It’s an event you want to remember – a wedding anniversary, a business lunch, a family staycation. But the photos are horrible. You took an awkward selfie or you gave your phone to the waiter and his camera skills are way below par. Someone has their eyes closed, someone is half in and half out of frame, there’s a random in the background…

Bad photos don’t make beautiful memories.

So Hilton is turning its waiters into Waitographers in a program by TBWA\RAAD. It is upskilling its staff, training them in smartphone photography, delivering them an official certificate training as mobile photographers. The program is led by internationally acclaimed Lebanese photographer, Roger Moukarzel. All waiters who complete the course are given a certificate and a special badge to mark them as certified waitographers and to be easily recognised by customers. Th first round of graduates will include 70 waiters selected in the UAE. Gradually, Hilton will be expanding regionally and covering global markets from Far East Asia to America – simply by making this new skill a core part of its waiters’ training.

“We all love to take photos when we’re with friends and family to capture the memories we are making,” stated Gurmej Bahia, vice president of marketing and loyalty, international, at Hilton. “However, nine times out of 10, the picture has to omit one person so they can take it or we attempt a selfie, which doesn’t always work, or we ask for a waiter or a random passer-by to take the photo for us. The Waitographer programme will enhance our guests’ experiences at Hilton and help them to save all their treasured memories.”

Emma Banks, vice president, F&B strategy & development, Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Hilton, added, “Not only does the Waitographer scheme reinforce Hilton’s focus on empowering and upskilling its team members, but also ties in with our ambition to create human connections for guests during their stay. Our Waitographers are really excited to interact with guests and start snapping photos that will create memories that last forever.”