The Mehteran Theatre: The reception area at the theatre features a huge painting on the wall called ?Mehteran? , which represents the celebration afte
When I ask Stephan Schupbach, general manager of Jumeirah Zabeel Saray to sum up the latest resort addition to The Palm in Dubai, he has one word — opulent.
It is hard to disagree. Entering the lobby is like walking into an Ottoman Palace — there are velvet turquoise curtains and mirrors lining the doorway, a stunning chandelier of crescent moons hanging above a water fountain featuring dancing jets and coloured lights, throne-style seating covered in thick velvet and co-ordinating, vibrant flower displays.
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Now this may sound like a lot to take in, but what is most striking is the height of the dome and the space you walk into — whether you turn left or right the hotel seems to go on for miles, while looking straight ahead to the terrace behind the lobby, stretches the pool, beach and ocean.
The lobby is the centrepoint of Zabeel Saray, sat right in the middle of a 200-metre long corridor, otherwise known as the Avenue of Indulgence thanks to the boutiques and restaurants that line it.
It is here that we begin our tour of the property with Schupbach as our guide. And I’m glad he is there — there is an abundance of details to take in and each one, I find, has an accompanying story that takes us back into the Ottoman empire of the 15th and 16th centuries.
In the six months that he has been heading up the hotel through pre-opening until its soft launch on January 4, it seems Schupbach has become quite the historian — sharing the Zabeel Saray story is what he is most passionate about.
You get the feeling this is a general manager you can trust, one who knows the ins and outs of his resort — it’s tough to imagine anyone else as at home managing this giant property, which after all, only came under Jumeirah’s management in July 2010.
Originally to be managed by Turkish hotel operator, Rixos, the property was designed by architects from Kursat Aybak Architectural in Turkey, with the vision to create “a truly spectacular resort that reflected the grandeur of the Ottoman Empire”. The brief was met after a three-year construction process and the finished product is one that fits snugly into Jumeirah’s luxury portfolio.
“It’s always a challenge [to take on another property] but you have to educate yourself a little bit about the history — we were engaged with the architects, with the designer out of Turkey and got to know the stories — the stories I told you on our tour are only 1% of all the stories we could tell,” reveals Schupbach.
“I think anyone can run [a property] once you understand the concept, the heritage and incorporate the truly unique parts — like the shoe cleaning component which you find throughout Istanbul and Turkey, [kept in the lobby].
“Our responsibility is to Jumeirah’s guests — it doesn’t matter who built the hotel or who was involved previously, it’s that we make the best out of this product and try to be the best at the end of the day, and deliver the best service.”
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