“Going beyond to deliver hip hospitality”: exploring motivation and job satisfaction of hospitality workers in Dubai

Reimara Valk obtained her PhD degree in HRM/Global Mobility, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Master degree in Human Resources/Global Mobility, Erasmus University, the Netherlands; Master of Science degree in Human Resource Studies, Tilburg University, the Netherlands; Bachelor of Arts (second degree class) in Business Studies, Anglia Polytechnic University, UK; Baccalaureus in Hospitality Management, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands. She is a certified Global Mobility professional with experience in the field of Global Mobility, HR practice, education and research in multicultural, international work environments. She joined AUD as Assistant Professor in January 2019. Her expertise and responsibility is primarily in the area of curriculum design and delivery of business and management courses at undergraduate and MBA level within the School of Business Administration. She has ten years of teaching and research experience in the field of HRM and International Business having previously worked for various education institutes in the Netherlands; Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India; and Curtin University Sarawak, Malaysia. She has also been a Visiting Professor at IILM institute for Business and Management, Gurgaon, India; American University of Iraq Sulaymaniyah, Iraq; and Shanghai Maritime Institute, China. Formerly, she worked in advisory, customer service and HR roles in the profit and non-profit organizations in the Netherlands, the UK and India. Reimara’s Her research interests are in global mobility and careers, employee engagement and well-being and sustainable development. She has published her research in journals, such as the International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management and the Journal of Global Mobility. Additional publications include book chapters, conference papers, and practitioner magazine articles. She has won several awards for journal articles and conference papers and has obtained various research funds. Reimara’s Her passion is a healthy lifestyle including a healthy diet and exercise. She loves cycling, swimming, tennis and yoga. In 2019, she published her book entitled: ‘Culinary Concoctions: The Nutrition Guide for Food Fussy Folks’. This nutrition guide inspires and helps people to have a diet that is: nutritious, delicious, safe and healthy; protective and respectful for the biodiversity and ecosystems; culturally acceptable and accessible; economically fair and affordable; Safesafe, healthy and sustainable consumption: good for people, planet, and prosperity.

Lina Yousif is the Talent & Culture Training Manager at Accor Hotels, Dubai. She has more than 11 years of work experience in a variety of roles in the Hospitality Industry in the Middle East.