Business & Money | Thursday 8 November, 2018 4:34 pm |

Four Principles and Mawaddah International Group have announced the launch of a new collaboration to embed a Lean culture across the Group’s chain of hotels in Saudi Arabia – from day-to-day operations to Umrah visa services – to deliver better guest experiences, improved efficiency and to unlock performance potential.

Modeled on a Lean Management process re-engineering approach, Four Principles will offer advisory, training and implementation services based on the ‘Kaizen’ philosophy. This industrial mindset was first pioneered by the Japanese automotive manufacturer, Toyota Motor Corporation and has been widely accepted as the global benchmark for operational efficiency. ‘Kaizen’ has adapted across many industries, designed to boost performance, eliminate waste and maximize utilization of resources.

Mawaddah International Group is a hotel operator that specializes in the provision of Hajj and Umrah services.  The company has several hotels under management in both Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia, and works through an extensive network of travel agents and tour operators across the world.  Among the services offered are the issuing of Umrah travel visas, arranging air and sea travel to and from Saudi Arabia, and providing ground transportation within the country.

The new partnership will focus on the implementation of transformation initiatives across multiple value streams, including hotel operations, sales strategy, procurement, financial processes, warehousing and stock management, and visa issuance processes.

Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Four Principles, Seif Shieshakly, said: “In line with the government’s Vision 2030 plan to boost the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia, the hospitality sector continues to witness tremendous growth aimed to cater to domestic and international tourists. We at Four Principles are proud to be part of supporting this growth through implementing continuous improvement projects with local hospitality establishments in order to deliver additional value to their customers.”

Karim Al-Sharif, CEO of Mawaddah International Group, said: “Our mission is to deliver a reliable and valued service to our guests during their stay at the country’s holy sites. We look forward to engaging with Four Principles and are confident this shared effort will optimize our processes and therefore enhance our customers’ satisfaction. This project represents an important step towards our vision to offer pilgrims a memorable religious experience through exceptional hospitality.”