He expects the new Fairmont to cause a stir among Dubai residents with its Brazilian restaurant, incorporating the Churrasco method of grilling. Van Kan’s goal is for it to be the must-visit restaurant for birthday celebrations.
The hotel’s signature restaurant is a pan Chinese bar restaurant concept, and there will also be an all-day-dining located on the beach level with “a breakfast to die for” and a cigar and malt lounge.
Getting the leisure component right at Fairmont The Palm is also very important, says Van Kan, with 60% of business coming from the wholesale markets.
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“[We will offer] the Willow Stream Spa, which is the trademark name of the spas given to many of our Fairmonts. It is going to encompass 17 treatment rooms across 3000m² with both male and female sides where we will offer traditional massage, dry steam rooms, hammam, scrub rooms, mud rooms etc.
“The pool deck at the beach in terms of length will be around 750-800 metres…and there will be around 40 cabanas around four swimming pools, as well as a further 30 to 35 cabanas along the beachside. They are cabanas with private service components to them, wi-fi in the cabanas, so if you need to take your business out to the beach, you can go and do it.
“Children’s programmes are going to be a very important part of the leisure facilities as well,” he continues.
“We’re going to be tying up with a provider that is able to capture the imagination of the children at different age groups rather than putting them in a room in front of a Playstation, it is about engaging with the kids at different ages…and programmes will not be repeated over a three or four day stay, so the children will feel energised by this,” says Van Kan.
With concepts defined, Van Kan’s focus is now on recruiting the 600 staff needed for the pre-opening.
“That will change over time as the hotel becomes far more settled and that number will grow,” he says.
“The Palm is in extremely high demand especially at this time of year through eastern European market segments and the like and we’ve noticed through the openings of other hotels on the island that they do generate a huge amount of interest from the get go,” observes Van Kan.
He is confident not only in the demand for the property from hoteliers internally and externally, but in the support from Fairmont’s new talent acquisition system — recently launched in the region and according to Van Kan, a “completely different step change from what is out there with the competitors”.
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