Discovering Zabeel Saray

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.

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.”

Despite the Ottoman inspirations, Schupbach says the aim is not to virtually transport guests to Turkey — but have them feel they are in Dubai, being serviced by Jumeirah as part of a Zabeel Properties hotel.

For those that are familiar with the glitz and glamour of Dubai, this will certainly be the case — the property takes opulence to a new level.

What is not so common in Dubai, is Jumeirah’s teasing approach to the opening; most people didn’t even know it had happened. Considering that currently only 40% of rooms and a couple of outlets are open, keeping the anticipation until the full launch — expected by April 1 — is deliberate, explains Schupbach.

“We don’t want to make a big bang; we already had a huge response because the market has known about us for the last two years. We like having our secret and for people to come and discover us.”

So far, he says the available rooms are full and that he is already seeing booking trends he had not expected.

“It’s one thing having a strategy on paper but I probably changed the strategy 10 times in the last few months because of the response that we received.

I’ll give you an example, we thought we would have 30% of group business and you know what, we probably underestimated that. We thought that this would not really be a group or a corporate hotel but we have had such great response from around the world,” says Schupbach.

“I think it’s the uniqueness, we have a story to tell about the building.”

As expected, the hotel will be positioned at the high end of the market, alongside sister properties Madinat Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab. What sets it apart are the 38 villas, many of which back onto a vast lagoon that doubles up as what must be Dubai’s largest swimming pool.

“With having the 38 villas we are in a position where we can say nobody else has a similar product in this market at this current time,” asserts Schupbach.

The lagoon is not the only unique feature — this hotel has a Moulin Rouge-style theatre, considered the only one of its kind in Dubai, and the largest Talise spa to date.

The Mehteran Theatre is a standalone centre that has capacity for 380 guest cabaret style or 800 guests in a traditional theatre format, plus a VIP balcony for up to 80 people.

Schupbach says there will be a regular show once a week, during which people can dine and be entertained. There will also be the opportunity for visiting shows, corporate events and private functions.

The Talise Ottoman Spa is another highlight, encompassing 42 individual treatment rooms, eight hydrotherapy rooms, two steam rooms, three saunas, snow room, floating baths, adventure showers, two authentic Turkish Hammams, four outdoor cabanas, two indoor salt water swimming pools and a VIP area with another five treatment rooms and its own Hammam.

There is everything the spa aficionado needs and this is proof that the spa experience should be about far more than a quick massage.

Schupbach has high hopes for Talise: “I believe the spa as a destination lends itself truly to differentiate ourselves. No-one has a spa like we have.

Normally, when you hear about a spa destination, it’s La Prairie, Switzerland; Scottsdale, Arizona — that’s where we can say ‘okay Dubai is not a spa destination [yet] but let’s try’; I think this lends itself to trying something different. Will it work? We will find out.”

Trying something new is exactly what Dubai’s luxury sector needs, but while we wait for the response from consumers, I’m heading back to the Avenue of Indulgence…

Zabeel Saray by the numbers
Staff: 400, will grow to 900-1100
Size of resort: 115,931m²
Rooms: 405, including 42 suites
Room size: 40m² to 310m²
Villas: 38
Spa: 70 treatment rooms and areas.
Boutiques: 12
Mehteran Theatre: capacity for 370 guests seated cabaret style.
Screening room: capacity for 30 guests in this ultra-modern cinema.
Use of marble stone: 30,000m²

Restaurants & Bars
Lalezar — The resort’s signature restaurant is 20th century royal Ottoman inspired with a variety of authentic Turkish cuisine prepared with a contemporary twist.

Voi — Designed to reflect French colonial Vietnam in the 1920s, Voi features the finest Vietnamese cuisine.

Amala — The best of traditional Indian cuisine is prepared in a contemporary way at Amala.

Al Nafoorah — An authentic Lebanese restaurant, Al Nafoorah has already been very successful at Jumeirah Emirates Towers.

Imperium — The resort’s all day dining concept offering a Parisian brasserie-style restaurant.

Plaj — By day, guests can enjoy a variety of cuisines while soaking up the sun, by night Plaj will serve seafood and healthy Japanese fare on the beach.

C Club — The C Club offers Cognacs, Cigars and Chocolate all expertly paired by the in-house sommelier.

Voda Bar — Inspired by the vodka martini, Voda Bar is a unique, bright and contemporary bar to see and be seen in.

Sultan’s Lounge — Located in the main lobby, the Sultan’s Lounge outlet serves the traditional Turkish high-tea as well as a selection of meals in a casual but classy environment.

Ixir — The hotel’s spa cafe, Ixir offers a selection of healthy food and juices.