AS A CHILD I DREAMED TO BE A CELEBRITY

AS A CHILD I DREAMED TO BE A CELEBRITY

Dr. Xenia Kisselincheva

         As soon as I stepped past the threshold I found myself in a totally different world. The bustle and hustle of the city center vanished and I was enveloped in the peaceful cool ambience of Scotty’s boutique hotel. It was a discreet oasis of elegance and comfort in the midst of rattling trams, zooming cars and the howl of security alarms, going off. A well-groomed young man beamed a smile at me and greeted me with studied courtesy…

      Here I am sitting in one of the rooms – it has been designed with the exquisite simplicity of a Japanese interior. I find out that it has been conceived by Dim Dukov himself, the owner of the first boutique hotel in Sofia. There he is, sitting across the table from me, speaking with a charming nasal twang. He makes a really friendly host - I am not in the least intimidated by his glamorous status of a celebrity. He treats me as an equal and he comments on his public image with a tongue in the cheek, with a please, don’t-take-it-too-seriously attitude.

“So, you were among the few who came back to Bulgaria by the end of 1989 when many were leaving the country to look for a better life. Then everyone was exhilarated by a feeling of newly-gained freedom…

“What were the reasons behind your decision to return here?”

“It was quite a challenge to start a business in the services in those unstable times when the country was making its first precarious steps towards democracy. At first, I took over the hairdresser’s salon at the Sheraton Sofia Balkan. Hairstyling is an art form for me - there is a touch of creative improvisation which might surprise the stylist himself. In no time, I was surrounded by beautiful women-models, actresses, media stars, business managers. All of them wanted to be distinctly individual and striking in their looks. As the saying goes “l’honeur oblige”, so I had to ride on the spur of my wildest imagination to come up with their expectations.”

“What did you do next?”

“Next I opened a chain of hairdressing salons, a pizza restaurant on Vitosha boulevard, a luxury flower shop and a chain of night clubs.”

“How did it occur to you to develop this project in the hospitality business?”

“Actually, I have been working in this line of business for more than 5 years in Australia. But it was a challenge to make use of my Western experience in an environment where a solid tradition in the services was missing. I was struck by the idea of creating a boutique hotel of 16 rooms in a historically enhanced location. So, as I already mentioned, I put my recognizable imprint on the interior design, while my sister who is an architect cooperated on the technical aspects of the plan. It took me about a year to refurbish the building-it was in a very bad condition – hundreds of things needed fixing or replacement. Finally, the renovation was completed and we opened it on the 1^st of February this year. And I must say that after only 4-5 months we already enjoy a steady clientele of foreign businessmen and tourists.”

“What do you intend of doing further to improve the quality of the services?”

“So far, we offer only impeccable room service. In the nearest future we plan to pull down a nearby building and to rebuild it completely. There will be an exclusive restaurant, a lobby bar, a fitness center and a few extra luxury rooms and suites.

“How about providing such facilities in the meantime?”

“Right now we provide the services of a nearby fitness club. It is quite tough competition in this line of business, so you strive to offer services and extras, not offered elsewhere. For example, free of charge Internet, satellite TV and a movie channel. Moreover, our rooms are reasonably priced for what we offer in the way of luxury and personal touch in services.”

“How do you manage to sustain your high standards of services?”

“This is one of the most complicated issues in this country. I prefer to recruit young men and women and teach them my way of doing things. Sometimes, it takes a lot of effort and a few mistakes, but I have definitely very promising results. My employees adopt my work ethic -   they work with the selfless commitment of self-employed people.”         

 “Which is the greatest luxury you offer?”

“Our rooms have no numbers. They are named after famous world cities. For instance, the most luxury room is the Cape Town room. It comes with fruit baskets and free of charge tea and coffee, free Internet and sat TV. We are ready to add any extras the guests might ask for - skiing or mountain cycling in the Vitosha mountain, cultural or religious tours, curing sessions at spas near Sofia.”

“What is your attitude to charitable activities, do you see yourself as a socially involved businessman?”

“Since I got back, I have done a lot in the way of charity. I am the founder of the “No AIDS” foundation-I think AIDS is a very serious problem worldwide. As a good Christian I sincerely believe you have to give part of what you have to others. I have also done charitable acts to children in orphanages. But I truly believe that you don’t have to do indirect advertising for your business by aiming at wide publicity. You do it because you feel like it, that’s that. But you have to educate other wealthy people to help as much as they can. To make them appreciate the special satisfaction of doing good for the less privileged.”

“What is the price of success for you?”

“There are pros and cons attached to it. On the one hand, I get annoyed with what I read about myself in the tabloid press. When you are successful, you always have enemies. But, on the other hand, I take naturally to publicity, as duck takes to water. As a child I dreamed to be a celebrity. I must say I feel quite comfortable about it. You can share your dreams and your worries with so many people at the same time thanks to the media and the dynamic social interaction of modern lifestyle.

It is a great experience and I enjoy every minute of it.”

“What do you like doing in your spare time?”

“I love traveling, watching DVD’s, reading books. My favorite author is Umberto Ecco. In winter I go skiing to Borovetz or Bansko, in summer I do all water sports on the Black sea. I like going on vacation to Greece or Turkey or to any new and exciting place.”

“How do you look at our EU admission?”

“I am a great supporter of Bulgaria’s EU membership. It will urge people to work according to Western standards. There will be tough competition for local businesses but if they are viable they will have access to new markets. It will also give a boost to tourism-services must be up to scratch. People must learn to smile more often and look on the bright side of life.”                                                                      

 

SpotOn magazine, 2004