Waiters at Hilton are now trained in photography to snap up perfect memories

Say ‘Cheese!’…

Picture this… You’re at a hotel and having a wonderful time with your loved ones, and you want a photo memory you can look back on. Only what you get is a blurry or grainy snapshot with your mates out of focus, or worse, cut out entirely. Now, you can get stop and request your waiter to snap up a photo, but there’s a good chance you’re unhappy with the photographs.

Enter Hilton with the Waitographer programme. The programme trains its staff in smartphone photography so they can take snap up the guests’ celebrations and provide sharp, colourful and vibrant images.

Now, this isn’t the usual video you would find on any online video sharing platform. It is a proper workshop led by renowned Middle East photographer, Roger Moukarzel.

The photographer will lead the waiting staff through a rigorous workshop teaching them all the skills they need to take photos that their guests will cherish. Once the training program is completed, the staff will receive a certificate and a badge so that hotel guests can identify them.

At the moment, almost 100 Hilton team members here in UAE have passed through Roger Moukarzel’s photography workshop and more are scheduled to receive their training. An online course will soon be rolled out across the Hilton portfolio around the world.

At the moment, you can find the Waitographers at Hilton Garden Inn Dubai Mall of the Emirates, DoubleTree by Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, Hilton Garden Inn Ras Al Khaimah, and more.

Gurmej Bahia, Vice President of Marketing and Loyalty, International, at Hilton stated, ‘We all love to take photos when we’re with friends and family to capture the memories we are making. However, nine times out of 10, the picture has to omit one person so they can take it or we attempt a selfie, which doesn’t always work, or we ask for a waiter or a random passer-by to take the photo for us. The Waitographer programme will enhance our guests’ experiences at Hilton and help them to save all their treasured memories.’

Emma Banks, Vice President, F&B Strategy & Development, Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Hilton stated that the Waitographer programme will reinforce Hilton’s focus on empowering and upskilling its team members and also ties in with Hilton’s ambition to create human connections for guests during their stay.

She added that the Waitographers are excited to interact with guests and ‘start snapping photos that will create memories that last forever.’

Images: Hilton