After a successful 2011, Heinz F. Grub, area manager – Dubai for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, sets the scene for an even stronger 2012, with bullish growth, timely renovations and customer-focused service sitting top of his priority list
Heinz F. Grub, area manager Dubai for Starwood Hotels and Resorts and GM at Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers, missed out on the so-called boom days of Dubai when he took up his role in the ill-fated year of 2009.
However, during his three years in the emirate, Grub has witnessed — and delivered at the eight Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton and Le Méridien hotels he is responsible for — slow but steady improvements in hotel performance, as well as promising increases in inventory.
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Last year, he recalls, “was a very good year”, with a “wonderful increase in occupancy” and a “slight increase” in rate over 2010 and very strong food and beverage business.
“It was really nice to get back onto the upswing, to see that our hotels are running in the very high 80 percentile, lower 90 percentile,” says Grub, explaining that this was an increase of between seven and eight percent on the year before.
He attributes the 2011 demand to the positioning of Dubai as a safe haven against Middle Eastern instability, relative affordability of the city compared to previous years and increased flight capacity into Dubai from Africa, South America and Eastern Europe.
Corporate business was particularly strong, notes Grub: “I can tell you that the corporate markets for our city-based hotels increased by close to double digit numbers [in 2011 over 2010]”.
Looking now into 2012 and Grub is confident that the MICE market will pick up.
“I am certain it will — at least we have budgeted for it, that whole business travelling. You see you have your business travellers and your semi business-leisure travellers.
People bring their wives or husbands along, and add a few days to it — stay a day or two longer,” observes Grub, who expects February 2012 to possibly be an even better month than the usually strong January because many visitors will come “just to tank up on sunshine”.
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