Guests at one of Saudi Arabia’s best hotel chains will soon benefit from better experiences delivered as a result of a pioneering partnership between Lean Management consultants Four Principles and Mawaddah International Group. Four Principles will work to integrate the Japanese ‘Kaizen’ philosophy of continuous improvement across Mawaddah’s hotels. The introduction of the Lean culture is expected to cover everything from day-to-day operations through to Umrah visa services, resulting in improved efficiency, increased business performance and heightened guest experiences.

Shieshakly, co-founder and managing partner of Four Principles, 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 are proud to be part of supporting this growth by implementing continuous improvement projects with local hospitality establishments in order to deliver additional value to their customers.”

Lean Management principles were first developed by Toyota Motor Corporation, a long-term partner of Abdul Latif Jameel. They are designed to boost performance, eliminate waste and maximize effective use of resources.

Four Principles will work with Mawaddah, a hotel operator specializing in Hajj and Umrah services in both Makkah and Medina, to bring positive change to areas including sales strategy, procurement, warehousing and stock management, and hotel operations.

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.”