natural Beauty, and we adopted a person- al approach to all our guests. Please, tell us how you started your career in the hotel industry. What are the main bits of advice that you would give to yourself while doing the f irst steps in the industry? I’ve started my career in Yerevan Marriott in 2000. My f irst paid job was Bartender in the Hotel’s restaurant. During 12 years I’ve worked there had a chance to work in all operational departments with different