Gamal Aziz, President & CEO of MGM Mirage Hospitality

Gamal Aziz  is the President and CEO of MGM Mirage Hospitality in Las Vegas.

Under Gamal Aziz’s leadership, profits at the hotel have doubled and revenues increased from $700 million to $1.2 billion in the space of 3 years. Pretty impressive stuff. This involved some serious investment in the property, which was a huge risk at the time. But Gamal put his own neck on the line because he saw the tremendous potential of the hotel.

One of the coolest things about Gamal is not how much profit he’s made, but how committed he is to making the MGM Grand a great place to work. There are 9,000 employees at the MGM Grand (9,000!), and the hotel has been recognized three times as one of Southern Nevada’s best places to work.

In this interview, Gamal and I discuss:

• What Gamal learned by talking to hotel guests in the taxi line outside the MGM Grand on a Friday night
• The controversial restaurant renovation that put a knot in Gamal’s stomach, but led to a 200% increase in profits
• How he handled the #1 employee complaint, “Nobody tells me anything” or “I don’t know what’s going on.”
• The plan to open up 14 more MGMs around the world, from London to Beijing

Listen to my interview with Gamal Aziz

0:16    Michael introduces Gamal Aziz
4:39    What Gamal learned by talking to hotel guests in the taxi line outside the MGM Grand on a Friday night
8:06    The controversial restaurant renovation that put a knot in Gamal’s stomach, but led to a 200% increase in profits
10:19   The biggest challenge in getting people on board with a new vision – believing in yourself
16:54   The secret to getting employees to stick around and be committed
21:29   How Gamal handled the #1 employee complaint, “Nobody tells me anything” or “I don’t know what’s going on.”
23:45   The plan to open up 14 more MGMs around the world, from London to Beijing
26:21   Michael closes the interview

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