Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
ACCLAIMED hospitality host Chris Friel has been appointed as general manager of the Dilmun Club and proposes a gentle approach to steering the popular expat social enterprise forward.
The 28-year-old Glaswegian, once voted as one of the ‘top 20 barmen in the world’ by a leading
Chris was snapped up from the Diplomat Radisson Blue where he held the position of meetings & events manager after helping to steer the hotel’s Friday brunch and Fiddler’s Green outlet to unprecedented success.
“The Dilmun Club has always been a good, well run club – I just hope to add a little finesse to the operation,” he said. “Its reputation for providing healthy portions of decent food at affordable prices is second to none, there is always a great atmosphere, it is safe – probably one of the best places to be in
“The club has a lot of charm and is considered a home-from-home to members. I don’t want it to loose that comforting image although a more modern edge will be introduced over the longer term. It will be a softly, softly change, perhaps a two to three year project.”
Chris says he is delighted to have inherited a top team of senior staff in key positions although launching his latest career move at the height of the country’s civil unrest has meant starting his new role running rather than easing into the position. “We’re rallying together and it’s certainly an unusual team-building exercise!” he added.
Mind you, he is well experienced at juggling things around. His cocktail-mixing prowess (known in the trade as flairing) was so highly sought after that he once appeared in a television advertisement which can be checked out on video-sharing website, YouTube.
Founded in 1974 and fondly known as ‘The Dilly’ the family, sporting and social facility currently boasts around 4,000 members from 60 countries.
It recently celebrated the completion of a BD140,000 investment programme which has seen the popular members club expand and improve its facilities.
