Live from St.Regis: Pelling's pre-opening diary

John Pelling, GM, St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi.

In the first of his new regular monthly column for Hotelier, general manager John Pelling reveals the ins and outs of pre-opening from the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi...

I moved to Abu Dhabi in September, after spending the best part of 11 years in Dubai. I loved my experiences in Dubai and since 1999, when I first arrived, the emirate’s landscape has changed beyond recognition. However, the opportunity to be involved in the early stages of the amazing Saadiyat development — the plans that TDIC has for the destination are unique and so exciting — and the fact that St. Regis is such an iconic hotel brand proved just too tempting.

With my family housed and kids settled in school, my work began. First off, a trip to Starwood’s EAME divisional base in Brussels for a “deep dive” into the project with the team which manages everything before a GM’s arrival; quickly followed by a St. Regis brand immersion at The St. Regis Singapore and The St. Regis Bali. Now, with a full understanding of project and brand, I was ready to start making my way along the “critical path” to a successful opening in November 2011. It seems a long way off: trust me, it isn’t.

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The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort will be a landmark hotel in Abu Dhabi, but also much more. It will include a 380-room hotel on the pristine white natural beach of Saadiyat — framed by the Gary Player designed Saadiyat Beach Golf Club — 33 St. Regis-branded villas, 259 branded apartments, an entertainment complex of shops and restaurants, a function area capable of seating 1500 guests to dinner, a spa and a St. Regis Athletic Club. All this, located just 10 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 30 minutes from the airport. Over the months ahead, I will share some of the triumphs, challenges, and occasional frustrations, along with what I’m sure will be a fast-growing spirit and momentum as we make our way along that “critical path”.

In recent months, I have been a bit of a recruitment manager. Firstly, and most importantly, I tempted Sunisa, a former colleague, to be my key support and to set up the pre-opening office. A strong, calm lady, she is very well organised and vitally needed to keep this occasionally wayward GM focused on his priorities and deadlines. A director of sales and marketing followed and now directors of HR and engineering are beside me.

By the time you read this, I will be joined by the entire executive committee. Some are from within Starwood, some are not, but I am excited and confident that the dynamics of the team will be perfect. I feel a bit like Sir Alex Ferguson about to start a new football season. I have picked the players and feel happy that they will complement each other. Next, we work hard as a team and aim to win the league and cup double!