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In-depth news and analysis for the Middle East’s hospitality professionals, wrapped up a in an intelligent, well designed monthly magazine.
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Trends: Industry insiders debate whether online education can ever replace face-to-face learning
Feature: Revealing how technology will change tomorrow’s hotels and why the trend will span budget to luxury
Interview: Sheraton Dubai Creek GM Heinz Grub on Starwood’s next step to success and how he juggles seven properties
Q&A: The outdoors may be great, but in our unforgiving climate making the most of them isn’t easy
Even more: Data, tenders, jobs and appointment news
In association with...
Publication licensed by IMPZ
GLOBAL HOTEL INDEX: Egypt 47.1% - Saudi Arabia 61.2% - South Africa 56.8% - UAE 81.1% (Average MEA occupancy January 2013)
Jumeirah Group CEO Gerald Lawless shares his lessons from Sheikh Mohammed and his vision for the future of Jumeirah Group.... even after his retirement
Jumeirah Group CEO GerLawless shares his lessonfrom Sheikh Mohammedand his vision for the futof Jumeirah Group.... eveafter his retirement
LESSONS FROM THE TOP
cpidubai.com HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 1MARCH 2013
CONTENTS
EDITOR’S LETTER REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
DATA WATCHSTATISTICS AND ANALYSIS FROM STR AND ERNST & YOUNG
DTCM NEWSTHE DEPARTMENT’S MOST RECENT EVENTS AND INITIATIVES
TENDERS
GM INTERVIEWHEINZ GRUB ON STARWOOD’S NEXT STEPS
GULFOOD 2013ALL THE NEWS FROM THE AWARDS TO THE SHOW FLOOR
COVER STORYJUMEIRAH CEO GERALD LAWLESS ON LEARNING FROM SHEIKH MOHAMMED AND SECURING HIS LEGACY
ROUNDTABLEPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND DISTANCE LEARNING ON THE TABLE THE GREAT OUTDOORSMAXIMISING OUTDOOR SPACE AND MINIMISING OVERHEADS
HOTEL TOMORROW THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMING TOMORROW
PRODUCT WATCHTHE LATEST PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND LAUNCHES
DU
JOBS AND APPOINTMENTS
COMMENTINSIGHT FROM INFOR
04
28
06
12
16
18
22
28
34
43
48
54
56
20
43
48
64
61
22
20
www.lgehoteltv.com
LG Smart Hospitality Solutions
Integrated Set Top Box
Pro:Centric Platform with HTML 5
Built-In WiFi/WiDi
Smart Share Capability
IP/RF Tuning
Smart Energy Saving Product
Slim Depth Catchbase
Hairline Bezel
Hotel Logo
Credenza
Pro:Centric LT760H Features Include:
LG ELECTRONICS GULF FZEAL NASR PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING #4, OFFICE 309OUD METHA RD., P.O. BOX 61445, DUBAI, UAETEL: +971-4-357 3466, FAX: +971-4-357 3460
Contact: Salwan Finj (+971-56-683 7424) Jeongjun Park (+971-56-681 7029)
COMMENT / EDITOR’S LETTER
PUBLISHER: Dominic De SousaGROUP COO: Nadeem Hood
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERSAlex BendiouisDave Reeder
EDITORIALEditorial Director: Dave Reeder dave@cpidubai.com +971 55 105 3773Editor: Melanie Mingasmelanie@cpidubai.com +971 56 758 7834Photography: Anas Cherur
ADVERTISINGAlex Bendiouisalex@cpidubai.com +971 50 458 9204
Alexander Griffin Sales Manageralex.griffin@cpidubai.com +971 50 8500727
Ankit ShuklaSales Directorankit@cpidubai.com +971 55 2572807
DESIGN AND PRODUCTIONArt Editor: Christopher Howlett
Production Manager: Devaprekash dev@cpidubai.com
MARKETING & DISTRIBUTIONRochelle Almeida rochelle@cpidubai.com
SUBSCRIPTIONSwww.cpievents.net/mag/magazine.php
PRINTED BYPrintwell Printing Press LLC, Dubai, UAE
PUBLISHED BY
Head Office, PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 440 9100
Fax: +971 4 447 2409
Group Office, Dubai Media City
Building 4, Office G08, Dubai, UAE
A publication licensed by IMPZ
© Copyright 2012 CPI. All rights reserved. While the
publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy
of all information in this magazine, they will not be held
responsible for any errors therein.
4 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
A gimmick with soulUnlike the openings of last decade, the next generation of hotels
are celebrating with style
When 1300 people were invited to the opening of the world record breaking Marriott Marquis the general expectation was for another ‘Dubai Night’
There’s an element of the counter-
productive in Dubai’s most
prominent USP. For all the glitz its
glossy exterior imbues – attracting
millions of tourists annually,
whether to indulge, imitate or
imagine – the reoccurring criticism
of the Emirate is that is lacks soul.
So when 1300 people were invited
to the opening of the world record
breaking Marriott Marquis (The 355m
towers in the heart of Dubai with
giant diamond-shaped illuminations
atop) the general expectation was for
another ‘Dubai Night’.
Celebrity appearances and
diamond give-a-ways aside, what
happened over the course of the
evening told all the guests that,
perhaps, Dubai’s second dimension
was also launching.
The range of entertainment,
including cellos and live art, set an
unexpected tone and one that, for
me, signals recovered Dubai will be a
city with soul.
On the other side of town, on the
same night, Pullman Hotel launched
MELANIE MINGAS EDITOR
at Deira City Centre: a celebration
marked with art. Global marketing
SVP Xavier Louyot described the
vision for guests as such:
“In 2013, starting with Paris,
London and Brussels, Pullman will
start building with both emerging
and established living artists a
contemporary art collection that
explores an essential aspect of our
times: The re-emergence of cultural
identities in a modern world marked
by universality and cultural mixing.”
With 150 properties due to open
region-wide this year (up from 46
last year, according to STR Global
figures) perhaps it’s time to look at
how new properties can add depth
to the region’s image, and bring
lessons in modesty from further
afield, where austerity reigns
The Hotel Show 2013
Hospitality Business Middle East is proud to announce its official media partnership with The Hotel Show 2013. See page 18 for details
28 - 30 September 2013
© 2012 Avaya Inc. All rights reserved.
Avaya Mobile Collaboration and Networking Solutions let your guests and staff collaborate anywhere, with any device they choose.
Avaya solutions offer highly flexible and secure mobility that enables The Power of We™—keeping your people at their productive best, regardless of location or device and your guests delighted with superior hospitality applications and a robust network. See how faster collaboration and smarter decision-making can create a better business for hospitality with Rotana Group http://www.avaya.com/uk/case-for-avaya/customer-stories/rotana-groupFor more information, please contact delbanna@avaya.com
Device-friendly hotel for a device-driven world.
NEWS WATCH
cpidubai.com6 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
MENA NEWS
$10.4bn VALUE OF ONLINE BOOKINGS IN 2012, UP 31%
The converted hotel will feature 259 rooms.
TripAdvisor has reported a 40% YoY
growth in the number of hotels listed
on the site.
To date more than 50,000
chain, boutique and independent
properties have upgraded to
TripAdvisor Business Listings to
harness advanced marketing services
and generate more business online.
Globally, there has been a more
than 40% year-on-year increase
in the hotel industry's adoption of
Business Listings, and according
to a recent Forrester Consulting
Total Economic Impact study, some
partners have converted up to $64 in
Hilton opens first Sharjah property Hilton Hotels has announced the
opening of its 11th branded property
in the UAE and its first in Sharjah,
with the launch of the 259-room
Hilton Sharjah.
Formally known as Corniche
Al Buhaira Hotel, the converted
property overlooks Sharjah’s biggest
lagoon and is only 10km from
Dubai International airport. It will
be positioned to capitalise on both
Dubai tourists and visitors to the
annual F1 Powerboat Racing,Sharjah
International Book Fair and
International Test Cricket matches.
On behalf of property owners Bin
Otaiba Investment Group, HE Khalaf
Bin Ahmed Al Otaiba said: “We’ve
been eagerly anticipating the hotel’s
conversion into the Hilton brand and
we’re delighted the property will now
bear the name of such a recognised
global leader. The company enjoys
an impressive reputation which will
add value to Sharjah’s ambitions in
developing the Emirate into a key
business and leisure destination.”
50,000 hotels on TripAdvisor Business Listingsincremental bookings through the
product for every dollar spent.
The news comes only months
since the announcement that more
than 300 million people view
TripAdvisor content on partner sites
through content syndication and
review collection partnerships.
"We're seeing more and more
brands adopt TripAdvisor
Business Listings because it's
a nimble solution that helps
accommodations upgrade their
online and mobile presence," said
Christine Petersen, president of
TripAdvisor for Business.
Hilton, Marriott and Four
Seasons are the most talked about
hotel chains online in forums such
as Lonely Planet and Hotelguide.
net, according to market research
by Maven Magnet and Brodeur
Partners. Using algorhythms to
account for the number of ‘likes’
and retweets a comment received,
The report concluded service and
location are the biggest “functional”
conversation drivers, followed by
rooms, recreation, and rewards
programmes. Ritz Carlton scored
highest for sensory relevance,
covering sight (view) and taste (food).
Online winners named
NEWS WATCH
cpidubai.com HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 7MARCH 2013
276 HOTELS AND HOTEL APARTMENTS ARE LOCATED WITHIN 2KM OF
ONE OF FIVE MEGA SHOPPING MALLS IN DUBAI.
2015 Kuwait’s deadline to attract one
million tourism arrivals per annum
All statistics sources from the ATM
Roadshow
15.3% Increase in tourism, compared to 2011,
in Jordan.
18.8%
CAGR for Bahrain’s hospitality market
to 2016
$39m Investment into tourism development
of Dhofar province, Oman
$7.5b
Projected UAE hospitality market value
by 2016. A 67% increase on 2011
46% Of international visitors to GCC are Hajj
and Umrah visitors, driving a market
worth $16.5bn to KSA.
Soft launch of Corp Executive Hotel Amman begins Corp Executive Hotel Amman has
begun soft opening ahead of an
official opening next week, marking
Hospitality Management Holdings’
first step into the Levant country
where it could take a sizeable chunk
of the 16% occupancy increase
experienced last year.
The 108 room property is located
opposite The Royal Cultural Center,
Al Shmeisani. The hotel features
three multi-functional meeting
rooms, a ballroom and four F&B
offerings.
“We believe the market is quite
excited and will be impressed with
what they see," said GM Emad
Jawad Hussain.
VVVEVEEEEEEEEVEEEEEVEEEVEEEEVVVEVEEEEVVVVEEEEVVVVEEEVVVVEEEVVVVVVEEE
NEWS IN PICTURES - VIP LAUNCH FOR MARRIOTT MARQUIS
Marquis global brand manager Mitzi Gaskins was joined by VIP guests Arne Sorenson, Donna
Karan and Kathleen Matthews at the opening of the Marriott Marquis on February 27.
Visit www.hospitalitybusinessme.com for the full story and images.
NEWS WATCH
cpidubai.com8 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
MENANEWS
63.9% SUPPPLY GROWTH PREDICTED FOR OMAN,
THE LARGEST RATE IN THE MEA REGION
London Lord Mayor ‘impressed’
by Saadiyat
The Lord Mayor of London,
Alderman Roger Gifford, has tourd
Saadiyat Island in an event hosted by
Abu Dhabi’s TDIC.
Greeted by TDIC chair, Sheikh
Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, the
trip highlighted “the significance
of cultural exchange between the
UAE and the world as Saadiyat
contributes a major part in this
aspect through its world-class
museums, such as the Zayed
National Museum being developed
in collaborations with the expertise
of the British Museum.”
The Lord Mayor also toured
With properties due imminently
in Turkey and The Maldives, he says
further UAE expansion is inevitable.
“I would like us to come in with
a resort, but one that has business
facilities.
“Ideally, I would prefer to come
into beach, rather than city, first.
But ultimately I do want both,” he
continued.
2013 has started strong for the
group with a new Manhattan
property also opening last
Manarat Al Saadiyat’s exhibition,
‘The Saadiyat Story’, which depicts
the development of island as
it emerges as an unparalleled
international destination of cultural,
tourism and residential offerings.
During the tour he received an
update on the Saadiyat Cultural
District which will also be home to
other cultural projects, including
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum,
a performance arts centre, and
Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, where
construction work is well underway
following the recent appointment of
a contractor in January 2013.
Alderman Roger Gifford toured the island with TDIC in February.
month, Viceroy New York. Of the
expansions, Walshe added: “One
of the things about Viceory is that
our expansion is based on opening
quality hotels in quality locations.
To be honest, we could expand faster
than we are doing but that would
involve compromising and I’m not
going to open in a B location, just to
get a name over the door.”
The full interview will Bill Walshe
will be published next month.
The North and South African
hospitality market is experiencing
differing rates of growth, evident in
the most recent ADR rates reported
by STR Global.
Northern Africa’s ADR declined
2.1% in 2012, whilst the rest of the
continent’s increased 2.6%.
The trend was replicated in
occupancy rates, with Northern
Africa experiencing a bounce
back in occupancy with a 16.85%
increase to 52% total. Its African
neighbours grew only 3.9% but still
reached 59.6% occupancy.
The MEA market opened 68 new
hotels totalling 15,735 rooms in
2012, with a further 480 hotels still
in the pipeline, totalling a grand
total of 118,023 rooms.
Among other countries in the
region, Oman reported the largest
expected supply growth (+63.9 %)
if all 4,613 rooms in the country’s
total active pipeline open. Saudi
Arabia, Algeria, Qatar, United Arab
Emirates and Kuwait all reported
expected room growth of more than
30 %.
Further market statistics from STR
Global can be found on page 14.
African market ADR "fragmented"
"I want Viceroy Dubai" says group CEO Bill WalsheWith a promise that he “won’t rest
until it happens” Viceroy CEO Bill
Walshe has told Hospitality Business
Middle East “Because of the
importance of the destination here I
want Viceroy Dubai and I won’t rest
until it happens”.
Walshe made the pledge while
speaking about the group’s first
foray into “a truly international
market”, following the opening of
Yas Viceroy in Abu Dhabi, the first
property outside the Americas.
P.O. Box 184432Trade Center Road
T:04 255 2560F:04 255 2561
E:info@atgroup.aewww.atgroup.ae
Crafting hospitality
NEWS WATCH
cpidubai.com
GLOBAL NEWS
410 ROOMS ADDED TO THE BOOMING TURKISH
MARKET BY ARABIC BRAND ROTANA
10 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
The Westin Chennai Velachery
has opened in the Southern part of
India. It is the sixth Westin hotel in
India and the first out of seven new
Westin hotels expected to open in
2013 across Asia Pacific.
The hotel offers 215 guestrooms and
suites. GM Shrikant Wakharkar said:
“We believe that business travelers,
meeting planners and individuals
will be delighted with our emphasis
on well-being and the innovative
signature services that have earned
Westin worldwide recognition.”
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide has announced the
opening of Le Méridien Atlanta
Perimeter, following a 12-month,
$20 million renovation. It is the
first Meridien hotel in the Atlanta
metropolitan area and one of nine
new Le Méridien hotels slated to open
within the next 12 months.
The hotel is owned by
RockBridge Capital and managed
by Wischermann Partners. said
Brian Povinelli, global brand leader,
Le Méridien and Westin Hotels:
Rotana steps beyond core marketRotana has announced the
development of the Tango Arjaan
and Burgu Arjaan, both in Istanbul,
increasing its portfolio by a total of
410 rooms in the country.
Rotana will manage the hotels for
the Turkish group Dap-Yapi, which
markets its properties located in the
Maltepe area of the Turkish city as
‘Residence-Hotels’, due to its ‘rent while
you’re away’ shared ownership scheme.
Upon completion, the Burgu Arjaan
- divided into two connected towers,
Burgu 1 and Burgu 2 - will have a total
of 222 rooms, while the Tango Arjaan
by Rotana will be a 188-key hotel. The
Burgu towers will share facilities such
as the lobby, lobby café, business centre,
restaurant, health club, indoor and
outdoor pool and landscaped areas, as
well meeting and conference rooms.
“Arjaan Hotel Apartments by
Rotana are designed to close the gap
between hotel and home and we are
entering the vibrant Turkish leisure
market for the first time with this
concept. The new properties will
represent a milestone for Rotana -
the Tango Arjaan and Burgu Arjaan
will be the first step in taking our
brand, which is already iconic in the
Middle East and Africa region, to the
wider world,” Rotana president and
Located in Istanbul, Burgu Arjaan by Rotana (above) and Tango Arjaan add 410 rooms to the local portfolio.
CEO Selim El Zyr said, adding that
both make “great economic sense for
both residents and investors” due to
the ‘rent while you are away’ scheme,
which is “common worldwide but
is yet to gain ground in Turkey, the
properties provide an alternative
source of income for owners. The
weekly, monthly and annually rented
apartments will be operated and
managed by a professional system
and apartment owners will have the
choice of an extra income by renting
their places through Rotana.”
$20m makeover for Atlanta’s first Méridien"Since its acquisition by Starwood,
Le Méridien has transformed under
the company into a contemporary,
design-led lifestyle brand, and we
are proud to debut Le Méridien in
the Southeast's capital of business
and culture with such great
partners as RockBridge Capital and
Wischermann Partners,”
The 275 room hotel features the
Le Méridien Hub experience, which
re-interprets the traditional lobby into a
social gathering place for creative people
to "converse, debate, and exchange".
India's new Westin
542
752
826
973
709
746
639
407
609 627 69
1
503
283
289
75%
81%
76%
71% 71%
38%
46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
ADR (EGP) RevPAR (EGP) Occupancy
-30.0%
-25.0%
-20.0%
-15.0%
-10.0%
-5.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
2009-2010 - 2011-2012
Rooms profit F&B Profit Hotel GOP
2010 2011
374
681 72
6
181
365
282
48%
54%
39%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Giza Heliopolis Cairo Downtown
ADR RevPAR Occupancy
50.9%49.1%
Domestic Spending International Spending
DATA WATCH
cpidubai.com12 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
Egypt: Cairo focushotel market overview
KEY FIGURES
1.1% RISE IN LEISURE
SPENDING OVER
2012
77% HIGHEST DECLINE
IN ROOMNIGHT DE-
MAND, EXPERIENCED
2011
-4.5% DECLINE IN BUSINESS
SPENDING OVER 2012
5.7%INCREASE IN
INTERNATIONAL
SPENDING BY EGYP-
TIAN NATIONALS,
SIGNALLING MORE
LEISURE TIME SPENT
ABROAD
8.4%OF GDP SOURCED
FROM TOURISM,
2008-2010
SPENDING % OF DIRECT TRAVEL & TOURISM GDP 2012
Source: Colliers International Analysis
CAIRO HOTELS KPI 2006-2012
CAIRO PERFORMANCE 2012
DEPARTMENTAL PROFITABILITY (YOY % CHANGE)
Source: WTTC 2012
1,509
1,210
850
350
Unrated9%
5-star18%
4-star9%
3-star26%
2-star23%
1-star15%
FIT
/ Oth
erC
orpo
rate
Leis
ure
Tour
s / G
roup
s
-80%
-60%
-40%
-20%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%2009-10 2010-11 2011-2012
DATA WATCH
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 13cpidubai.com MARCH 2013
KEY FIGURES
1.9% DECLINE IN GDP
CONTRIBUTIONS
FROM TOURISM
IN 2012
11MTOURISTS REGIS-
TERED IN 2012
5.8% TOTAL NATIONAL
EMPLOYMENT IN
TOURISM, 2011
17.9%REVPAR
KSA HOTEL MARKET INDICATORS OCT 2012
ALEXANDRIA
2.2%ADR
20.5%OCC
30.1%REVPAR
CAIRO DOWNTOWN
-11.7%ADR
14.9%OCC
19.1%REVPAR
CAIRO GIZA
-10%ADR
7.3%OCC
21.4%REVPAR
CAIRO HELIOPLIS
0.4%ADR
-21.9%OCC
-19.3%REVPAR
LUXUR
-3.2%ADR
-21.9%OCC
15.9%REVPAR
HURGHADA
-4.1%ADR
11.2%OCC
27.1%REVPAR
SHARM EL SHEIKH
-5.0%ADR
20.8%OCC
69.5% YOUTH POPULATION
WILL ‘DRIVE DEMAND
FOR QUALITY ECONOMY’
HOTELS
YEAR ON YEAR VARIANCE IN ROOMNIGHTS BY SEGMENT
CAIRO FORTHCOMING ROOM SUPPLY
Source: Colliers International Analysis
CAIRO HOTEL CLASSIFICATION
70% AVERAGE OCCUPANCY
BEFORE ARAB SPRING
DATA WATCH
cpidubai.com14 � hospitality business miDDle eAsT mArCH 2013
45.6% peak occupancy in Cairo, the
largest gain in the report
15.1% occupancy increase in Amman,
Jordan, over 2012
14.3% occupancy increase in
oman, 2012 average
9% occupancy increase in
Jeddah, ksA, 2012 average
cpidubai.com
DATA WATCH
data watchglobal hotel data comparison from sTr global
deCember 2012 vs deCember 2011
AsiA pACifiC
oCC% ADr perCenTAge CHAnge from June 2011
2012 2011 2012 2011 oCC ADr revpAr
66.6 66.5 100.64 101.48 0.2 -0.8 -0.6
revpAr
AmeriCAs
oCC% ADr perCenTAge CHAnge from June 2011
2012 2011 2012 2011 oCC ADr revpAr
49.3 47.9 81.76 80.0 3.0 2.1 5.1
revpAr
europe
oCC% ADr perCenTAge CHAnge from June 2011
2012 2011 2012 2011 oCC ADr revpAr
55.0 53.5 96.95 95.71 2.8 1.3 4.1
revpAr
miDDle eAsT/AfriCA
oCC% ADr perCenTAge CHAnge from June 2011
2012 2011 2012 2011 oCC ADr revpAr
57.7 55.7 134.14 135.38 3.7 -0.9 2.8
revpAr
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2012 2011
67.07 67.50
2012 2011
2012 2011
2012 2011
key figures
7.9% oCCupAnCy
inCreAse in uAe, 2012 AverAge
-17.3% revpAr DeCreAse in beiruT
11.4% revpAr groWTH
2012 in DubAi, one of four mArkeTs
To see Double DigiT groWTH
-8.2% oCCupAnCy
DeCreAse in kenyA, THe lArgesT Drop in THe meA region
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
40.30 38.330
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
53.33 51.21
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
77.46 75.38
12-14 Data watch.indd 14 3/5/13 3:31 PM
MANUFACTURE OF UNIQUE HOTEL CONCEPTS
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Selva Middle East L.L.C. Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Tel. +971 4 3411933 info@selva-me.ae www.selva-me.ae
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lbia
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taly
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cpidubai.com16 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
DTCM NEWS
We are working to promote the medical tourism in Dubai, since Dubai has an excellent infrastructure, modern hospitals and clinics and can offer a variety of medical services to visitors in search of quality health care.”Eyad Abdul Rahman,
executrive director for
media relations and
business development
at DTCM
Healthy outlook for medical tourism
DTCM in South Asia mega-expo
The Department of Tourism and
Commerce Marketing and Dubai
Health Authority held several
meetings recently to promote Dubai
as a leading health destination. As
part of the significant role which
both DTCM and DHA are playing
to boost the medical tourism comes
their participation in international
For the seventh consecutive year, a
DTCM delegation has travelled to
New Delhi to participate in South
Asia’s largest networking forum for
the hospitality industry, SATTE.
Mansoor Bawazir, DTCM’s head
of region in the overseas promotions
and inward missions department,
participated along with 35
representatives from the Department
of Tourism in the exhibition.
Last year’s overwhelming response
set the pace for SATTE 2013, with
more than 50% of the previous
year’s exhibitors confirming their
participation in this year’s show.
Of the growth tourism and
business growth between Dubai and
Asia, organisers reported Dubai
received a total of 763,846 visitors
from India alone in 2012.
Dubai-India relations in
particular have been showing signs
of rapid growth, which reflects
the eagerness and expansion of
economies on both sides.
India has remained one of the
largest trading partners of Dubai and
has been posting remarkable year-
on-year growth for two-way trade.
specialised exhibitions and seminars.
Eyad Abdul Rahman, executive
director for media relations and
business development at DTCM said:
“We are working to promote the
medical tourism in Dubai, since Dubai
has excellent infrastructure, modern
hospitals and clinics and offers a
variety of medical services to visitors
in search of quality health care.”
Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of health
policy and strategy sector at DHA
said: “DHA and DTCM held frequent
meetings to impalement the medical
tourism initiatives and achieve the
vision of Dubai to build on the core
strengths of the emirate, including
its current network of advanced
healthcare amenities, modern
infrastructure and strong credentials
in the tourism sector.”
DTCM NEWS
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 17MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
Green Exhibition dates announcedThe DTCM Green Exhibition
will take place from April 7 – 9 to
coincide with the Green Festival.
The exhibition aims to involve
businesses, individuals and
communities by encouraging
initiatives and efforts that aim
to increase ecological awareness
and preserve the environment for
sustainable development.
Eyad Abdul Rahman, executive
director of media relations and
business development said that
organising this first of its kind
green extravaganza in the region
comes in response to the UAE’s
aspirations for innovative solutions
E-boost for tourism plannedH.E. Ahmed Bin Humaidan, director
general of Dubai eGovernment (DeG)
Department welcomed the recent
visit of DG for DTCM, H.E Hilal
Saeed Al Marri to discuss how best
to enhance the eTransformation of
DTCM and the role that DeG could
play to develop the eServices provided
to government entities with the aim
of serving the tourist sector in general
and contributing to easing the needs
and transaction of visitors to Dubai.
DTCM is the latest government
department to benefit from
streamlined e-communications.
to environmental problems and
sustainable development.
He said the exhibition is dedicated
to achieving a host of goals, most
notably rationalizing environmental
behavior, supporting community
participation to preserve and
understand the surrounding
environment and its interaction with
biological, economic, social and
cultural aspects.
He outlined ecological challenges
facing the world and the importance
of promoting awareness among the
business community, individuals and
societies. He stressed the importance
of encouraging constructive
initiatives and efforts aiming at
raising ecological awareness and
preserve environment to ultimately
achieve sustainable development.
“The exhibition will provide a
precious opportunity for decision
makers, business leaders and
executives in government and
private bodies and institutions, as
well as representatives of leading
international companies specialized
in technology of preserving
environment and sustainable energy,”
noted Rahman.
For more information, visit: www.
dubaigreenfestival.com
cpidubai.com18 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.com
Hospitality Business Middle East named Official Media Partner for Hotel Show 2013DMG Events has named Hospitality Business Middle East magazine as Official Media Partner of The Hotel Show 2013, at Dubai World Trade Centre, from September 28 – 30.
As part of the contract, the
Hospitality Business team
will produce the conference
programme, official Show
Guide, map and Show Daily news
round-up, in addition to a special
edition of the magazine, the official
show preview and four co-branded
roundtable discussions in the run-up
to the event.
“This is a great opportunity for
Hospitality Business magazine and we
are excited to be working with such
a landmark industry show. Since the
launch of the magazine in 2012, we
have worked closely with all areas of
the industry to produce a title that’s
both on topic and on trend and this
partnership demonstrates the success
of that ambition,” said Associate
Publisher and Partner, Alex Bendiouis.
Magazine editor, Melanie Mingas,
commented: “We look forward to
working with DMG over the coming
months and putting together an
engaging and relevant conference
programme for visitors to the show.
The Hotel Show is a major industry
event and we look forward to bringing
our readers and contacts closer to the
action. Hospitality Business magazine
may be a young title, but its relevance
to the industry gains strength with
every issue and partnerships like this
are testament to the industry’s respect
for the magazine.“
Last year The Hotel Show
attracted more than 15,500 industry
professionals, a rise of 9% on 2011
visitor numbers.
Organised by DMG, The Hotel
Show is the largest full spectrum
hospitality and supplies event for
the MENA region, bringing the
best of regional and international
manufacturers together with qualified
buyers to meet the demands of
burgeoning regional hospitality
market. The esteemed event provides
unmatched networking and sourcing
opportunities and functions as an
unsurpassed business to business
platform for everyone and anyone in
the industry and satisfies a growing
requirement for a one stop shop for
hospitality organisations. The show
will be open from 11am – 7pm,
September 28 – 30, 2013.
Hospitality Business Middle East is
at the cutting edge of the hospitality
sector, delivering to the industry the
tools and information it needs to stay
on top in an increasingly competitive
market. With a focus on business
dynamics, it looks at the key revenue
drivers and pain points of the hotel
business through a mix of news,
interviews, reports, buyers’ guides,
networking events, round tables and
analysis. In short, Hospitality Business
Middle East focuses on how to drive
profits up while keeping costs down
We look forward to working with DMG over the com-ing months and putting together an engaging and relevant conference programme for visitors to the show
Magazine editor,
Melanie Mingas
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cpidubai.com
GM INTERVIEW
20 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
With a 60-step global
expansion strategy
underway and the UAE set
to take a lead in the plans,
Hospitality Business Middle East catches up with area
manager and Sheraton GM
Heinz Grub, days before the
launch of Starwood’s 14th
Dubai property
cpidubai.com HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 21MARCH 2012
As far as prime locations go,
Pullman Mall of The Emirates
had it made. Adjoined to one
of the world’s most lucrative
malls and positioned to tap a top
2013 trend predicted at World Travel
Market (that of the ‘mall hotel’) it was
big news when Starwood and Majid Al
Futtaim Properties announced a deal
that would see the property reflagged
under Starwood’s Sheraton brand.
The news was confirmed in
December and on February 1 2013
Sheraton took charge of the 481 room
property, retaining all staff, and taking
the first step towards a 60-point plan
for global domination.
Having already opened 20 new
properties globally in 2012, over the
next three years Starwood will open a
further 60 in key emerging markets,
such as Asia. For example, 15 new
hotels will open in China alone over
the coming 12 months, aiding a target
of 80 properties by 2014.
As a brand, Sheraton has performed
robustly in the region since the first
hotel outside the US debuted in
Kuwait in 1965 and today represents
the most prominent brand regionally,
out of nine.
Of the new hotels confirmed for
MEA, the fourth Sheraton in Saudi
Arabia, Sheraton Medina, will open,
as will the first hotel in Tajikistan,
Sheraton Dushanbe, and of course
Sheraton Mall of The Emirates.
Two new hotels will also open in
Adana and Bursa, Turkey.
“We are expanding like every other
hotel company is expanding. Let’s face
it, we are in the Middle East with very
strong brands, like Sheraton, which is
most probably one of the world’s best
recognised hotel brands,” Dubai area
manager and Sheraton Creekside GM,
Heinz Grub shares.
“Our biggest expansions are in the
UAE, particularly Dubai, the Northern
Emirates and Saudi Arabia,” Grub
adds, specifying plans for Sheraton
Sheikh Zayed Road, due by 2013 end,
and the 1,600 room property planned
for the site of the former Habtoor
Complex and Metropolitan hotel,
Within a few years, Sheraton’s Dubai port-
folio will boast another ‘mall hotel’, when a
new retail and leisure development opens
on The Walk, at Jumeirah Beach Residence.
While developers are promising hoteliers,
restaurateurs and residents alike, an
‘enhanced community’ upon completion
of the sea-side shopping centre, it doesn’t
mean the ongoing construction phase has
been without issue.
One of 10 hotels currently operating on
The Walk, Grub says Sheraton JBR invests
€400,000 annually in the restoration, repair
and preservation of its beach and that
communication with guests has avoided any
major problems so far.
“Has [comfort] been affected? Absolutely,
but the team has coped so well and it all de-
pends on ‘how do I deal with this customer’.
“You cannot manage a massive high-rise
coming up next to you, which takes the
direct sun from your beach, but you can
talk to the customer and find out their
interests to help them find something else
to do,” he adds.
Under construction
1600ROOMED STARWOOD
PROPERTY PLANNED FOR THE SITE OF THE FORMER METROPOLITAN HOTEL.
also on Sheikh Zayed Road where,
by 2017, St Regis and W will be in
operation.
A number of other projects are also
in the pipeline, but are yet to move
beyond the contract stage; these are
expected “sometime between 2014
and 2016”.
It seems Starwood is announcing
new properties and further expansions
on a near daily basis, but when asked
how he personally keeps up with the
developments (while overseeing the
management of seven properties),
Grub simple responds: “I just do. It’s
very simple: You have to choose the
right people and focus on the right
people. You can’t do it all alone.
“We now have a lot of trained
people who we can draw from to
assist us in these expansion plans and
that is quite a substantial network,
so to speak, of people who we have
trained from entry-level. It’s a much
softer approach for the operation
and the individual and helps us quite
tremendously when supporting these
expansion plans,” he continues.
While evidently excited about the
group-wide developments, when it
comes to the numbers Grub maintains
a very reserved approach.
Declining to share first year
targets for Sheraton Mall
of The Emirates, he does
reveal an average 2%
occupancy increase and
“slight increase in rate”
compared to the previous
year, across the seven Dubai
properties he oversees.
“Projections for 2013 are for a
6.5-7% increase on revenue, mainly
driven out of rate and I think we will
have a good 2013. It started well with
January,” Grub adds, offering that
while Dubai may be much the same,
its affordability is improving, securing
the stopover market so desperately
needed to keep hotels, restaurants and
malls ticking over
GM INTERVIEW
Sheraton JBR
has experienced a
negative impact from
ongoing construction
work locally.
Dishes of the weekThis year saw the largest Gulfood exhibition to date, with 4200 exhibitors and many more visitors.
Hospitality Business reports the highlights of the week
INSIDE GULFOOD
22 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 23MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
INSIDE GULFOOD
We are promoting the products that Brazil isn’t so famous for because we want to make that image clearer in the mind of buyers”Rafael Abdulmassih
Brazil: Country of honour and growingNamed as the ‘country of honour’
at this year’s Gulfood, Brazil is
aiming to achieve a 5-8% increase
on the current multi-billion dollar
GCC export market and to return
to Gulfood 2014 with even more
sectors represented.
Reporting total food exports to
the GCC reached $7.63bn in 2012,
Rafael Abdulmassih, secretary
general advisor with Arab Brazilian
Chamber of Commerce and Vinicius
Estrela, coordinator, image and
market access unit, Apex Brazil,
revealed that the growth target for
2013 is “conservative”.
“We are promoting the products
that Brazil isn’t so famous for
because we want to make that image
clearer in the mind of buyers,” said
Abdulmassih.
“The unique promotions of all
these Brazilian products, that are
more famous for coming from
other markets, is a unique branding
exercise for Brazil. Every day when
you take breakfast, lunch, or dinner,
we want you to know that you are
eating Brazilian food and that it
is tasty, is of good quality and is
Market % valueGCC 2012 total exports $7.63bnFood products top GCC in 2012 Meat (beef and chicken) $2.37bnSugar $1.37bnCereals $391m
Projected growth for 2012: 5-8% conservative forecast
UAE 2012 Exports $2.45bn over all exportsMeats (chicken and beef) $535mSugar $784mNatural oils and fats $22m
In numberscompetitively priced,” he added.
Participating in Gulfood since
2003, when only the country’s
fruit, beef and poultry sectors were
represented, next year Apex Brazil
and the Chamber of Commerce will
pave the way for Brazilian bakeries,
diary suppliers and chefs to enter the
lucrative GCC market.
Estrela, who was responsible
for closing the ‘country of honour’
deal and securing a larger and
more prominent exhibition space
for the Brazilian suppliers and
manufacturers, commented: “In
terms of business we expect two
different things this year. Firstly
partnerships between Gulf business
and Brazil in terms of investment
and secondly, to present new brands
and sectors from the Brazilian market
to the local gulf market, such as our
famous cheese bread, which is already
being implemented at coffee shops.”
24 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
INSIDE GULFOOD
For Peruvian food exporters,
Gulfood wasn’t just a trade mission
for their own individual businesses,
but an exercise in promoting
the South American country as
a gastronomically world-class
destination, as famous as its own
ancient wonders.
Speaking to Hospitality Business
Middle East, director of the Peru
Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Tourism, Alvaro Silva-Santisteban,
said: “Peru has been named as the
leading destination in the world this
year for gastronomy, beating Italy,
China and Thailand. Lima has been
named the culinary capital of America,
competing only with New York.
“Within that perspective we are
French beef aims for
300tn/year in sales
Despite the recent scandal in the
European meat industry, French beef is
back on the market in the UAE for the
first time since 1995, and suppliers are
eyeing up to 300 tonnes in annual sales.
With 13 companies represented in
the Gulfood French pavilion, export
manager for Gatine Viandes, Marc
Feunteun, said the sale of “quality
French beef products” to the UAE will
compensate the lesser demand for
high quality products seen in Europe.
Commenting on the impact of the
recent European beef scandal on the
sales projections, Feunteun added: “The
products affected in Europe were the
transformed products, not what we are
selling here. The traceability of each
client into the Emirates is fool proof.”
Trend-setting tea drinkersArend Redelinghuys, of Rooibos
Ltd, one of the founder members of
the South African Rooibos Council
(SARC), has said the UAE represents
one of two key target markets for
growers and distributors of the native
South African tea.
Targeting 50 tonnes in total exports
to Dubai alone for 2013, Redelinghuys
said equal focus would also be placed on
Taiwan as both markets are influential
across their respective continents.
“There are so many different
markets to choose from but after a lot
of research, we decided to focus on
these two because trends tend to be set
here,” Redelinghuys commented.
Currently, the two leading markets
globally are Germany, where much
Rooibos is blended and re-exported,
and Japan. According the literature
distributed by the council, in
independent lab tests, Rooibos tea was
found to have skin healing, calming
and antioxidant properties.
The way to a country’s hearttrying to build on our reputation
and bring people into Lima for
a culinary adventure that can be
experienced between our other nearby
destinations,” he added.
Some of the ‘little known facts’
about Peruvian food shared by Silva-
Santisteban, included the claim the
potatoes are originally from Peru and
that the country is a melting pot of
Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and
Arabic influences.
Silva-Santisteban continued: “People
know Peru for its ancient wonders, but
we are also rich in culinary heritage
and we want to grow the 48-hour
stopover market for the historical
tourists to stay in Lima and experience
its food and culture.”
NEWS IN PICTURES
The exhibition was opened on February 25, by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and
H.E Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi. It marked the largest exhibition in the show’s history.
Chef Christian Bravo.
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cpidubai.com28 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.com
COVER STORY
In 2012 Jumeirah Group announced a string of ambitious new properties around the world, a reshuffle of the executive board, and
an extension of its flagship Dubai resort, Madinat Jumeirah. CEO Gerald Lawless reveals the plans and what it’s like to be mentored
by Sheikh Mohammed. Interview by Dave Reeder
For Gerald Lawless, the reserved
Jumeirah Group CEO who
forgoes media attention where
possible to maintain focus on
not just the brand, but the other
13,800 people behind it, 2013 will be a
milestone year.
This month marks Lawless’
seventh at the helm of Jumeirah
Group, fulfilling his instruction from
Dubai’s ruling elite to head Jumeirah’s
international growth strategy.
The appointment of Lawless to
group CEO in August of last year was
part of a board-wide re-shuffle that
also welcomed former Virgin Group
CEO Stephen Murphy, FlyDubai CEO
Ghaith Al Ghaith, former Hilton CEO
David Michels and Dubai Holding
COO Fadel Al Ali.
The move was deliberately
calculated to put Lawless in the
driving seat of an operation that will
double Jumeirah Group’s workforce by
2017; add 15 to 20 new properties to
the existing portfolio; and launch the
standalone F&B outlet Noodle House
across the UK (see box overleaf).
cpidubai.com HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 29MARCH 2013
COVER STORY
cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
COVER STORY
Further to this plan, properties in
Baku, Azerbaijan and Kuwait continue
to progress, with official opening
announcements due imminently;
senior appointments have been made
in group-wide HR and F&B, with
the first Emirati GM appointed to
Jumeirah Living at World Trade Centre
Residences; and the global F&B concept
SupperClub has opened following its
partnership with Zabeel Saray.
Looking ahead, there are ongoing
negotiations for properties in Saudi
Arabia, Muscat, and the Jordanian
town of Aqaba. Five management
contracts have been signed in China,
to add to the existing Shanghai
property, and Bali is also on the radar
as are both North and South America.
“We are concentrating in the
immediate future on the Middle East.
In five years times we will be much
more significant as an operator both
here and in Asia because that would be
the short to medium term focus as well.
“Two to three years down the road
we will have to start looking at the
potential of places like South America,
and the Americas generally, but if you
think that we wouldn’t start focusing
there from about years three from now
and then you get the project and it
takes a few years to build, there’s your
five to ten year window.”
Speaking of desired location, he adds
of his home city: “It would be great to
get a top class Jumeirah hotel in Dublin.
Dublin is a top class destination.”
Remaining true to Jumeirah’s ‘stay
different’ tagline, Lawless describes
properties in each of these locations
as individual in terms of architecture
and atmosphere, while retaining
“the golden thread of the Jumeirah
standard of service”
“You see with all our hotels that
we have not only Jumeirah in the
brand name but the location name,
which also gives individuality.
I think that helps to encourage
innovation amongst the GMs and
management teams within these
hotels, whilst also applying the
whole Jumeirah culture through our
guidelines and principles.”
Acquire and inspireWhile the Dubai ethos to build
everything fresh is clearly
underpinning the expansions,
Lawless doesn’t rule out the potential
acquisition of existing properties,
should the right one become available,
as happened with Pera Palace Hotel.
“We would take over an existing
property if it were the right one like we
did with [Pera Palace] Istanbul. In that
case, it was absolutely the right thing
to do and we would certainly look at
others if we had the right opportunity
for a conversion. But we are being
realistic in that most of the new
opportunity comes from new build
because most of the existing hotels
already have branded management
agreements with other operators, so
there isn’t always that possibility.”
The surprising paradox in the
relentless ambition that Lawless will
drive, is that his personal approach
to an expansion plan that is set on a
dizzying scale, is all about realism.
Both measured and conservative
in nature, not only is Lawless acutely
aware of the gravity of the task in
hand, but his management strategy
is rooted in the empowerment of
Jumeirah colleagues in order to
execute growth. Jokingly describing
his management style as “chaotic”,
2013 PROJECTS OPENINGS
Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel, Kuwait
Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel, Baku
Under construction5 hotels in China, in addition to projects
in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and British West Indies
and Jumeirah Mumbai, the first project in India.
Development pipeline18 hotels planned for the shor term future.
Jumeirah Creekside,
Dubai.
30 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 31MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
COVER STORY
As President and group CEO Jumeirah
Group, Gerald Lawless has helped establish Jumeirah as one of the premier luxury hotel brands in the
world. He joined the company in 1997 after a 23-year career with Forte Hotels, which culminated in him
setting up and grow-ing Forte’s operations
in the Middle East.Gerald is a Graduate
of Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland and holds an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business
Administration in Hospitality Manage-ment by the Johnson & Wales University,
State of Rhode Island in the US, and an Honorary Degree
of Laws by the NUI Galway, Ireland. He is a member of the
Executive Committee and Vice Chairman –
Corporate Governance of the World Travel
and Tourism Council (WTTC); member of the Global Agenda
Council for Aviation, Travel and Tourism of the World Economic Forum (WEF); fellow
member of the Institute of Hospitality
(formerly HCIMA); member of the Advisory Group
for the Global Irish Forum; member of the Dubai Holding
Executive Committee and member of the
Board of Trustees of the Emirates Na-tional Development Programme (ENDP). Gerald also serves as the Chairman of the
Board of Governors of the Emirates Academy
of Hospitality Man-agement, and is a
former Non-Executive Director and member
of the Board of NASDAQ Dubai and
Travelodge.
Lawless maintains that it has been his
exposure to H.H. Sheikh Mohammed
that has shaped his professional
development and decision making of
late, an opportunity he describes as
“an honour”.
“To have had the exposure I have,
to see how a leader like HH Sheikh
Mohammed can execute a vision....
anybody can have belief in themselves
when they see what he has achieved
for Dubai and this country.”
Sharing the wisdom Sheikh
Mohammed has imparted to Lawless,
he recalls times when Dubai’s leader
has reminded him that “in the race
for excellence, there is no finish line”
and that “the road to success is always
under construction”.
“Achieving excellence is something
that he is so focussed on. The example
he has given us, the establishment of
Emirates Airlines, Jumeirah Group,
Dubai Holding.... it has been an
incredible journey.”
And that journey is far from over.
With ongoing work to essential
tourism infrastructure and the Expo
2020 drive, it seems that excellence
never rests.
“I really see Jumeirah as a prime
partner of the drive to get the Expo
2020 in Dubai and nowhere is more
appropriate than here. We are in such
an incredible location and with the
aviation advancements... how great it
would be to bring in up to 30 million
visitors over a six month period. With
that seven year window to prepare, if
any city in the world can do it, it’s got
to be Dubai.”
LegacyFor Lawless, the winning of the 2020
bid is about the only thing that could
tempt him out of his impending, and
well earned, retirement. Marking his
60th birthday last year, succession
planning for CEO duties has begun,
with the support of Dubai Holding,
and it is highly likely that retirement
will beckon within the decade,
meaning that somebody else will be at
the helm when the bulk of Jumeirah’s
expansion plans come to fruition.
But in the Lawless rule book of
hospitality, that’s ok. As he says,
Jumeirah is about the people and
properties, not the man at the top, and
the existence of that succession plan
he add: “Is the responsible thing for
anybody in my position”.
“If I disappear tomorrow the brand will
continue and life will go on,” he declares.
It’s a bold and noble statement
coming from one of only a handful
of people who have been pivotal in
building both the physical portfolio
and the brand’s values, – taking both
global – since he joined the group as
chair in 1997.
“As they say, graveyards are full
of indispensible people. So from
that point of view, the legacy that I
would like to leave for Jumeirah is the
advancement side and its potential
with or without me, and that’s the true
strength of having been involved in
establishing the brand.”
Insisting that he does not in fact
personally shy from the media
attention and the countless awards and
accolades presented to him, he does
staunchly maintain that neither one is
truly about him.
“I don’t have an uncomfortable
relationship with the media, I enjoy
the media, but I don’t, believe it or
not, subscribe to the culture of the
individual from a business point of
view,” he adds, referring again to
his philosophy of empowerment: “I
run a company that now has 13,800
employees and I have a role as far as
leadership is concerned, however I try
to inspire those people to achieve what
they want to achieve but also give them
enough space to be able to do that.
“[Personally] I don’t take myself
too seriously, and I love what I am
doing. We all develop through the
circumstances in which we find
ourselves, and I had a great grounding
in my career, both through my hotel
school in Ireland and also working
with 40 hotels over 23 years,” he
continues, describing the Jumeirah
break as “clearly the opportunity of my
lifetime”, following what could have
easily been the worst day of his career,
when Forte Hotels collapsed.
Madinat Jumeirah Aside from the physical expansion
of the group as a whole, Dubai’s
tourist and resident hotspot, Madinat
Jumeirah, will itself expand over
IN FOCUS: GERALD LAWLESS
A view of the Ocean Suite at Mina Al Salam, Madinat Jumeirah.
COVER STORY
the coming years. The final of four
phases of development. While the
plans, which were announced in
Q4 of last year, are still in the early
stages with no contracts awarded,
Lawless maintains that this will not
delay completion beyond the initially
projected “end of 2015”. Further
pledging that construction on the lot
will not disturb residents at Madinat’s
other hotels, piling work will be
scheduled for the summer months,
and rooms at Mina Al Salam that
overlook the site will themselves be
closed for refurbishment, as part of the
natural renovations cycle.
The area is yet to be named but
architecturally Lawless describes the
seven-storey complex as “an evolution
of the design within the Madinat
Jumeirah, the modern Burj Al Arab
and Jumeirah beach”.
“We will provide some new F&B
concepts and we are certainly looking
as well to bring some new F&B
concepts to be operated outside of
Jumeirah, which we think is very
much a trend appreciated by guests,
where you would have a restaurant of
a popular brand or popular celebrity
chef,” he reveals, before reiterating
the true ambition that underpins the
entire area: “We would like to have one
of the best beach views in the world.
“I think that Madinat Jumeirah is
one of the nicest resort areas in the
world. We told the architects that we
wanted something that was reflective
of the Gulf architecture without
creating a Disney World. We want
something that feels real,” he recalls of
the initial ambition.
The increased capacity of the
local honey-pot will also provide
a new destination for the region’s
share of a projected 100m outbound
Chinese tourists, due to embark on
a tour of the world’s most popular
destinations by 2020.
Burj al Arab is already experiencing
a noticeable influx in Chinese guests,
a development which has seen the
property ensure that a Mandarin
speaking colleague is available 24 hours
a day. There are no immediate plans
IN THE NEWS:
2013 TO DATE
Nadine Yetisener appointed director of
recruitment
Gert F. Kopera appointed SVP of food
and beverage
Opening schedule announced for
Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa, the first Jumeirah property in Kuwait
10 scholarships announced by
Emirates Academy of Hospitality
Management for 2012
SupperClub arrives in the Middle East at
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray
First Emirati GM, Samer Khanfar,
appointed to Jumeirah Living
World Trade Centre Residences
to tailor the property’s recreational
or F&B offerings to this burgeoning
market, beyond what is already offered
for guests from every country, but the
increase in business travellers from
China, India and CIS countries, could
influence things in future.
Challenges While good news is good news,
Lawless isn’t shy to admit that
regardless of the might behind
Jumeirah Group, challenges are still
very much part of everyday reality.
From the initial hiring spree in 1997
to the global financial crisis; once again
demonstrating his predisposition to
realism Lawless is fully aware of the
brand’s current position.
“The biggest challenge that we
face, and we are beginning to come
out of it, is in achieving our potential
where development of the brand is
concerned. Working on a global basis
we have to make sure that we have
the right infrastructure and the
right organisational structure to be
able to run what is not a very large
company, but needs by its nature to
be globally based as a luxury brand,”
he shares, frankly.
“It is difficult to be flexible in a
turbulent economy. We’re not an
aircraft you can turn around or park
for a while, but that’s the nature of
the business. Our risk is reduced by
virtue of the fact that our business
model is on a mass-management
basis as opposed to huge investments
outside our home base. So from that
perspective our risks are different but
you still have to make sure you have
the right product, that it’s finished to
the right specification and that it’s run
to standards that are commensurate
with the brand,” he adds.
Looking ahead once again to
when he passes the baton to the next
Jumeirah CEO, Lawless sums up:
“As things evolve and develop, as I
said, my legacy will be to make sure
Jumeirah goes on and on forever.”
As things evolve and develop, as I said, my legacy will be to make sure Jumeirah goes on and on forever”
32 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
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34 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
In association with the Swiss-based hotel school, Glion Institute of Higher Education, Hospitality Business magazine gathers the top 10 HR directors, training managers and education providers to debate the benefits of online learning, how to tackle the issue of a shrinking talent pool and the role of professional development in staff retention. Event hosted by JW Marriott
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 35MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
ROUNDTABLE
How has training and professional development been re-prioritised in light of the global financial situation?
Savio D’Souza: Over the last year,
budgets specifically for training have
increased by 15% at our property,
which is positive and I would say recent
economic improvements spurred that.
Current conditions in Dubai have
changed drastically from a few years
ago: the growth opportunities for
employment have increased.
Karyn Williams-Sykes: We have actually
seen a slight increase in willingness to
invest in learning and development.
Hotels may have downsized, but they
now invest more in the people they
kept, rather than staying with the
Dubai trend of throwing more people
at something.
Martin Kubler: I certainly find, at
least with my clients that the quality
operators and those who are serious,
will not lower their standards.
Robert Gilbert: In the last five years we
have probably seen the level at which
global brands adopt certification
programmes, triple. For example, we
launched a digital marketing course
last year, an area that is going through
massive change, and many companies
have signed up to use that globally.
So we are seeing global brands adopt
certification at a different level,
whereas in the past certification used
to be an individual decision and in
many cases was paid for personally.
Now more global brands are trying
to mandate these, for example with
revenue management.
Particularly in areas such as
sales, digital marketing and revenue
management, where trends change
very quickly, we are seeing this more
and more and there is a re-certification
requirement, also.
I think part of the reason these
global brands are so focussed is that
these areas have a direct impact
in terms of capturing revenue and
managing distribution channels.
In the last five years the economy,
if anything, has forced companies to
focus on these areas much more.
KWS: Jumeirah does sometimes fund
courses for colleagues but only in
areas directly related to their work.
Lynne Bellinger: I have a client who will
fund 50% of a language course and the
employee has to pay the other 50%, but
when the course has been successfully
completed the employee is given an
allowance every month for speaking
that language, so there is an incentive.
From the GM perspective, how has the allocation of L&D budgets changes? JS Anand: I don’t think it’s logical to
look at training as an area you can cut
in terms of budgets. Today, retention
and employee expectations are
challenging but at this stage for us, we
are marrying the brand programmes
that exist in team handling, team
building, revenue management and
sales, with the other offerings.
Anouk Tenten: 85% of our students,
who are working professionals, come
to us on an individual basis. Of the
ones sponsored by their company the
most successful students are those
partly paying themselves. When it
comes to higher education, where a lot
of effort has to be put in, you need to
have that desire to grow. What we have
noticed is a definite look at ROI in
education in terms of what skills can
we teach for tomorrow, rather than
three year’s time.
Estelle Chambost: It goes back to
ownership. A company doesn’t want to
pay to train somebody who could end
up working with another company,
but what should be remembered is
that this trend works either way and
they will get somebody who has been
trained or developed elsewhere.
RG: Part of the issue is that the hotel
industry globally is very fragmented
between brands, management
companies and ownership. The
allocation of resources specifically
for training and development will
always be different as long as that
fragmentation remains because there
will be a different philosophy at each
end of that triangle.
Paarth Mathur: Guests and associates
are changing every single day. We
thought of all of this and moved our
skills training from a physical room
to an online portal, which has the
capability to post an online learning
module for the associate. It becomes
the ‘cooler’ way of learning things and
motivates associates to train. If you
invest in a programme like that you
will always see ROI.
We have a Facebook page and every
day we post a ‘standard of the day’ that
all the associates can view via their
smartphone. We took that aspect of
learning out of the training room in
order to deliver it by phone, because
that’s what the associates use.
How significant is the role of education in staff retention? KWS: It plays a huge role and
employers are now being asked by
job candidates how they will support
their professional development.
ESTELLE CHAMBOST DIRECTOR OF HR OF ACCOR MIDDLE EAST
ANOUK TENTENPARTNERSHIP MANAGER
AT THE GLION INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
The most successful students are those partly paying themselves. When it comes to higher education, where a lot of effort has to be put in, you need to have that desire to grow
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HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 37MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
ROUNDTABLE
JS ANANDGENERAL MANAGER HOLIDAY
INN DUBAI, AL BARSHA
PAARTH MATHURDIRECTOR OF HUMAN
RESOURCES, SHERATON DUBAI CREEK
Candidates want to know about the
programmes on offer and how to
access them. But what candidates
should also remember is that
companies hire first and foremost on
personality. You can teach skills.
LB: I agree. For LearnPurple in the
UK we have done 11 years of research
into what employers and employees
want and L&D is top five every time,
along with career development,
communication, leadership and shared
values and aspirations.
SD: Professional growth is probably
a key driving factor of this current
generation.
PM: From the employer’s
consideration, the fact a candidate
will ask how they can develop and
train during their career with the
organisation signals that they want a
career with a company and not a job.
MK: I feel that there is increasingly a
demand for development, but I find,
especially from a senior perspective,
that there is a lot more we could do to
provide guidance. We are very much
in the habit of boxing responsibilities
and when one person moves into a
new role, the old role has to be filled.
It has to be about the career of the
employee, in the long run, in the
industry, not just a company.
JA: There are employees who don’t
know how to climb the ladder. Some
expect to be grown within six months
and others expect to become GM
overnight, but it is our responsibility
to manage expectation. You want
ambitious employees, but there seems
to be this perspective that you can be
a GM in two years regardless of the
process, and that needs to be explained.
Anouk Tenten: In a way the ambition
of young people to grow is so positive
and if you still have those people who
ask ‘I’ve done my studies when can I
be GM?’ the answer should be that ‘we
have, as a company, the opportunity
and a plan in place’. It should be clearly
managed that the combination of
experience and education or training,
at the right time, brings you to a new
growth opportunity.
RG: In the fast paced hospitality
industry, there are many people who
are promoted prematurely. So now
all the brands are quickly working to
support these people in acquiring the
necessary skill sets to do the job.
Is there an issue with ‘over education’? MK: You can receive a CV from
a person who has a number of
qualifications, aspires to be GM, but
has never worked a day in their life.
Having gone through the MBA, I
do not understand what you would
gain from the programme if you are
20 and have no industry experience.
Of course you can go through it,
but if I had done the online MBA in
hospitality management at the age of
25, I would have wasted my money
and companies would have looked at
my CV and disregarded it.
KWS: To enrol on our new Master’s
programme students must have a BSc
and at least two years work experience.
We have turned away some BSc
graduates who want to go straight into
the MBA before working.
PM: It does give you some edge of
understanding data, for example,
because a qualification is a skill set and
if somebody has gone through that
qualification but cannot use what they
have learned, there is the problem.
JA: Irrespective of the level of
qualification, you still need to go
through the ranks.
LB: I entered the work place at 17
and worked my way up. L&D is
about pushing yourself out of your
boundaries and comfort zone and that
is what has driven me to this point,
rather than education.
EC: We use blended learning to bridge
the gap between theoretical and
practical education and out mentorship
and experience programmes are all
about continuous learning, on a global
scale, but that is learning not training.
It’s challenging: people think degree X
will bring this employee to point X, but
there is more to it.
AT: Relevance is selecting the right
Part of the issue is that the hotel industry globally is very fragmented between brands, management companies and ownership
38 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
ROUNTABLE
KATTIRI RAJAGOPALAN DIRECTOR OF HUMAN
RESOURCES, JW MARRIOTT DUBAI
MARTIN KUBLERDIRECTOR, ICONSULT HOTELS
programme at the right time. The
Glion online MBA is a hospitality
and service industry course and
our students are also from outside
the traditional hotel industry, like
consultants, marketing managers and
business owners. The curriculum
is generic to any MBA, but the
discussion topics are relevant to
sectors in the hospitality industry that
we do or want to work in.
RG: There are two issues on the table
here, the responsibility of the hotel
schools in managing expectations and
the expectations of today’s generation.
It’s very difficult for the schools and
companies to manage expectation.
They are both very mismatched.
JA: We need to look outside of the
industry when hiring. I have hired
people from real estate and telecoms, I
have even taken a paramedic as a duty
manager. It works.
PM: That has to happen to keep the
talent pool fresh.
SD: The talent pool here is shrinking
right now because of the competition
and we are hiring the right people
wherever we can find them.
MK: We are very good at looking at
guest’s personalities and meeting
their needs accordingly, but as an
industry we are not so good at doing
this with employees.
In industry, what happens after the MBA? KWS: So many companies do not have
a management training programme
anymore. I understand why, but I
think it would be excellent to re-
introduce.
RG: I would second that notion. The
economy has taken hold and every
year fewer companies invest in
hosting a small cohort of trainees in
a mentorship programme. For my
generation coming out of college that
was the place to go and you spent up
to 18 months with a big-brand chain.
JA: From the other side, these
programmes are full of people who
have the qualification and already
think they are GMs. That’s where the
programme literally collapses. The
essence of these programmes is to
experience, learn and move on, but
there is disconnect.
MK: And that’s between the operational
reality and academia. The gap
created by the lack of these mentor
programmes ought to be filled by
working more closely together with
education providers.
As hoteliers, how do you select your education partners and how important is face to face learning in this decision? EC: We have a partnership in place
with Glion Online, and we select a
number of managers on an annual
basis to enter the Glion Online MBA.
Funding is shared for this programme
and people are applying based on
personal motivation.
Additionally, we have a global
network developing programmes
for Accor Académie and they can be
easily applied to local markets. Then
for areas where we don’t have the
specialist knowledge in-house, we
work with carefully selected partners,
for example in languages. So there
is flexibility to assess our needs but
also partner with external providers
and those decisions are based on pass
rates, variety of specialisms, calibre of
the tutors and price.
SD: At Mövenpick we base that
decision on student convenience:
what is actually being offered and the
ability to link theoretical and practical
training. We have both face to face and
distance learning, via online.
JA: We only run programmes from
within the Holiday Inn brand, but if
we were to select an external partner
I would have to base that decision on
recommendations.
We took that aspect of learning out of the training room in order to deliver it by phone, because that’s what the associates use
Glion Institute of Higher Education
Ranked number 2* among all international hos-pitality management schools in the world for an international career, Glion’s 100% online pro-grams are dedicated to developing executive talent for the global hospitality and wider ser-vices industry. As a market leader in hospitality management education and with close ties to the industry, Glion delivers tailor-made online programs for corporate partners and individu-als. Contact us for more information.
Glion’s Suite of Online Programs:
* Statistically, three institutes occupy this ranking position (TNS Global Survey, September 2010).
For more information visit:www.gliononline.comEmail: inquiry@gliononline.com
“The Glion Online MBA is a perfect option, allowing me to work from anywhere and at any time.”Olivier Hick, Vice President of OperationsAccor Middle East, DubaiGlion Online MBA student
For more information about exhibiting at the INDEX International Design Exhibition 2013, contact us:
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HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 41MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
ROUNDTABLE
SAVIO D’SOUZAHUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, MÖVENPICK IBN BATTUTA GATE
ROBERT GILBERT CHMECHB, PRESIDENT AND CEO HOSPITALITY SALES AND
MARKETING ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL (HSMAI)
Is learning more effective for working hospitality professionals when undertaken on or off line? LB: Generational differences do have
a lot to do with it but you should look
at people’s individual motivators to
learn. Different personality types have
different learning styles, so to have
a mix of how training is delivered is
essential. People who can’t work alone
won’t excel online.
JA: You cannot say classroom or online
learning is more effective than the
other, it’s about moderation, attitude,
willingness to learn and practice.
KWS: We have feedback from our
clients on this issue and generally they
are saying online isn’t as effective as
expected. Firstly, it’s individual and
you have to manage and motivate
This industry is quite hostile to outsiders, because we think that people who spend their lives in the industry understand it, but if you can manage, you can manage
yourself, in your own time.
MK: There are a few common
misconceptions. Online learning isn’t
about technology, it’s about networks
and that’s why we are stuck. It’s not a
virtual classroom.
AT: Glion launched the first 100%
online MBA in 2010 and although we
did a lot of research it was still very
risky to launch then. We have found
that, despite the market demand
for a 100% online course, there are
always people who will still want the
face to face interaction. We’re talking
professionals with an average age of
37 and they don’t need to be held by
the hand. You have to understand
the platform and outcome of online
learning. People share their most
relevant experience and learn to think
in a more solution-based, strategic way.
This is what is requested from a GM in
this growing and competitive market.
RG: Blended learning is the way to go
when people are short on time.
Would you take on online course as a second degree? MK: I have met very few of my peers
face to face and it’s amazing how
the experience translates but all the
group nuances ad dynamics of a face
to face course still happen online.
I would take an online MBA again
but I say that because it’s my second
degree. The university environment
is part of growing up and your
personal development.
KWS: The networking is great face to
face but for hospitality there are some,
for example F&B courses, that cannot
be done online.
RG: I would encourage all the hotel
companies to think broadly about
what professional development looks
like. There are many tools and I advise
looking at it as what is proprietary;
what is unique to your brand?
AT: Online learning has just started
to pick up, and the possibilities are
endless. It can be relevant for your
2nd, 3rd, and even 4th degree, it is the
practical application of education that
makes online learning successful.
Hospitality Business Middle East
magazine would like to thank JW
Marriott for hosting this event at its
JW Steakhouse, Deira.
42 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
Naturally enhanced outdoor spaces set a tone for serenity and tranquillity that urban design cannot. Key landscaping experts
SPECIAL FEATURE/ LANDSCAPING
SPECIAL FEATURE/ LANDSCAPING
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 43MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
What’s the greatest challenge in the maintenance of landscaped areas?
Ajayan Vasudevan, landscaping manager for QBG Services: Our greatest challenge
would be the efficient management of
weeds in landscape areas. It is a tough
task especially during renovation and
reclamation of poorly maintained
areas to a better landscape or
recreational platform.
Malay J. Shah, GM Belhasa Projects LLC: Managing landscapes, especially in
arid and hyper-arid environments, is a
real challenge, and requires innovative
approaches, which include using
plants that are drought, heat and salt
tolerant; using the right irrigation
technologies; and safely utilising
treated waste water.
Additionally native plants have
a great role to play in the UAE
landscaping. Fragile and unfertile
sandy soils are easily affected by
drought and salinity problems. The
Ph requirement for most of the
ornamental crops is between Ph6 and
Ph7, however the Ph value of soil in
the UAE is at least Ph8.
Concerning landscaping techniques,
the key to improving sandy soil
structures for sustainable plant life
and combating salinity is to surrogate
missing soil colloids that we naturally
find in humus and clay particles and
to break up deeper soil levels, for tree
and larger shrub growth, down to a
depth of about 150 cm.
Good results have already been
achieved with soil amendments and
controlled irrigation.
Sebastien Weyer, director of engineering, Westin Abu Dhabi: At The Westin
Abu Dhabi Gold Resort and Spa,
and resorts share the experience of making the most of their great outdoors, in one of the world’s least forgiving climates
SPECIAL FEATURE/ LANDSCAPING
44 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
Promoted as Dubai’s newest eco-tourism
attraction, DubaiLand’s Miracle Garden is a
721,000 sqft oasis, expected to attract over
one million visitors in its first 12 months.
Like the majority of Dubai’s other tourist
attractions, Miracle Garden is also a Guinness
World Record holder for being home to the
world’s biggest flower clock, longest wall of
flowers measuring 800m in length by 3m in
height, and the largest pyramid of flowers with
a base area of 144sqm and a height of 10m.
Not only was the scale and diversity of the
garden a major consideration, but so too was
the environment. To minimise impact on water
supplies and existing flora and fauna in the
area, a ‘state-of-the-art’ eco-friendly irrigation
system was installed and the second phase
of the project – due to commence mid-way
through this year – will see the construction of
a plant nursery.
The project was executed by Akar
Landscaping & Agriculture Company, whose
GM Engineer Abdel Nasser Y. Rahhal, explains:
“We are very proud to open Miracle Garden
here in Dubai and we are confident that the
well-established DubaiLand district will serve
as a great location for the project. We are
pleased to be working with DPG on this project
which we hope will increase tourist numbers
to Dubai. In addition to the environmental
benefits associated with this project, the
Miracle Garden will provide visitors with
ample outdoor recreational space and a
number of retail outlets, making it an ideal
family day out.”
CASE STUDY: DubaiLand’s Miracle Garden
subsurface irrigation is not able to
meet the required irrigation suitable
for the lawn area. We overcome this
problem by manual watering of the
30% of ground that is landscaped
across car parking, guest room
terraces, the pool surroundings and
entrance road. Regarding the labour
requirements for this upkeep, Proscape
is contracted to meet our requirements
with a skilled team of gardeners, who
tend to the landscaped areas six days a
week. Daily maintenance is supported
by the replacement of locally sourced
seasonal flowers, water irrigation
control, pest control and fertilizing.
How do you adhere to environmental targets, particularly for water consumption and use of pesticides and fertilizers, while preserving outdoor areas?AV: We conduct eco-friendly
workshops and seminars to create
awareness amongst our clients,
prospective customers and even
among our operational staff. This
covers various safe environmental
practices such as water conservation
measures, use of soil friendly additives
and minimising the use of chemical
fertilizers. We also keep ourselves
updated with the latest technologies
and developments in all aspects related
to having a safer environment to work
and live in.
SW: We are saving water by using
automatic irrigation systems with
programming schedules, set according
to the necessary requirements. All
the consumables are Ministry of
Environment approved and follow
their MSDS.
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Back Office Staff
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Engineering Staff
Health & Safety Staff
SECURITY SERVICESSecurity Guards-Male/
Female
VIP Guarding
Control Room Operators
Store Detectives
MANPOWER OUTSOURCINGContract Staffing/
HR outsourcing
Temporary Staffing
Promotion and Events
Staff
Specialized Airport
ground handling
Multi-skilled Staff
CLEANING SERVICESHousekeeping Services
Room Boy Supply
Laundry Staff
Stewarding
Façade/ High Rise
Building Cleaning
Marble Maintenance
LANDSCAPINGHard & Soft
Landscaping
Swimming pool
Maintenance
Gazebo & Decking
Fountains & Other
Water Features
INTERIOR SERVICESRefurbishment Work
Masonry &Plastering
Work
PaintingWorks
Carpentry
TECHNICAL SERVICESInstallation &
Maintenance
MEP Works
SPECIAL FEATURE/ LANDSCAPING
46 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
Water
Use of efficient drip irrigation system for
landscapes that require water delivered in
the root zone
Automated irrigation system for
landscapes with proper supervision by
qualified staff
Use sprinkler systems only for turf areas
Prohibit hose watering and watering using
the hose of transport tanker
Irrigate early morning or late evening
to maximise absorption and minimize
evaporation
Adopt irrigation schedule to suit season,
temperature, humidity, wind and hours
of sunlight
Use of soil moisture additive to improve
the water holding capacity
The application of Mulch reduces the
growth of weeds and water loss through
evaporation
Fertilizer
Apply fertilizers based on soil test report
Encourage use of organic compost fertiliz-
ers to improve the soil condition and water
holding capacity
Pruning
Prune to remove intertwining and
diseased branches only
Avoid hard pruning that encourages lot
of new growth thus increasing the water
consumption
Pesticide
Wear clothes that protect you when using
pesticides: long sleeve shirt, long pants
and closed-toe shoes in addition to any
other protective clothing or equipment
required by the label
Mix pesticides outdoors or in well-venti-
lated areas
Mix only what you need to use in the short
term to avoid storing or disposing of excess
pesticide
When applying pesticides as a spray or
dust outside, avoid windy conditions and
close the doors and windows of buildings.
Landscaping maintenance tips from Belhasa Projects
How often should outdoor areas be re-designed?AV: We recommed every five to six
years to avoid monotony of the garden
elements. This can be stretched to an
extended period for bigger landscape
projects depending on the level of
deterioration, modern methods,
budget, etc. We would suggest
deciding it based on the requirement
of the end user.
MJS: This purely depends on
the property owner’s personal
requirement and budget. There is no
hard and fast rule for redesigning
outdoor areas after any particular
duration. What does change is the
planting from season to season,
especially flowering plants.
A variety of flowering plants can
be grown from October to April and
very limited varieties survive the harsh
summer from May to September.
SW: Minor changes are incorporated
to suit the hotel’s requirements from
time to time, however being that
the property is so new we have not
undergone any significant changes to
landscaped areas so far.
The changes made so far, include
the selection of some plants that were
not suited to our water Ph levels and
the replacement of these with further
plants in different areas due to weather
conditions. All were replaced with
locally sourced plant species.
What is the average price per square metre for the upkeep of outdoor landscaped areas?AV: There are a number of factors
to consider and working through
these will help a figure to come to
mind. Roughly, most landscape
maintenance costs are based on the
number of employees, machineries,
consumables, etc.
MJS: The average price for landscape
maintenance is about AED 1-2 per
square metre per month depending on
the type of landscaping and area. For a
larger area and areas with more lawn,
this price would be reduced.
SW: We’re ensuring to upkeep the
landscaping for areas including
the maintenance of landscapes,
specifically grass cutting, the
replacement of plants, sculpting
of trees and plants and irrigation.
In addition to these measures, we
also incorporate seasonal flowers,
appropriate fertilizers and pest
control and employ the right, skilled
labour force
The Coral Beach
Hotel project by
Belhasa.
SPECIAL FEATURE/ LANDSCAPING
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00 Hartmann Tresore advertorial.indd 16 3/6/13 4:25 PM
48 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
SPECIAL FEATURE/ FUTURE ROOMS
When it comes to predicting
tomorrow, it seems only the
wackiest of ideas gets a look
in. From the hover-cars of
Back to the Future to the naive albeit
crack-pot prediction that we would,
by now, be taking holidays on other
planets, when people try to anticipate
the future it seems the possibilities
truly are endless.
Making the news last month was
talk that within the decade hotel
room walls would feature touch-
sensitive capabilities allowing guests
to integrate content from their own
smart phones and tablets (if such
humble devices still exist in our sci-fi
pseudo-future) onto the very walls of
their hotel room.
The ITK Experience, as developers
Serrano Brothers called it, “employs
futuristic technology, such as multi-
touch transparent wall-screens, which
can be controlled via smartphone,
Microsoft Surface Tablets, interactive
floors and mirrors, and fingerprint
payment systems.”
Referring to the combination of
all this technology as “the ultimate
hotel room for techies”, the overall
end-user’s experience falls somewhere
between a personalised induction to
a Matrix-style reality and a video-
gamers’ dream holiday.
The true reality however, hints at a
strong trend emerging for the future of
hotel design.
Amin El Khalifa, MD for IT
solutions provider Omnix credits
the recent boom in technological
capabilities with a combination of
factors from the investment potential
of Dubai’s hospitality industry, to
the shift to High Definition TV and
economies of scale.
Crucially, he adds, this a sea-
change from the development
trends of last decade: “In the
boom period technology was the
differentiator between the top hotels.
With invstment in technology now
unavoidable and every hotel high-tech,
the primary concern of the hotels
is flexible ‘future ready’ solutions
that will maximise the safety of their
investments,” Khalifa adds
cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
Predicting the future is an open invitation to let imaginations run wild, but according to the innovators who are shaping tomorrow the future could, as they say, already be here. Hospitality Business explores the possibilities
Predicting the future is an open invitation to let imaginations run wild, but according to the innovators who are shaping tomorrow the future could, as they say, already be here. Hospitality Business explores the possibilities
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 49MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
SPECIAL FEATURE/ FUTURE ROOMS
SPECIAL FEATURE/ FUTURE ROOMS
50 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
To some, the automisation and
touchless functions of washbasins
and toilets today are innovation
enough, but for manufacturers and
product developers they mark only
the beginning of what is possible.
Introducing the iShower, the USP
of this product is a 3D “amplifier
switch”, activated when users swipe
their hands around the edge of
the interface, clockwise or counter
Locked and bolted
Bathroomclockwise for control of temperature
and flow as well as other parameters,
such as lighting.
WoW Switch 3D works on
horizontal and vertical swipes in
addition to other ‘custom installers’
that clients can specify directly
with British-based manufacturers
Unique Automation, or regional
contact Omnix.
Other products from the same
manufacturer include the Corian
bath, which allows bathers to pre-set
temperature, fragrance and bubble
preferences; the appearance of an
end-of-bath TV, featuring world-
wide TV channels and internet
functions; and even beverage
requirements.
With a nod to the bath’s less flashy
heritage, the Corian also features a
Whirlpool jacuzzi.
VingCard Elsafe
supplies, locks, energy
management solu-
tions and safes with
enhanced features.
It happens to the most organised of
people; you leave the room and wonder
if everything is switched off and locked
up. For VingCard Elsafe, such worries
are a thing of the past. Supplying safes
that lock remotely, via RFID technology
VingCard Elsafe has secured seven
million hotel rooms globally, with both
its safe and locking systems.
Manit Narang vice president and
managing director, explains: “There is
always demand for hi-tech security and
access control solutions. It is critical to
lead and pioneer innovative solutions
that provide additional security benefits
to guests and bring increased efficiency
in hotel operations.”
Predicting the hotel room of the
future as one that is centered on the
guest experience , Narang adds that
the hotel lock is the first step in this
transformation as it is the first element
a guest interacts with when entering
their room and as the developer of
the first ‘invisible room lock’ Narang
is well placed to make his next
prediction: “Technology wise, there
is trend to move from the standard
traditional plastic keycards (magnetic
or contactless RFID keycards) towards
using smart cell phones as hotel
keycards. Here again, VingCard Elsafe
started opening the technology solution
to apply smart NFC-compatible cell
phones as hotel room keycards and we
see this trend moving forward rapidly.
www.dometic.ae
Dometic Hotel Systems More than 85 years of experience
Dometic Door Lock Elegant design –
smart technology inside
Advanced access control
technology – for conventional
microchip cards or proximity
transponder technology
drac eht fo noitresni latnoziroH
minimises opening failures
(microchip card models)
Choice of two styles –
Slim Line or Design Line
Interchangeable door handle
Suitable for new Hotel and also for
refurbishment
Dometic miniBars Smart technology cuts
operating cost
Installed as free-standing
and built-in
Fuzzy Logic and CUC – reduced
energy consumption and unique
safety
Very long life time – no moving
parts, no maintenance
R&D, quality control, engineering
and design – Out of ONE HAND
Temperature adjustable via
remote control
MiniBars Made in Europe
Dometic proSafeThe new generation of
room safes
New modern design
ADA compliant illuminated keypad
RAL colours for project orders
SAM – New innovative emergency
opening
Audit for your safety – stores the
last 1.000 events of the safe
Master key with
Anti-Tamper system
Dometic Middle East FZCO, P O Box 17860, S-D6- Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
Phone + 971 4 8833858 Fax + 971 4 8833868 E-mail: info@dometic.ae
the perfect choice. No other miniBar manufacturer has a comparable worldwide network to assist you, be it guidance for product selection, spare parts or mock up room units. Our extensive quality and performance testing ensures reliability, excellent cooling performance and as a result – a miniBar that works for 15 years and more and let’s you decide when to change.
Premium
quality
Made in EU.
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MiniBar (manual and automatic) - Guest Room Safes - Door Locks - Energy Saving Device
SPECIAL FEATURE/ FUTURE ROOMS
52 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013 cpidubai.comcpidubai.com
There’s an app for that Since the introduction of the iPad,
similarly functioning control panels have
been installed everywhere from cars to
the first class cabins of Emirates A380s.
Both Marriott and Mövenpick use
touch-activated tablets to centralise
the control of room features such as
AC, lighting, multi-media devices and
internet and following in the touch-
steps of these innovations, Mövenpick
Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai has
launched a new, custom-developed
app to allow guests to explore the hotel
before they arrive.
Detailing amenities, room features,
business facilities, restaurant menus,
spa treatments and special offers,
The application was specifically
designed for the hotel and allows the
property to update the content daily
or even hourly, rapidly and effectively
disseminating information to guests.
Hotel GM Horst Walther-Jones,
explains: “Today’s tech-savvy guests
and customers expect easy access to
information from their devices. With
this iPad and iPhone app, we provide
our guests with instant, convenient
information, while also creating a
new platform for us to communicate
with these guests. We continue to
review and research the preferences
of our guests in order to further
enhance products that will improve
guest experiences.”
The primitive control of in-room
technology may aid the guest, but one
company is developing such products
to add energy efficiency into the mix.
Introducing the Room Master,
from ABB, the technology creates a
Guest Room Management System
(GRMS), by setting controls for
lights, heating/AC, shading via blinds
or curtains and switching of socket
outlets. More advanced functions can
be achieved by combining the system
with a presence detector.
Communicating the settings via
a KNX Bus, safety features on the
devices also allow for emergency
signals to be sent from the rooms to
the Property Management System
(PMS) or even directly to the hotel’s
reception desk, when necessary.
“Energy efficiency has become a top
priority for the hospitality industry as
hotels are high energy consumers and
have to cope the new rules for energy
efficiency in the buildings,” explains
ABB’s regional manager for KNX
Energy efficiency
building technology, Tarek Zakaria.
In its simplest form, the KNX
technology will re-set the AC from
20°C to25°C on standby and switch
off lighting when the guest leaves the
room. When the guest returns to the
room the system will switch back to
the ‘comfort mode operation’ to ensure
the comfort temperature is set and the
right lighting activated for the guest.
“ABB’s technology solutions include
a smart control system that helps
increase flexibility, security, economic
efficiency and convenience. Up to a
40% energy saving can be achieved in
buildings by getting the right control
of air conditioning and lighting.
“As the demand for comfort and
versatility in the management of
air-conditioning, lighting and access
control systems in hotels grows,
efficient and sustainable energy usage
is also an urgent necessity. The ABB
KNX technology installed achieves
the maximum energy saving,” Zakaria
continues.
“We began to see the hotel industry
starting to focus more on automated
solutions five to six years ago and
many companies now look for
technology providing greater energy
efficiency alongside convenience
and usability. Buildings with energy
efficient technology are easier to
manage and control,” he adds.
SPECIAL FEATURE/ FUTURE ROOMS
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 53MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
The silver screen
Refreshing developmentMuch more than a convenience
service for guests, the hotel minibar is
now an in-room marketing tool that
needs to ensure its profitability.
In developing a minibar that has
been certified as having the lowest
energy consumption of all absorption
minibars currently on the market,
Dometic uses a refrigerant composed
of water and ammonia that operates
in silence, while also minimising
environmental impact, due to its
‘Fuzzy Logic Energy Control’.
In terms of user experience,
temperature can be controlled
remotely and, to keep room designers
happy, the entire system can be
tucked away in a unit that also
integrates products such as TVs
and safes, or can be installed as a
standalone unit, either with a glass
door or changeable decor panel.
It’s not just the innovation of
individual appliances and installations
in hotel rooms, but their integration
also. Leading the way for TVs with
both Wifi and Widi capabilities
that not only unite TV and internet
services, but also act as a digital
concierge, LG describes its Pro:Centric
TV as a “unique and dedicated hotel
data broadcasting platform” that
“extends programming boundaries
for hotels, including the ability to run
highly customised applications”.
The open platform TV was
introduced in 2010. D.Y.Kim,
president of LG Electronics Gulf FZE,
explains: “Since IP infrastructure was
introduced five to seven years ago, the
possibilities of enhancing the level
of in-room entertainment changed
drastically. HD content and a variety
of entertainment can be streamed
effortlessly since the bandwidth on IP
is higher than that of RF.”
Pro:Centric provides an easy
way to interface with interactive
programme guides and internet data
feeds, as well as applications
designed to connect guests to hotel
services such as room service menus
and spa reservation and the ability
to update on weather forecasts and
other local and hotel information.
“Finding the right mix of
guestroom technology is a fine
balancing act. There are many
different types of travellers, and LG’s
aim is to create a home away from
home with technology that is easy to
use for guests,” Kim adds.
“The hospitality industry trend
has definitely reached a stage where
content and connectivity are the
most important components. As long
as the hotel is providing a reliable
internet service in their property
and hardware manufacturers are
providing wireless connectivity for
guest devices, then guest satisfaction
can be achieved.”
Product watchThe most useful and innovative new designs for hospitality
TRENDS / PRODUCT WATCH
Infor has announced the release of a new mobile
application, specifically for the hospitality
industry, which will improve both FoH and BoH
processes.
The Infor10 Hotel Check-In iPad app enables
staff to access real time information away from
the check-in desk.
The app provides staff with the freedom to
provide room assignments, registration cards
with online signature options, credit card
swipes and hotel room key generation straight
from the iPad.
Concierge services can also be streamlined
with the app, as well as check-out, with up-to-
date charges, easy access to the guest folio and
remote printing available.
RAISING GLASSESFOH AND BOH MOBILE MAKEOVER
Advanced Interactive Media Solutions (AIMS)
has installed its digital signage solutions at the
Amwaj Rotana, Dubai.
The network of 32” Mirror Displays are
positioned near elevators, with screen displays
scheduled and controlled using SCALA 5 content
cpidubai.com54 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
DIGITAL SIGNAGE FOR AMWAJ ROTANA
A series of new glass and tableware ranges
will be introduced to the region by glass and
tableware supplier, Artis.
Sourcing newly launched products from
European brands such as Duralex (manufacturer
of tempered glass, pictured), Libbey, Luigi
management platform. The signs allow for the
display of news, entertainment, promotions and
announcements for guests waiting for the lift.
Amwaj Rotana is the third Rotana – after
Murooj and Towers – to adopt the SCALA
platform as a digital signage network.NEW MODERN-CLASSIC RANGE FROM SELVA
Following in the footsteps of Luna, Eleganza,
and Marilyn, the fourth instalment in Selva’s
modern classic series, Sophia, has been
introduced to the global market.
Described as “modern, with clear lines, no
frills, and yet playfully cheerful”, the range will
be available from Selva’s Dubai showroom after
the International Furnishing Show in Cologne.
“The feedback from the visitors that was
positive in every respect proved that with our
modern classic, we are completely with the
trend,” said CEO Philipp Selva.
Bormioli, Durobor, WNK, Tramontina, Tognana,
Costa Verde and DMD, artis also promoted its
offering of own-branded products.
The new catalogue and price list is available
this month and all products will be on display at
The Hotel Show in September.
cpidubai.com HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 55MARCH 2013
ARMANI CASA RETAILER EXPANDS SHOWROOM
Armani Group last month celebrated the
opening of a 270sqm Armani Casa store in
Dubai, that will be operated by exclusive
Armani/Casa distributor, Finasi LLC, part of the
Gargash Group.
The products displayed range from furniture
and furnishings to accessories, décor and fabrics,
for both day and night zones.
The store, located on Al Ittihad Road Deira,
Dubai, also stocks Armani/Dada products and
Checkers kitchens. The original Finasi store,
located next door, opened in 2009 and today
sells products by Molteni&C, Dada, Citterio,
Okalux, KME and Cazzaro.
Armani/Casa is present in 40 countries
worldwide with a total of 63 outlets, comprising
36 single brands.
PRODUCT WATCH / TRENDS
56
Contact centre solutions for hospitality sector bets on cloud With the popularity of online booking systems among leisure, hotel, and travel businesses, the hospitality sector has become an early-adopter of cloud services to keep up with demand.
S ince familiar cloud service, like online booking systems, are effectively shared across several users, they offer businesses a ‘one-to-many’ economy of scale, making them more cost-effective than if each buys, installs and
manages a system on-site. Businesses sign up for cloud services and pay a monthly fee per user in return.
It’s investment-free. There’s no need to install expensive IT servers, and no IT personnel are needed on-site to maintain the set-up. A major pull of cloud is
this potential to reduce IT capital expenditure, because cloud services can be bought on an as-needed basis and treated as variable operating expenditure. Because these types of cloud services are housed remotely and hosted in state-of-the-art data centres guarded by high levels of security and resilience, they are extremely reliable, too.
The cloud services provider markets in the UAE, Qatar and KSA in particular are developing fast. They have now reached a point where there is a comprehensive basket of cloud services available, with pricing menus that are
57ADVERTORIAL FEATURE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Managed Contact Centre Solutions from du
server and software infrastructure, supported by a
safe business service operation.
with voice and data networks in a single common infrastructure, allowing hospitality customers to reduce maintenance costs. As it is a hosted service, there is no need to purchase or manage on-site equipment and infrastructure. A hotel’s customer service team is able to set up sophisticated call distribution rules to ensure that guest and customer calls are directed to an appropriately skilled agent.
the level of customer satisfaction, by building in technology solutions such as intelligent routing and Interactive Voice Response which help keep operations smooth running. The systems will automatically identify agent status across the call
customer calls are answered at the earliest possible time.
provides contact centres with automated front-end call management which provides self-service for callers by identifying and understanding their requirements and then distributing the call according
designed to appeal to businesses with a wide variety of needs. As well as cloud-based reservations systems,
storage systems, customer management systems, remote service desk offers and various front-of-house and back
Customer contact goes cloudThe adoption of cloud-based guest and customer contact centre solutions is becoming a worldwide phenomenon, according to DMG Consulting. “The cloud-based contact centre infrastructure market is exploding - more and larger companies are moving their contact centres to the cloud
and the freedom to focus on their core business rather than on managing in-house solutions.
Companies that needed contact centre infrastructure without large capital expenditures gave the cloud a try as a short-term solution, and soon realised there were more benefits than challenges. DMG expects to see the rapid adoption continue, even as the economy strengthens, now that organisations appreciate the benefits of these solutions. Over the last three years, adoption has nearly tripled from 2.2% to 5.9%, with the number of seats growing from 268,794 in 2008 to 871,717, as of the end of June 2012. Rapid adoption will continue to drive and speed the pace of innovation as larger companies consider moving their contact centres to the cloud. Cloud-based contact centre infrastructure vendors are agile, innovative, and delivering new functionality to market quickly.
DMG projects that the cloud-based contact centre infrastructure market will continue to build momentum, growing by 45%, 40%, 40% and 35%, each year, respectively, between 2012 and 2015. DMG estimates that a minimum of 18% of all contact centre seats will be in the cloud by the end of 2015.
There are now reportedly more than 700 call centres in the Middle East and around 300 in the UAE, which suggests that call centres are no longer the province solely of big businesses such as Emirates Group, Abu Dhabi National Bank, or DEWA. Many large hotel and travel chains in the region also rely on call centres to manage their incoming customer service calls. Not only does it help streamline the booking operation, but helps maximise revenue per reservation too.
Managed customer contact services are available from established telco providers like du and its partner ecosystem. Together these companies have proven and well-established skills which makes them well suited as cloud service provider.
Although cloud service can theoretically be delivered
in partnering with a supplier like a local telco. Localised presence brings a level of intimacy and understanding of customer needs, on the one hand, and promises access to a network with a global reach, on the other.
58
Making the business case for cloud contact centreAdoption of cloud contact centres is gathering momentum in the Middle East hospitality sector, as the business appeal of hosted services becomes better understood. Contact centres were originally provisioned through expensive on-site infrastructure dedicated to telephony processes and intelligent call routing.
For the last few years, however, this model has
infrastructure through different consumption models, including subscription based managed services. These options can be provisioned remotely or in the cloud.
Most contact centres still rely on premise-based equipment for most of their infrastructure. However, the buying decisions for a wide range of contact centre operations and management tools must now include some consideration of cloud suppliers. Guest and customer interactions have become more complex, incorporating a wider variety of transaction types, and hospitality businesses need include factors such as
administration in their purchasing decisions. This is increasingly important, as latest research
indicates that 74% of consumers now use at least three contact channels when interacting with a hospitality company’s customer service.
contact centres targeted small hotel and travel chains with the argument that the cloud would help them look ‘big’ at a relatively low cost. The conventional wisdom has been that cloud contact centre services are best suited to the low end of the market, to small or informal centres that have limited growth prospects and extremely tight budgets. That assessment is not as accurate as it once was, and may lead some contact centres to make
and where or when it is the most appropriate solution.When the total cost of ownership is compared for
multiple configuration possibilities for both cloud and premise-based equipment for contact centres, it becomes clear that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. The best deployment option for any given centre depends variously on size, available budget, technology readiness, the interoperability of existing assets, and, most notably, the range of additional applications that a centre might choose to deploy on top of the core call-routing infrastructure.
In its early days, cloud infrastructure appealed to hospitality companies that did not have the capital expense budgets to invest upfront in automatic call distributor and voice recognition systems. The ability to
attractive proposition for small and growing hotel chains. The contact centre universe was divided between
59ADVERTORIAL FEATURE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
mainly large centres that relied on virtualisation and economies of scale to afford full-featured call routing, and smaller ones that either used ad hoc systems to handle interactions or operated without technology solutions.
In recent years, vendors have begun adding complex applications such as work force optimisation and analytics to their basic call routing suites. This has occurred in both the cloud and on-premise worlds. This has allowed cloud vendors in particular to move up the value chain and target their offerings to larger centres in more complex environments, ones that would rarely have considered cloud solutions before.
Building on the advantages of cloudOne advantage to a cloud-based service can be the short-term price break that allowed a company to quickly ramp up an infrastructure for a limited period without having to carry the long-term cost of technology ownership and the personnel to manage it.
Over time the range of features in cloud offerings has
The range of products now on the market presents a reasonable, functional alternative to premise-based systems. Other applications are moving toward the cloud because they are relatively new and do not have a strong,
established constituency for on-premise deployment. Speech analytics, for example, can be costly and time-
resource allocation and more of a grid-type computing environment.
With the hospitality sector constantly needing to offer a personalised service, customer service becomes a key differentiator, and some cloud customer service solutions are very good at incorporating customer profile data into call routing decisions. These solutions combine data that is pulled from different applications and will organise and analyse that data to give contact centre agents the fullest of views of the guest or prospective guest. Information on previous reservations and past stays, billing details, and guest preferences about room service
customer service staff.The red boxes opposite, illustrate how the hosted
deployment model of cloud appeals to the operational
and scalability may gravitate towards cloud-based systems as they can obtain access to leading-edge technology without maintenance contracts or time-consuming product upgrades. Cloud-based systems
60
model, as it is easier to provide technology to distributed agents. This essentially virtualizes a contact centre into a group of contact centre assets that exist in different physical locations but function as a single, fully integrated, seamless contact centre operation. By using virtual contact centres as an adjunct to existing in-house and outsourced operations, enterprises can eliminate facilities costs, reduce overheads, access new agent talent, and reduce agent churn.
Many hosting providers are able to support uptime of between 99.99% and 99.999%, providing a level of performance guarantee that betters the on-premise average. Clear disaster recovery plans are also vital, and hosting providers typically have the ability to back up customer data in secure data centres.
Today’s hospitality business is likely to look at the spectrum of applications that it is using and see cloud deployment as an attractive option. They will see lower
risk and cost of the pay-as-you-go cloud option as very appeal. These trends have the potential to upend the traditional notions about how companies can and should buy and budget for technology.
The choice of whether to deploy contact centre infrastructure via premise-based technology or cloud-based services involves many variables. Research shows that there are situations in which large, multi-site service
In fact, as the table above demonstrates, the more applications and functions an enterprise includes with
hosting compared to traditional premise-based systems. Any hospitality company looking to hedge a movement into complex multichannel interaction environments or to ensure that its technology stays at the cutting edge of innovation would also be wise to consider cloud solutions. For more information, please contact du at managed.services@du.ae
APPOINTMENTS NEWS
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 61MARCH 2013cpidubai.com
Appointment newsThe latest appointment and promotion news from the region
Andrew Abram, Raffles Dubai.
NEW RAFFLES DUBAI GM BEGINS Andrew Abram has been named as the
new GM of Raffles Dubai by Raffles Group
president, Peter French.
Joining the team in late January, Abram
joined Raffles from the Mandarin Oriental
Group, where he has held a number of positions
since 2003, most recently at the Mandarin
Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai. He joined
the group as resident manager of The Excelsior
Hong Kong, and went on to lead the renovation
and reopening of the Mandarin Oriental
Jakarta, where he was GM for eight years.
DOUBLE APPOINTMENT FOR BIN MAJID HOTELSBin Majid Hotels, which owns four properties
in Ras Al Khaimah, has announced the
appointment of both a new director of
operations and director of F&B.
Juan Carlos Gonzalez will work at the
Mangrove Hotel and F&B director Berk
Ozkeresteci, will work across the portfolio,
following a 13 year career with Sheraton,
Hyatt, Rotana, Kempinski and Rixos.
Dr. Ali Kasapbashi, group GM, said: “We
would like to welcome Mr. Carlos and Mr. Berk
to our team. Both will definitely be an asset
to the whole operations of the group with
their experience and expertise in ensuring the
highest guest satisfaction. We are confident
that both will play an instrumental role in
helping us achieve our business targets.”
KEEPING COMPETITIVE EDGERuth Swamy has begun her new role as
business development manager at the Park
Regis Kris Kin Hotel Dubai, following time
with Mondo Hospitality where she was
corporate sales manager for three properties.
Eyeing Swamy’s experience with Emirates
Towers, Coral Hotels and Resorts, the Dhow
Palace, Dusit Princess, Traders and Royal
Ascot, she has been appointed to help Park
Regis secure its competitive edge ahead of the
thousands of new rooms due to open in Dubai
over the coming 12 months.
“With wide knowledge of the Dubai
hospitality sector, Ruth will be a welcome
addition to the business development team,”
said GM Scott Butcher.
MAROOJ ROTANA HEADS NEW HRAl Murooj Rotana Dubai has announced the
appointment of Wissam Beiruty (below) as the
5-star property’s HR director. Beiruty joined
the company in 2003 as a HR trainee at the
Rotana Corporate Office before moving on to
Al Ain Rotana in 2004, Towers Rotana in 2005
and Amwaj Rotana Dubai in 2008.
“I am highly optimistic that with our
combined hard work, dedication, passion
and experience, we can all look forward to
bringing the unique and wonderful experience
of working with Rotana to existing and new
colleagues,” he commented.
Ruth Swammy.
Job watchTime to move on? We can help. All jobs can be applied for throughthe Hozpitality Web site
EXECUTIVE CHEFIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Food and Beverage ServiceLevel: Top ManagementLocation: AfricaSalary Description: Expats RequiredStart Date: ImmediatelyRecruiter: CHA InternationalAn Expat Executive Chef urgently needed for a 5 star Luxury Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh, with a fantastic view over the Red Sea. It has from 7-9 Restaurants, about 7 outdoor swimming pools and more.Skills required:
The candidate must be highly experienced in All Inclusive Hotels and Resorts.
At least 5 years work experience in 5-star Hotels in the same position (Executive Chef ).
Must be fluent in English. Hard Worker. Cost effective. Create new Menus and new concepts.
Urgently send your updated CV and recent photograph, Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING, DOHA, QATARIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Sales and Marketing/PRLevel: Corporate /Group, Department HeadLocation: ME/GCC (Except UAE), United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: AttractiveRecruiter: Hozpitality ConsultingThe ideal candidate will have a proven track record in a similar role in Leading Large International Hotels in the Middle East.This position is accountable for managing the total sales efforts, This includes the generation of all revenues consistent with the company objectives; implementation of sales performance management systems; Revenue Management systems, and market segmentation analysis for Group, Corporate, Wholesale, and Transient. Additionally,
this position is strongly involved with Key Customer relationships and takes an active role in the business community by being involved in the various trade organizations.
SALES MANAGERIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Sales and Marketing/PRLevel: Middle Management, Top ManagementLocation: United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: Attractive Salary/ BenefitsRecruiter: The Royal International HotelFemale/ Male candidate, preferably Arab national with Hotel experience in the UAE for atleast 3 to 5 years. Competent, productive portfolio in Abu Dhabi, has a valid driving liscence in the UAE.Duties & Responsibilities:
The position is accountable proactively soliciting and handling sales oppurtunities. Ensures business is turned over properly and in a timely fashion for proper service delivery.
Assists in leading all day to day activities related to sales with a focus on long term & valued-based customer relationships that enable achievement of sales objectives.
Achieves personal sales goals.
HEAD OF GUEST EXPERIENCEIndustry: Airlines, Hotels Clubs and Spas, Travel IndustryDepartment: Customer Service, General Management/ GM, Travel ManagementLevel: Corporate /Group, Department HeadLocation: United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: Attractive salary and benefitsRecruiter: Etihad AirwaysThis leading role will be responsible for the strategic brand and experience development of the end-to-end journey on Etihad. You will design environments/experiences that meet guest needs/expectations, brand strategy/values and, while working with key
stakeholders, ensure they can be delivered operationally and within budget. You will measure guest satisfaction through research, industry benchmarking and feedback channels and use insights to drive strategy.
DIRECTOR OF F&B, 5-STARIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Food and Beverage ServiceLevel: Department Head, Top ManagementLocation: Europe, ME/GCC (Except UAE), United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: Attractive salary and benefitsRecruiter: Hozpitality ConsultingQualifications 5 Star Experience is a must Last 5 years Experience in same position as Director of Food & Beverage 5 Star HotelBasic Salary: AED 16,000 – 18,000 per month Family Status: (Spouse+2 Children) Including Medical Insurance & Air ticket Entitlement Accommodation: 2 Bedroom Apartment of Allowance amounting to AED 7000 per month. Transportation Allowance: AED 1000 per month Telephone Device: Blackberry with Company line Bonus : 1-3 month above the revenue budget
Please apply with your CV and photo.
VICE PRESIDENT F&B Industry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Food and Beverage Service, Head Office/CorporateLevel: Corporate /GroupLocation: Worldwide, Africa, AsiaSalary Description: Highly competitiveRecruiter: CHA InternationalVice President Food & Beverage for a well known Hotel Operator with properties in Sudan, Libya, Kenya, Dubai, Zambia and Pakistan.The company includes some international branded properties as well as the “House brand” which has already established itself to a highly respected brand.All properties have extensive F&B operations, incl. various themed restaurants and all have large banquet and catering facilities. The
JOB WATCH
I’VE MISSED MORE THAN 9,000 SHOTS IN MY CAREER. I’VE LOST ALMOST 300 GAMES. 26 TIMES, I’VE BEEN TRUSTED TO TAKE THE GAME WINNING SHOT AND MISSED. I’VE FAILED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE. AND THAT IS WHY I SUCCEED,” MICHAEL JORDAN, SPORTSMAN
cpidubai.com62 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
post is based at the regional Head Office in IslamabadThis position requires a “youngish” candidate with Multi Unit exposure, preferably with some experience in South East Asia and/or Africa.
GM, CARIBBEAN RESORTIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: General Management/ GMLevel: Top ManagementLocation: Worldwide, Americas North and South, Caribbean, EuropeSalary Description: AttractiveRecruiter: FJ Recruiting and International Consulting Service
HEAD OF BFE MANAGEMENT AND PROCUREMENTIndustry: Airlines, Travel IndustryDepartment: Engineering and projects, Travel ManagementLevel: Corporate /Group, Department HeadLocation: United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: Attractive salary and benefits Recruiter: Etihad AirwaysDuties & Responsibilities:To support Vice President Commercial Technical in managing all contracts for line fit aircraft and retrofit programs in regard to aircraft/equipment BFE (Buyer Furnished Equipment) and provide support to administer required BFE material in support of meeting on dock date requirements. Ensure that all technical products & services associated with BFE equipment are accomplished in accordance with the data and quality standards specified by the relevant GCAA regulations (i.e. Parts IV & V) and the corporate governance defined within the EY Manual of Authority.
DIRECTOR OF SPA - 5 STAR RESORT DUBAIIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Spa and Health ClubLevel: Department Head, Top ManagementLocation: United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: Attractive salary and benefits Recruiter: FJ Recruiting and International Consulting Service
Duties & Responsibilities: We are looking for an Arabic General manager, with hands-on approach and hard working, for our client, a renowned hotel in Al Ain.
-Willing to join immediately.- Age 45 plus better with high level of maturity-Strong supervisory and Managerial skills-Good in Training-Business Oriented -Salary and benefits according to experience
Please send your CV with photo urgently.
DIRECTOR OF ROOMSIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Front Office/Rooms DivisionLevel: Top ManagementLocation: AfricaSalary Description: Competitive Recruiter: CHA InternationalDuties & Responsibilities: The Resort is one year old & after a very successful Opening in 2011 the Team need a hands on , very communicative and high end, professional new Team Member.With 550 Rooms which are placed directly on the water front , with 16 F&B Outlets & 1 Casino & a wonderful aqua park design, the Resort is the largest in the Region.This role requires a high end 5* background , with 3 years’ direct experience and Eniglish and French language skills ( Arabic would be a plus) Apply to: eva@cha-international.comPlease be kindly informed that only Candidates with all mentioned requirements are contacted
CFO / CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: Finance and Accounts, Head Office/CorporateLevel: Corporate /Group, Top ManagementLocation: DubaiSalary Description: AED 35,000 net basic ++ Family PackageRecruiter: CHA InternationalDuties & Responsibilities: Preferably of Indian nationality; aged between 40-50 years old; international and multi property experience.
Duties & Responsibilities: An exciting opportunity has arisen for a talented Spa Director. The main purpose of this role is to strategically direct the progress and performance of the Spa through sales and marketing. You will be responsible for taking ownership and responsibility for financial growth and development and controlled performance as well as ensuring a positive, motivated and focused team. It is essential that you have very good people skills and are fully customer focused. A good command of the English language (verbal and written) is required as well as proficiency in MS Office packages.Position is department head A, contract is married. Schooling is available.Full expat benefits, tax-free salary, yearly flights, incentive program, medical and life insurance, pension plan
THAI GENERAL MANAGERIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: General Management/ GMLevel: Top ManagementLocation: Worldwide, Asia, ME/GCC (Except UAE), United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: AttractiveRecruiter: Hozpitality ConsultingDuties & Responsibilities: We are now looking for a Thai GM who have many years of experience in GM position and have the background knowledge in Rooms, Sales and F&B. salary 120,000 Baht.The hotel has 150 rooms and suites, there are two restaurants within the hotel and located on the edge of the City’s Chinatown district, a five –minute walk from the Hua Lampong mainline railway station and the MRT SUBWAY’S Hua Lampong terminus.
Please apply with your CV and photo urgently.
GENERAL MANAGER (ARABIC), AL AIN, UAEIndustry: Hotels Clubs and SpasDepartment: General Management/ GMLevel: Top ManagementLocation: United Arab Emirates (UAE)Salary Description: Attractive salary and benefits Recruiter: Hozpitality Consulting
cpidubai.com
JOB WATCH
“I’M REALLY VERY SELF-CONFIDENT WHEN IT COMES TO MY WORK. WHEN I TAKE ON A PROJECT, I BELIEVE IN IT 100%. I REALLY PUT MY SOUL INTO IT. I’D DIE FOR IT. THAT’S HOW I AM.”MICHAEL JACKSON
MARCH 2013 HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST / 63
cpidubai.com64 / HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST MARCH 2013
COMMENT
A seven-star future? Technology driving personalised service in Middle East hotels.
Some of the most iconic images of
the Middle East feature its most
prestigious hotels whether it’s the
Burj al Arab or Atlantis The Palm
with its world renowned aquarium.
But behind such well known pictures
is the need to consistently deliver levels
of services that match up to the grandeur
of the buildings and the expectations of
guests. Technology has been a key tool
in delivering these levels of excellence for
many hotels around the world and the
Middle East is no exception.
One of the most profound shifts
of recent times has been that many
customers now expect, if not demand,
the ability to interact with service
providers (and that includes hotels) via
their mobile device.
According to a study by Ipsos, four
out of five US smartphone owners use a
mobile phone to help with shopping and
70% use their phone in store. Applying
those figures to the travel industry and
hotel “purchases” might seem a little
far fetched but according to Jupiter
Research, by 2015 over 750 million users
will either have a ticket delivered to their
mobile phone or buy a ticket with their
phone, compared to 230 million today.
In 2010 airlines issued 160 million
mobile boarding passes. By 2013, this
will be 480 million. Today 30 airlines
offer mobile boarding passes and half of
these also offer mobile ticket booking
and purchasing.
Against this backdrop it is vital that
hotels offer the ability to book rooms and
outline preferences and requirements
via mobile devices across a range of
operating systems. The smartest hotels
will then plug this intelligence straight
into the property management systems
(PMS) enabling access to this information
at all guest interaction touch points
within the hotel.
Whilst certain services such as VIP
pick-up and transfers from the airport
extend beyond the hotel, the first
opportunity to personally interact with
a guest is upon their arrival at the hotel
itself. If that experience is defined by
waiting in queue before delays with
checking in and key issue, guests form
negative associations and ultimately,
the hotel misses an opportunity for
service excellence.
By comparison, the technology now
exists to meet guests on arrival, escort them
to any area of the hotel, check them in and
take their preferences for their stay using
tablet PCs. This not only drastically reduces
(if not eliminates) queues, but also provides
a superb opportunity to pull a great deal of
information from the guest whilst offering
them a VIP type experience.
This also confers many operational
benefits as reception staff are no longer
chained to a specific desk, releasing
personnel to other tasks.
However, the personalisation that
would result from a single interaction
would be limited. The ideal situation
is to integrate guest preferences across
issues such as the room, dining, leisure
facilities and entertainment. This
necessitates an integrated set of systems
from the check in desk to restaurant to
spa and in the room itself.
Consolidated into a single guest
profile this becomes a very powerful
tool to improve the guest experience.
Additional services and facilities can be
recommended with confidence and the
stay tailored to precise preferences, leading
to increased repeat business and growth.
Beyond the individual level, there is
also the need to need to track hundreds
and thousands of preferences in a
meaningful way. Hospitality has long
been one of the most advanced users
of CRM technology in this regard.
However, luxury hotels cannot rest on
laurels and across the Middle East the
predominance of luxury marques means
that this customer data will be a key
weapon in the war for repeat custom
among the ultra-wealthy.
At a more mass market level, there is
also now the opportunity presented by
social media sites. On one hand, social
media has created a new distribution
channel and opened a deep well for
marketing research. On the other,
however, social media has changed the
way travellers determine where they will
stay—particularly leisure travellers. Again
it is critical that the intelligence gleaned
from these sites can be accessed by those at
a given hotel—especially those as iconic as
those found in the Middle East.
Hotels in the Middle East have a truly
exciting future with powerful growth
ahead. Technology is set to play a key
part in driving that growth by enabling
a truly personalised experience before
arrival, throughout the stay and after
departure
Andrew Turton, director of sales, APAC and MEA, hospitality solutions, Infor
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