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

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.

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!