Case study: Our Habitas

Overview

In October 2023, our recruitment agency was tasked by Habitas, a renowned hospitality company, to assist in staffing their new luxury resort, Ras Abrouq, located in the desert of Qatar.

We were briefed on 10th October, with the goal of filling over 20 key positions by 26th October, ensuring that candidates would be ready to start in-country by 14th November.

Despite the remote location and tight timeline, our team at The Cavalry Global successfully

delivered, overcoming multiple recruitment challenges.

Challenge

The project posed several challenges, primarily the strict two-week turnaround from briefing to offers. The resort’s remote location, over an hour from Doha, made it difficult to attract local candidates, and visa restrictions further complicated the recruitment of out-of-country applicants. The positions needed to be filled by 14th November, meaning there was no room for delays in visa processing or relocation.

Solution

To meet the client’s requirements, we employed a dual recruitment strategy, targeting both in-country and out-of-country candidates. We coordinated several online recruitment days, collaborating closely with Ras Abrouq’s heads of departments (HODs) via Google Meet and Zoom. Our team managed diaries, pre-screened candidates, and ensured that they were thoroughly briefed on the roles and company culture. Speed and efficiency were critical, with offers out by 26th October, we maintained constant communication between candidates and the client to ensure quick decision-making. Our agility allowed us to overcome the hurdles of the tight timeline and logistical challenges.

Outcome

Despite the constraints, we successfully filled all 20+ positions by the 26th October deadline. The roles ranged from Commis Chefs and CDPs and Assistant Managers to Servers, as well as Stewards, Room Service staff, Bellmen, and more. 

Candidates were set to start on 14th November, ready for the resort’s operational launch.

Key takeaways

This project showcased our ability to work under tight deadlines while maintaining a high standard of quality. By facilitating online recruitment days, working the in country HR to ensure all documents are collected for the visas, and ensuring a rapid decision-making process, we were able to meet the client’s needs effectively.

Constant communication and agility were key to our success in this fast-paced, high demand project.