It seems only as if a few days back, but in reality thirty long years have gone by. The year was 1981 and the month of April. A young boy just crossing eighteen years of age started his career at Dhaka’s fabulous Sonargaon hotel. This hotel was like a dream palace to many others who couldn’t make it to join here or to people passing by either the main road or adjacent rail track. For this young boy, the employment process started over eight months back in September 1980 following a newspaper advertisement from the Tourism Training Institute (TTI) of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation for a month long training course on Food & Beverage Service indicating that candidates successfully completing this course might get an employment opportunity at the then under construction first five star hotel of the country ‘Sonargaon Hotel’. Notably, this training institute was under the technical assistance of UNDP and ILO and the courses were run by the expatriate ILO specialists. Although it was only a training course, candidates were shortlisted after an interview conducted in English by the ILO specialist and a team of TTI instructors. For this young boy, grown up and having studied in his native village and district town college, that was the first time ever to converse with a foreigner in English. The questions were very simple though; reciting a few lines from the national anthem of Bangladesh, to name the composer, and translating a few lines of it in English. (The translation part wasn’t difficult at all as this young boy used to buy the Haroon Diaries, a popular diary in Bangladesh at that time, during college years and the national anthem along with its English translation used to be printed inside). Then he was asked to pick up a tea cup with saucer from the table and walk a few steps. To the sheer joy of this nervous young man he was asked to do a few medical tests and come back to the institute with the reports. The medical tests consisted of chest x-ray (for TB), blood, urine and stool tests. Test results were favorable. So he was asked to pay the course fee at the bank account of the institute and to attend the course with the prescribed dress of black trouser and white shirt. Class timing was from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a 15 minutes break at 10:45 a.m. At 7:45 a.m. it used to be the daily personal grooming check for shaved face, trimmed nails, clean and pressed dress, polished shoes and clean black socks. This young man attended the training course commuting daily from Narayanganj. There were around 40 students along with two females in the first batch. Many of the students were ex-TTI students who have completed the previously known Catering Course and have even worked as trainees at the then InterContinental or Purbani hotel. With sitting arrangements at square tables of four students per table with soft colored table cloths, it looked more like a restaurant than a class room. Mr. David Barker, an ILO specialist of Irish nationality, used to conduct the classes although one or more of the TTI instructors would be present in the classroom in case any student needed a translation in Bangla. After the first period by Mr. Barker, it was Mrs. Jane Baker, a dear lady, taking the English class. Mrs. Baker was the wife of the IMF Representative in Bangladesh. She was a British while her husband was an American (or, vice versa – sorry, don’t remember exactly). Then it used to be the break time and class continued thereafter by Mr. Barker. There used to be audio-visual presentations during the classes. Additionally, handouts were distributed to aid learning. During the course duration, executives from Sonargaon hotel used to pay visits and make short lectures in the class; it included the hotel Resident Manager, Comptroller and the Executive Chef. As part of the TTI training course and orientation we were taken to Intercontinental and Purbani hotels whereby we made meeting room and restaurant setup. Also some of us were assigned to assist Parjatan Corporation restaurant Sakura during their weekend dinner and outside catering functions. Approximately 8 batches + 2 other batches specifically for the females were conducted on the food an beverage service course specially designed for Sonargaon hotel. As we were in the morning batch, another course was being conducted from 2:00 pm onwards. Other courses conducted at TTI for Sonargaon hotel were Front Office and Housekeeping Courses. At the end of our course, along with two of my co-students, we presented an English book to our favourite English teacher Mrs. Brown. To qualify for the certificate all students had to sit for a final exam at the end of the course. Only those scoring 85% and above were given a training opportunity by the management of Sonargaon hotel. TTI was then located at 5, Ghaznabi Road, Mohamedpur, just adjacent to Residential Model School. The teaching staff included Mrs. Zulfia Ahmed (Chief Training Officer - CTO), Messrs. Golam Masum Chowdhury, Anisur Rahman, U Khin Mong, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed (volunteer). By January or early February 1981, candidates successfully completing the food & beverage service course from TTI were invited to attend another month long training course conducted directly by the Sonargaon hotel management. The training session was kicked-off at the Golden Gate hotel in Mirpur Road, opposite to Dhaka College. After about a week or ten days the venue was changed to New Eskaton Road in three different locations – 1) Hotels International Limited (the owning company of Sonargaon Hotel) office located at 29 New Eskaton Road, 2) YMCA Building just across the street; and 3) YMCA School inside the lanes. 120 candidates from TTI along with employees already appointed by the hotel were attending this month long training session. TTI candidates were meant for the entry level positions while those employed included waiters, restaurant supervisors with previous work experience home and abroad. The main purpose of the training was that everyone speaks the same language and delivers the same level of service after the hotel opens. F&B training classes were conducted by Messers. Wahabuzzaman Ahmed -Training Manager (joining Sonargaon Hotel from Fauzdarhat Cadet College with over 14 years of teaching experience), Bilal Hossain Joy - Director of Sales & Marketing, Philip Leong - Comptroller, Mike Herman - Food & Beverage Manager, Horst Mueller - Executive Chef, Gunter Ehrenhold - Resident Manager; Philip Gomes - Manager Café Bazar; Alamgir Khan - Manager Karwan Sarai; Z H Chowdhury - Room Service Manager; M H Bhuiyan - Bar Manager; Shahadat Hossain - Banquet Manager. Timing was from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. After about two weeks of combined training all trainees were individually called and screened by the panel of restaurant managers and preliminarily assigned to individual outlets. Thereafter, in addition to combined training classes, candidates were given intensive training as per their respective outlets. I was assigned to the Bar. Few days before the end of the month it was announced that based on the final exam results at the month end, only 90 out of the 120 TTI candidates will be appointed as of 1st April 1981. However, since the hotel has invested time and money on all candidates, the remaining 30 candidates shouldn’t be much worried. They will be kept on the waiting list and gradually employed by the hotel as and when needed. It was indeed a great tension – what news we’ll get on 1st April. On the night of 31st March, for the first time in my life I took sleeping pills to get a sound sleep which didn’t help me at all though. Everyone was tensed in the morning of the big day. To my relief, I was on the happier side along with my close friends Mahbubul Hasan and Kartik Chandra Saha. The successful candidates were issued with individual ID Nos. and considered employed as of 1st April 1981 with a probationary period of six months. However, training sessions were to continue until the hotel opens. Trainees were paid a monthly training allowance of Tk. 100/- each for the month of March 1981 as announced earlier. All candidates were shocked to see that Parveen Aktar, one of the brightest ladies, was not hired in spite of the rumors that she was being considered as the hostess for the showcase restaurant of the hotel. Sometimes later we got to know the reason for her not getting hired. Just one day before the final exam, Parveen along with another trainee requested the trainers (the outlet managers) “on behalf of all students” to release everyone early on that day so that everyone can prepare themselves for the big day. This was taken as a cue that when labour union will be formed, she might take a role in it and the management was not ready take any chance. As training sessions continued we were told by our managers that soon we shall be moving to the hotel. Managers who had already been inside the hotel by then mentioned to us about various aspects of luxuries in the hotel indicating that they haven’t seen such luxuries even in the middle eastern hotels where they worked prior to joining Sonargaon hotel. Part of the training sessions were very much focused on teaching us hotel vocabulary, likely conversations with guests in different situations, audio-visual training on customer service, satisfaction, health, hygiene, sanitation, personal grooming, how to handle complaints - all aspects of a hotel/restaurant operation ensuring highest standards, quality and guest satisfaction. Honestly speaking, later on it was evident that guests could not even imagine that majority of the employees serving them are first timers or new in the hospitality industry. Thanks to the intensive training programs and our own cultural heritage of being hospitable to our guests. I am grateful and humbly thank all those restaurant managers and trainers for giving us a solid foundation for our career. Within a few days our training sessions started taking place at the hotel ballroom and lunch was being provided at the staff cafeteria. During this period Personnel Manager Mr. Abu Abdullah joined the hotel and he was introduced to the whole F&B Team during such a training session. By then training activities turned to individual outlet basis and we had to be in the hotel from 9 am to 5 pm. Prior to the hotel providing us lunch, our Bar Manager Mr. Bhuiyan showed a kind gesture to his staff members. He invited one staff by rotation on daily basis for lunch at his residence and since Shahin was the only female colleague, she would be going daily. This was very much appreciated by the Bar staff and helped in building a rapport. Since the hotel was built under Japanese aid and managed by a Japanese hotel chain, the soft-opening date was set on 28th April 1981 to coincide with the birthday of Japanese Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese embassy hosted this occasion by a cocktail reception at the hotel ballroom for about 500 guests. Everyone at the hotel was excited and nervous at the same time for such a grand function. Thankfully everything went smooth. Initially only the coffee shop, room service, banqueting and bar lounge were put into operations. Then gradually the swimming pool, Kawan Sarai, Jharna restaurant and delicatessen shop were opened. Some of the bar staff were assigned to the service bar covering the coffee shop and room service. Staff assigned for the bar lounge service only in the evening were doing afternoon shift while all remaining staff were doing general day shift with nothing much to do - general cleaning, dusting, arranging items, group discussions and so on. One sad part – one morning a bar colleague named Siddiqul Islam popped up in my room (I was doing afternoon shift) telling that he has been terminated for a minor incident on the previous day. One of the outlet managers called the bar and as Siddique answered the phone, the caller felt that Siddique was eating something while answering the phone. We couldn’t do anything for him except feeling sorry. The six-month probationary period was indeed unpredictable. One may start his works and at the end of his shift there would be a small slip attached to his time card to see the personnel department. Or, one may not find his time card while coming for work and will be asked to see the personnel department instead. Another colleague Manjur Elahi (batch mate in TTI) was terminated as Sous Chef Miyura saw him eating some salad. These incidents are mentioned here to indicate how cautious and strict the management was in maintaining discipline. Another month almost passed-by since the soft-opening and like a bolt from the blue - president Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in Chittagong on 30th May. In the aftermaths, night time curfew was in place. However, the hotel managed to obtain curfew passes for the employees working in the evening shift who finish their duty at around 11pm or midnight. As I was living in a nearby area Kathalbagan, I was then assigned for the afternoon shift duty to work at the bar lounge operation in the evening. A small incident took place around this time. One day when we came on duty, there was security report that the bar lounge collapsible partition was not locked after operations of the previous night, therefore a security guard had to be assigned to the bar for the whole night. This was an honest mistake and no severe action was taken since there was no theft or loss took place. It was really nice to work at Sonargaon Hotel. Like only the crème de la crème of the society were our guests, we also considered ourselves the same as employees. At the hotel we could see many of the famous figures from all walks of life – politicians, diplomats, actors, writers, singers, academicians and so on. People would have gasped a breath and say wow! when they heard that we work at the Sonargaon hotel. Still, there was a dilemma – some people think hotel job as a bad or immoral one yet would think if someone from their family / relatives had this job! During the opening there were several expatriate managers like: Mr. Tony E. Bruggemans – General Manager Mr. Guenter Ehrenhold - Resident Manager Mr. Philip Wong - Comptroller Mr. Abdur Rahman – Chief Accountant Mr. Mike Herman - F&B Manager Mr. Horst E. Mueller - Executive Chef Mr. Lee - Pastry Chef Mr. Miyura - Sous Chef Mrs. Iris E. Santos - Executive Housekeeper Mr. Hiroo Nagasawa - Rooms Division Manager Mr. Park - Restaurant Manager from Korea on task force In early June (1981) it was announced that service charge will be distributed equally to all employees of the hotel regardless of their position. For each month service charge will be paid on the 15th of the following month. Accordingly, on 15th June 1981 we received the service charge for the month of May and the amount was 300 taka. From the following month onwards this amount increased as with the business volume. As the service charge would be distributed on the 15th of each month, all staff members at the bar decided to distribute the tips money on the 8th and 21st of each month. This will mean staff receives money during each week of the month – salary on the 1st, service charge on 15th and tips on 8th and 21st of each month. Tips in each restaurant was usually equally divided among all staff of that restaurant regardless of their work shift. It is worth mentioning salary scale for starting level positions was 500/- taka per month which totaled to taka 700+ including all allowances and after deduction of provident fund contribution. Bank account was opened by the hotel l for all employees to pay their salaries. As we were counting our days for the six-months probationary to be over at the end of September and our job to be permanent as of 1st October, just a few days before that our Bar Hostess Shahin went missing. There were conflicting reports about her disappearance. However, it was a happy ending as she got married to her boy friend, another colleague of us from the Banqueting section. From 1st October, I was transferred to Karwan Sarai, rotisserie and the signature restaurant of the hotel. I was proud to be part of the team since this restaurant was like the show-case of the hotel and all staff members were not only very smart, indeed the smartest within the F&B Department. The restaurant served buffet lunch and a la carte orders for dinner. I was assigned 9am-6pm shift while other colleagues were doing split shifts 0900-1200 and 1800-000hrs or 1200-1500 and 1800-0000 hrs. I had my bosom friend Mahbub here at this restaurant since the opening whom I befriended during my TTI days. All the colleagues used to tell me that I was lucky being in the morning shift as I can watch the TV programs or serials which they missed. The irony was I didn’t have any TV set as I was living bachelor life in a mess. After the lunch service we used to eat food from the buffet (of course by hiding ourselves!). As I was trained in the bar and not too familiar with the western food I used to eat biryani and cream caramel on daily basis. It is worth mentioning that I was among the four or five youngest employees of the hotel. Therefore most of the senior employees cared for me, among them the most notable ones were the Cooks attending the Buffet. Two of them were named John and we used to affectionately address one of the two as ‘dadu’. Before removing the buffet food they would make a plate of biryani and a portion of cream caramel for me and hide it under the buffet table. It was a regular practice and sometimes even without asking them to do so. I would usually hide myself under the buffet table and eat my food while I could hear that our supervisor Qamrul bhai enquiring about me. All my colleagues used to cover me from him. Eating food like this is a common practice though not permitted but everyone eats hiding from others. Slowly slowly I started eating grilled chicken, steak and a few other western food items and the Cooks would joke on me that they would see how long I can continue with Biryani! All on a sudden the security guards at the hotel went on a strike. I was assigned with a few other colleagues from our F&B department to work in the security department which lasted for about a week. During this period I could gain some new experience. After working for about six months in the morning shift I was then assigned for dinner shift. Working on split shifts became a permanent feature by then. This was a new experience altogether and proved to be a milestone in my F&B career. I received very good training from the supervisors and colleagues. What a Restaurant Captain would usually do in another hotel we were already doing it as Bus Boys. Daily briefing was held at 6:35 p.m. prior to start of dinner service at 7:00 p.m. Split shift staff would punch in their time card before 6:00 p.m., everyone would take dinner and attend the daily briefing. All staff MUST be aware of the Chef’s special, vegetables and potato of the day, not available menu items etc. Restaurant Manager Mr. Alamgir Khan would randomly ask any staff about these, preparation method of the daily special and check his staff for their grooming, appearance, shiny shoes with black socks. (Later in career life, when I didn’t see such briefings taking place at other hotels, remembered Mr. Alamgir Khan respectfully). Meanwhile, as part of cross exposure to other outlets within the Food & Beverage Department, I was sent to Room Service for one month; likewise another Room Service employee came to Karwan Sarai. During this one month, I was assigned to work in all the three shifts: morning, afternoon and night shifts to gain the maximum experience. There was a remarkable incident taking place during this time which is worth mentioning. One day we got lay-over passengers due to a British Airways Dhaka-London flight problem. I served a lunch order to one room occupied by an elderly (Bangladeshi-British) couple. Sometimes after the service I was called by hotel security officer to this room. Guest complained about a missing wrist watch. Two of the hotel staff members entered into this room – myself with their lunch order and a chambermaid named Justina. Security officer questioned us both and we were surprised to hear of a theft accusation. To our relief, the watch was found inside a suitcase of the guest and we were relieved with a big sigh. After this incident only I started exchanging greetings with Justina if we met in the cafeteria or elsewhere in the hotel coz I have never spoken to her before this incident. Some of the big events that took place in the hotel between 1981 and 1984 are: • Banquet function in honor HRH Prince Karim Agha Khan by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and return dinner by the honorable guest. • Outside catering functions at Sangsad Bhavan North Plaza catered by Sonargaon Hotel. • World famous movie director Paul Romanski press conference at Nirala • (Canadian Prime Minister) Pierre Trudo press conference at Nirala • New year’s eve dinner dance functions at the ballroom • Departure of Tony E Brugamens in late 1984 Around late 1982 or early 1983, Sonargaon Hotel was entrusted with operating all the motels under Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation. Supervisors from various departments were being sent to train the project employees. During the OIC Conference in 1983, all member countries’ foreign ministers were staying at Sonargaon. Unprecedented security measures were put in place. Staff members of the hotel received special security passes which was again classified to different access levels. There would be government security personnel at employees entrance/exit. Before the state visit of HM Queen Elizabeth II in November 1983, Sonargaon hotel was entrusted with the renovation and operation of the state guest houses in Minto Road, Dhaka. HM stayed at the Sugandha and teams of Banqueting, Room Service, housekeeping and engineering employees were assigned there for the entire stay duration working almost round the clock. Her Majesty also visited a model village named Boiragir Chala in Sripur upzila under present Gazipur district. Since they would have to travel by train, some carriages of Bangladesh Railway were painted with a special color. Later on that concept of special blue color was applied to all inter-city express trains of Bangladesh Railway. For the trip to Gazipur, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, HRH Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, CMLA H.M. Ershad. Rear Admiral M.H. Khan, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh and the entourage boarded the train from Cantonment station for this trip. Three F&B Service employees (A.Hasib, Mizan, Shawkat – all from Karwan Sarai) were assigned for service. Later on Mr. Tony E. Bruggemans, GM, also joined the team. In August 1984 the hotel celebrated its third anniversary with a grand function. Air Vice Marshal A.G.Mahmud, Chief of Bangladesh Air Force, was the honourable chief guest at this function. Themed stations were created based on countries where Pan Pacific Hotels were operating at that time. I was taking part in singing chorus songs during almost all the annual staff functions or other functions of the hotel. Aspiring music director Anisur Rahman Tanu, dancer Munmun Ahmed would take part and assist us in all such functions. In 1984 UAE President HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan paid a state visit to Bangladesh and he too stayed at the same state guest house, as usual managed by Sonargaon hotel. Karwan Sarai restaurant used to be closed on Fridays, therefore all staff members were off on that day. To make more intimate relationship among the colleagues, we started making a get-together once a year along with Mr. Alamgir Khan, the restaurant manager and would go to any Chinese restaurant for dinner. Bill would be paid from our restaurant tips money. In 1983 some of my good friends (Abdul Jalil, Nurul Anam Khan) and the bar manager Mr. Bhuiyan left for Riyadh, KSA. One of the Karwan Sarai colleagues, Manjurul Haque was hospitalized at the Holy Family Red Cross Hospital. Since Manju didn’t have any family member living in Dhaka, Mr. Alamgir Khan, our restaurant manager assigned me to stay overnight at the hospital. Later on we got to realize the importance of this gesture. In early 1983 there were a few female new comers at Café Bazar. One of them caught my attention. From her second month at the hotel, we started talking to each other and going out together. After a love affairs spanning over a year and a half we got married. But we had to obtain a written approval from the hotel as we both were hotel employees and there was an internal policy that members of the same family can not be employed. Other employees who got married before us were Rashida - Karim; Jotsna - Lawrence Rozario, Sadia - Hanif; Lily - Rafique (kitchen). In mid 1984 labour union registration was completed. The first charter of demand was to reinstate the jobs of around 14 colleagues who were terminated previously for their involvement in forming a labour union and the hotel management had to oblige. It was while on duty we saw the footage on the big plasma screen at the Bar of a Biman flight crash in early August 1984. A domestic flight from Chittagong to Dhaka crashed near Dhaka, killing all 49 people on board. Captain Kaniz Fatema Roksana, Biman's first female pilot who died in this crash, made two attempts to land in reduced visibility due to heavy raining but could not find the runway. On the third attempt, the Fokker F–27 crashed in swamps 500 meters short of the runway. It was another loss for the country within a day or two of this crash when Rear Admiral M. H. Khan, chief of Bangladesh Navy who was supervising the rescue operation of the crashed aircraft died of a heart attack. Again, in October 1984 thru the Reuters news screen we first got to know about the assassination of the then Indian Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi. Resident Manager Mr. Gunter Ehrenhold was promoted as GM and transferred to a sister Pan Pacific hotel in Thailand probably in mid 1983. A new Resident Manager Mr. Regis Y. Catoire, a French national, joined the team after Mr. Ehrenhold’s transfer. The opening general manager of the hotel Mr. Tony E. Bruggemans left the hotel in late 1984. Mr. Ehrenhold returned to Dhaka to take over as new General Manager of the hotel. Meanwhile, F&B Manager Mr. Mike Herman left the hotel during the 2nd quarter of 1984 and Mr. Peter Emberger joined a few months later as the new F&B Manager. During the interim period Mr. Shahadat Hossain and Mr. Z.H. Chowdhury were jointly in-charge of the F&B Department; one responsible for the operations while the other one for administration. In mid 1984 all F&B outlet managers were shuffled and Abdul Hasib from Karwan Sarai moved on as in-charge of Khayyam Bar. Due to re-shuffling, some of the old Bar staff members were transferred back to Khayyam bar. Abdul Hasib got married in late 1984 and Mr. Emberger attended his wedding reception. One worth mentioning incident was a sudden curfew enforcement while we were working in the evening shift, probably in 1984. We couldn’t go out after duty and the hotel made arrangements for the employees to sleep at the banquet hall by providing pillows and bed sheet to each employee; big screen TV was set in one section of the ballroom to show movies. In late 1984 I got a job offer from a hotel in Riyadh. As my best friend Mahbub already joined this hotel before me and recommended the hotel as a good place to work, so I had no hesitation. Eleven of Sonargaon hotel colleagues joined Al Khozama Riyadh on the same day in early January 1985. Unfortunately, that was a short stint of eight months stay in Riyadh for me and another colleague Rafiq; we were back in Dhaka by mid August same year. Upon our return, we tried to join back Sonargaon hotel but due to management policy on rehiring of those employees who left job was not in our favour. Among the re-hired ex-employees in the F&B Service Department Abdul Jalil (may his departed soul rest in eternal peace) continued his service while two other F&B employees Bernard Rozario and A.F.M. Nurul Imam left abroad again within a few months of their re-hiring which prompted the hotel management in taking such a stern decision. In November 1985 there was the historic revolution at the hotel and the employees union managed to gain instant winning to many of their long overdue demands. Financial and some other benefits were on the higher side as an aftermath. When we left the hotel in January 1985, service charge for that month was calculated @ 7,000/- taka, the highest amount of service charge during our tenure. While after the November 85 revolution service charge went as high as 17,000/- taka during some months. After the first gulf war in 1990 some employees of Sonargaon Hotel left for the Al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq while many others immigrated to Australia. Having worked with 2 major international hotel chains after leaving Sonargaon hotel there are some points that still make me proud. Without any question, Sonargaon hotel is a pride for Bangladesh. Had this hotel been in some other major city of the world other than Bangladesh, this would have been classified as a flagship hotel like Raffles in Singapore, Grosvenor House in London, Waldorf Astoria in New York or Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Training and development we received back in 1981 are still the backbone of our career today and I can fairly vouch that we got nearly 80% of the total training to date at Sonargaon hotel itself. The remaining 20% or so is not a lacking from the part of Sonargaon, rather the time period itself, as technology keeps developing over time and simply, the materials covered in this 20% were not available at that time. As my wife continued her job at the hotel for many years to follow, I was not totally out of touch with the hotel. For the next sixteen years or so, I used to meet many old friends and colleagues while visiting the hotel during my annual vacations. Sonargaon hotel was not only my first job rather like the blood in my veins. In many ways I got moulded from my job there. On the thirtieth anniversary of this fabulous hotel, I wish the hotel, its management and staff members, particularly those from the opening period, all the very best and continued success. Love you Sonargaon Hotel. Author’s Note: This write up is purely a memoir. I hope the opening team of Sonargaon Hotel and particularly the F&B Service colleagues will recall the good old days and can send me further inputs, if any, to add on. Two other readerships may find it interesting. 1. Present day Sonargaon Hotel employees and those joining after the opening, to know and understand what the opening team had to go through 2. Tidbits and glimpses of hotel job for outsiders. This is in no way to ridicule, criticize or pamper anyone in any way whatsoever. Few words for people not working in the hospitality sector: Sonargaon hotel was a milestone in Bangladesh for a few reasons. It is an architectural masterpiece in post-independence Bangladesh creating job opportunities for nearly 600 persons in both skilled and un-skilled categories and operating as a profitable business entity. Many people who were working in the Arabian gulf or in the western countries, chose to settle back home after their employment at Sonargaon. It was after the opening of this hotel, people started thinking of hospitality sector as a career or others became more liberal towards hotel job. We must salute those pioneers who started working at the InterContinental Dhaka back in 1964, Agrabad Hotel in Chittagong in 1966 and at the Purbani hotel Dhaka in 1968. The major difference is, Sonargaon employees received formal training both before and during their employment. Members of the Christian community in our country also deserve a special mention for their pioneering role in the hospitality industry. They have earned good reputations particularly in the culinary field. Many of the European chefs are aware by now that the Gomes’es and the Rozario’s from Bangladesh are good cooks. This has resulted from the economic developments in the Arabian gulf region starting from the mid 70s creating vast job opportunities for people from almost all countries of the world and millions of Bangladeshis found employment opportunities here. In line with the developments almost all major international hotel chains opened their hotels, sometimes more than one in the same country. At the same time international brand restaurants and fast food chains also opened more than one outlets in the same city/town. Hospitals, construction companies or other big business establishments employing hundreds or even more than thousand workers, appointed catering companies for food supply or managing staff cafeterias. All these have contributed to the employment opportunities for Bangladeshis in the hotel, restaurant, fast food chain, catering companies or similar hospitality related jobs. For majority of the Bangladeshi students going to Europe or America/Canada for higher studies, restaurants, fast food chains and super markets are the primary places where they can find jobs easily. Interestingly, almost 90% of the Indian restaurants or take aways in the UK are owned and run by Bangladeshis. Those students however do not take the restaurant job as a career, rather a temporary means only for supporting themselves. They would almost never mention about this job to their family or friends back home neither they would indicate it on their CVs. On the other hand, western children work in their family run business be it a restaurant, bakery or B&Bs during their school holidays to make money for their own summer holidays and they never hesitate to mention those work experiences in their CVs. The near 600 strong work force consist of employees from all religions in the country – Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and members of other indigenous communities. How many organizations in the country offer such a fine balance in their workforce? A misconception: majority of the people not working in the hospitality industry think of the females working in hotels in general with a suspicious view, thinking these females are engaged in or have chance of getting involved in any immoral act with hotel guests. ABSOLUTELY FALSE. This is not Thailand or any other country. Just remember, females’ jobs are as secured as any other job. Not only any female employee, even any employee of the hotel who has nothing to do with (job not related to) the guest rooms, can not even go to the guest floors. If someone is caught going to the guest floor, disciplinary action will be taken against him/her. Whose job is cleaning guest rooms must keep the room door open for the entire duration of cleaning. Floor supervisor is always on round to check. On the other hand, at the start of their shift job is assigned for each one; so there is no chance or time of moving out of one’s assigned area. For females working in the afternoon shift, at the end of their duty they are dropped home by the hotel vehicle while one Ansar is assigned to that vehicle. Not necessarily the female hotel workers will possess a bad character. If someone wants to be immoral she can do so while doing any noble profession and when someone wants to maintain a good moral character she can do it regardless of her job nature. It is up to the person, not the profession. Tourism hasn’t developed much in our country although the hospitality industry as a whole now ranks within the top 10 employment sectors globally. There are tremendous opportunities for career growth within this industry which can actually happen faster than one may imagine – provided an individual has the genuine interest in dealing with people and ready to go the extra mile. On the job training courses provided not only help an individual in doing his job better, it can improve one’s personal and social life as well. There are lot of opportunities in the hotel career, one only needs to discover.