Please enable JavaScript in your browser for better experience
Become a member and save up to 50%!
Click here to sign up
X
Home
Find hotel
Find hotel
By Destination
By Experience
By Star Rating
By Travel Reason
Find Experiences
Specials
Special offers
Airline Partners
Bank Partners
Vouchers
Events
Meetings
Weddings
About Us
About Us
About Us
Company Overview
Our President
Mission and Vision
Our Portfolio
Our Team
Our Brands
Our Brands
Grand Swiss-Belhotel
Grand Swiss-Belresort
Maua
Bohemia
Swiss-Belhotel
Swiss-Belresort
Swiss-Belboutique
Swiss-Belsuites
Swiss-Belvillas
Swiss-Belresidences
Swiss-Belinn
Swiss-Belcourt
Swiss-Belexpress
Zest Hotel Plus
Zest Hotel
Zest Hotel OK
Offices
Owners Hub
Owners Hub
Why Choose Us
Our Services
Latest News
Latest News
Press Release
Latest Blog
Contact
Programs & Partners
Our Loyalty Program
Bernie, Our Mascot
Partners
Sala Bai
Home
Find hotel
Find hotel
By Destination
By Experience
By Star Rating
By Travel Reason
Find Experiences
Specials
Special offers
Airline Partners
Bank Partners
Vouchers
Events
Meetings
Weddings
About Us
About Us
About Us
Company Overview
Our President
Mission and Vision
Our Portfolio
Our Team
Our Brands
Our Brands
Grand Swiss-Belhotel
Grand Swiss-Belresort
Maua
Bohemia
Swiss-Belhotel
Swiss-Belresort
Swiss-Belboutique
Swiss-Belsuites
Swiss-Belvillas
Swiss-Belresidences
Swiss-Belinn
Swiss-Belcourt
Swiss-Belexpress
Zest Hotel Plus
Zest Hotel
Zest Hotel OK
Offices
Owners Hub
Owners Hub
Why Choose Us
Our Services
Latest News
Latest News
Press Release
Latest Blog
Contact
Programs & Partners
Our Loyalty Program
Bernie, Our Mascot
Partners
Sala Bai
EN
English
Bahasa Indonesia
Arabic
Vietnamese
Bulgarian
Chinese
Francais
German
Malay
Forgot your password
Username
Password
Remember me
Book Direct
Book Now
Pay Later
Free
WiFi
Free Second
Drink
Best Rate
Guarantee
Earn
Miles
FIND HOTEL
MAP
Book Now
Make a booking
Please select a Country
Australia
Bahrain
Indonesia
Kenya
Kuwait
Malaysia
New Zealand
Oman
Philippines
Qatar
Thailand
Vietnam
Please select a City
Brisbane
Sydney
Manama
Seef
Ambon
Bali
Balikpapan
Bandung
Banjarmasin
Batam
Bekasi
Belitung
Biak
Bogor
Cibitung
Cibubur
Cikande
Cikarang
Cilegon
Cirebon
Indramayu
Jakarta
Jambi
Jayapura
Karawang
Kendari
Kupang
Lampung
Lombok
Luwuk
Majalengka
Makassar
Malang
Manado
Manokwari
Medan
Merauke
Palangkaraya
Palu
Pangkalpinang
Pekanbaru
Samarinda
Semarang
Serpong
Singkawang
Solo
Sorong
Surabaya
Tarakan
Timika
Yogyakarta
Nairobi
Kuwait City
Kuantan
Melaka
Auckland
Napier
Queenstown
Muscat
Makati
Manila
Doha
Krabi
Phuket
Da Lat City
Hanoi
Please select a Hotel
Swiss-Belhotel Brisbane (Opening Soon)
The York Sydney by Swiss-Belhotel, Sydney CBD
Swiss-Belresidences Juffair
Swiss-Belsuites Admiral Juffair
Grand Swiss-Belhotel Waterfront Seef
Swiss-Belhotel Seef Bahrain
Swiss-Belhotel Ambon
MĀUA Nusa Penida
Swiss-Belexpress Kuta, Legian
Swiss-Belhotel Rainforest
Swiss-Belhotel Tuban
Swiss-Belresort Pecatu
Zest Legian
Swiss-Belhotel Balikpapan
Swiss-Belinn Balikpapan
Swiss-Belresort Dago Heritage
Zest Sukajadi Bandung
Swiss-Belhotel Borneo Banjarmasin
Swiss-Belhotel Harbour Bay
Swiss-Belinn Baloi Batam
Zest Harbour Bay Batam
Swiss-Belexpress Rest Area Km.19
Swiss-Belresort Belitung
Swiss-Belhotel Cendrawasih, Biak
Swiss-Belcourt Bogor
Swiss-Belhotel Bogor
Swiss-Belinn Bogor
Zest Bogor
Swiss-Belinn Cibitung
Hotel Ciputra Cibubur managed by Swiss-Belhotel International
Swiss-Belinn Modern Cikande
Swiss-Belinn Cikarang
Swiss-Belexpress Cilegon
Swiss-Belhotel Cirebon
Swiss-Belinn Indramayu
Hotel Ciputra Jakarta managed by Swiss-Belhotel International
Swiss-Belexpress Cideng, Tanah Abang
Swiss-Belhotel Airport Jakarta
Swiss-Belhotel Kelapa Gading (Opening Soon)
Swiss-Belhotel Pondok Indah
Swiss-Belinn Airport Jakarta
Swiss-Belinn Kemayoran
Swiss-Belinn Simatupang
Swiss-Belinn Wahid Hasyim
Swiss-Belresidences Kalibata
Swiss-Belresidences Rasuna Epicentrum
Zest Airport Jakarta
Swiss-Belhotel Jambi
Swiss-Belhotel Jayapura, Papua
Swiss-Belinn Karawang
Swiss-Belhotel Kendari
Swiss-Belcourt Kupang
Swiss-Belhotel Lampung
Swiss-Belcourt Lombok
Swiss-Belinn Luwuk
Swiss-Belexpress Rest Area KM 164, Cipali
Swiss-Belexpress Rest Area KM 166, Cipali
Swiss-Belcourt Makassar
Swiss-Belhotel Makassar
Swiss-Belinn Panakkukang Makassar
Swiss-Belinn Malang
Swiss-Belhotel Maleosan Manado
Swiss-Belhotel Manokwari
Swiss-Belinn Gajah Mada
Swiss-Belinn Medan
Swiss-Belhotel Merauke
Swiss-Belhotel Danum Palangkaraya
Swiss-Belhotel Silae Palu
Swiss-Belhotel Pangkalpinang
Swiss-Belinn SKA Pekanbaru
Swiss-Belhotel Borneo Samarinda
Hotel Ciputra Semarang managed by Swiss-Belhotel International
Swiss-Belcourt Serpong
Swiss-Belhotel Serpong
Swiss-Belinn Singkawang
Swiss-Belhotel Solo
Swiss-Belinn Saripetojo
Zest Parang Raja Solo
Swiss-Belhotel Sorong
Grand Swiss-Belhotel Darmo Surabaya
Hotel Ciputra World Surabaya managed by Swiss-Belhotel International
Swiss-Belinn Airport Surabaya
Swiss-Belinn Manyar
Swiss-Belinn Tunjungan
Zest Jemursari
Swiss-Belhotel Tarakan
Swiss-Belinn Timika
Swiss-Belboutique Yogyakarta
Swiss-Belexpress Yogyakarta (Coming Soon)
Swiss-Belhotel Airport Yogyakarta
Zest Yogyakarta
Nairobi Safari Club by Swiss-Belhotel
Swiss-Belinn Nairobi
Swiss-Belboutique Bneid Al Gar Kuwait
Swiss-Belinn Sharq
Swiss-Belhotel Kuantan
Grand Swiss-Belhotel Melaka
Swiss-Belsuites Victoria Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Swiss-Belhotel Napier
Swiss-Belresort and Villas Coronet Peak, Queenstown, New Zealand
Swiss-Belsuites Pounamu, Queenstown, New Zealand
Swiss-Belinn Airport Muscat, Oman
Valero Grand Suites by Swiss-Belhotel Makati
Swiss-Belhotel Blulane
Swiss-Belinn Doha
Lanta Thip House by Swiss-Belhotel
Cruiser Island Resort by Swiss-Belhotel
Swiss-Belresort Tuyen Lam
Epic Tower Swiss-Belresidences Hanoi
Nights
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
Rooms
1
2
3
4
5
Manage My Bookings
Book Now
x
All
Swiss-Belsuites Admiral Juffair
News
An Insightful Journey: In Conversation with Cluster General Manager Mr. Darren Darwin with FACT Magazine
Home
Rooms
News
Special Offers
Dining
Facilities
Experiences
Blog
Events
Gallery
Location
FAQs
Contact Us
An Insightful Journey: In Conversation with Cluster General Manager Mr. Darren Darwin with FACT Magazine
Dive into an exclusive interview where our Cluster General Manager, Mr. Darren Darwin, shares his passion for hospitality and decades of experience in luxury hotels.
From managing multiple properties with ease to navigating an unexpected VIP request, Mr. Darren reflects on his journey with humor and insight. He also reveals his favorite part of the job—building connections with diverse teams—and how Bahrain’s warmth and community spirit have already left a lasting impression.
A visionary leader with a wealth of experience in the luxury hotel industry, the Cluster General Manager of Swiss-Belhotel Seef Bahrain and Swiss-Belsuites Admiral Juffair, shares a memorable story, his passion and his favourite perk of the job!
When managing multiple hotel properties simultaneously, how do you maintain brand consistency and seamless flow of service?
I think whether it’s one hotel or 10, it’s all about good communication and empowerment. I don’t like to micro-manage. The team members are responsible for their own departments. I’m there to advise, support and encourage. I really believe that you can’t manage a business without knowledge so everybody knows what they’re
doing, whether it’s market dynamics in commercial or SOPs in the operation. And then just making sure that the message is consistently discussed and updated. For me, the biggest thing is communication. I think that’s most important, when you have more than one property, making sure that everyone’s on the same page and we have conformity. The two hotels have their own identities, yes; different business models, yes, but conformity with a lot of things, in terms of leadership, in terms of culture, is the same.
Having worked for several premium hotel complexes throughout your career, how has your leadership style evolved over the years?
My passion’s still there. I’ve always said, the day my passion goes away, I’ll retire. My energy is still there; I’m quite amazed, I’ve got more energy now than when I was younger. I think my leadership style has evolved because I’ve got more experience. I’ve got more knowledge. I always say to the guys, part of success is failing. So, I’ve learned, through some of the difficult times I’ve had, how to manage people in a better way. I think culture is also very important. Different cultures manage in different ways
and you also need to get to know your team, because each person needs managing differently. I think over the years, I would say I’ve adapted because I’ve learned more myself and, as I’ve learned more, I’ve been able to pass that on to my managers and
their teams.
Can you share a particularly amusing or memorable incident in your time managing international luxury resorts?
When I was in Oman, I looked after this beautiful resort on the mountain and we had a distinguished VIP staying with us for three nights. On the last night, his manager called me at 11pm and said, Darren, can you do me a favour? I said, yes, of course. He said
His Highness would like 2,000 pomegranates for the morning to take back. I thought, where am I going to get 2,000 pomegranates at this time of night? I was running around, calling my team and, thankfully, they all answered and we all helped. My security manager, who was ex Omani military, must have gone around five or six farms with a truck finding these pomegranates. We finally got them and, in the morning, the manager said that His Highness would like to say goodbye and give me a gift. So, I’m running down thinking, Rolex. Rolex, Rolex. But I got there and the gift was two goats – well they were actually oryxes. Apparently, they were very well-bred and expensive, but, well, you can’t put one on your wrist.
What’s your favourite perk or benefit of working in the luxury hotel industry?
Oh, that’s simple, the team, the people. There are many reasons I went into hospitality – to travel, to experience different cultures. I always believe you don’t really experience a culture on vacation. But for me, it’s the different teams I’ve met around the world.
What aspect of Bahraini culture or lifestyle has caught your interest so far?
Well, I’ve only been here two weeks but I’ve been very impressed with the friendliness and warmth of the Bahraini people and also the expats I’ve met here. I was in Oman for six years and I’ve been to Dubai hundreds of times. Bahrain reminds me of Oman a little
bit, with the values of family, community and environment, whereas Dubai is very fast paced and competitive. Don’t get me wrong, it’s competitive here, but I think in a humbler way. So that’s what’s really, really stuck in my mind.
Read the interview on Fact Magazine here
Back
All News