GM INTERVIEW: Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

For a Dubai-based hospitality company, the opening of Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi was a significant regional addition as the group’s first flag in the UAE capital. Karen Osman visits the hotel to find out more from general manager Doris Greif

As the first female hotel general manager in the Middle East, it is fitting that Doris Greif took on the same mantle at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers to become the first female general manager in Abu Dhabi.

Despite originally wanting to become a car mechanic, her latest role — adding to an impressive CV of general manager positions at Jumeirah Emirates Towers and Jumeirah Beach Club Resort & Spa — is clearly one she relishes.

Passionate about operations, there were specific elements of the new project that attracted Greif, as she explains: “The owners of Jumeirah had agreed to bring me on very early, which was two years before the actual hotel opened, which is a bit unusual but it also gave me the opportunity to work with the architects, the interior designers and the consultants — there was just an incredible amount of experience and joy to be had working on the project”.

Being so involved in the creation, such input has clearly paid off as the hotel’s design, from the modern, sleek external facade to the luxurious yet elegant interiors, is simply breath-taking thanks to DBI Design, which was the lead consultant for the architecture, interior and landscape.

The achievement is no small feat, as the 280-metre-high, luxury hotel is part of a five-tower complex comprising of an office tower and three towers of residential apartments including an observation deck as well as restaurant and retail space.

“What is very important to the owners of Etihad Towers is to build a community, so the hotel is an integral part of that but it can never be perceived as standalone,” she says. “The hotel cannot function without the rest of the community and it is just as important that Etihad Towers is seen as one. Every one of the five components has its importance but they only work if they’re close together.”

While being part of such a complex will only enhance the footfall to the hotel, it also brought its own set of challenges during the opening phase. “If I had to single out the biggest contributing factor where I think it was a challenge, it was being part of a big mixed-use development because you’re not on your own; you don’t have a dedicated group of contractors for you only,” explains Greif.

But, while the remaining four towers are still being finalised, by the end of quarter four, “you will find a city within a city and this is the beauty of Etihad Towers”, she asserts.

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Design Highlights
Despite the road works outside of the property and the neighbouring construction, there’s no denying that once inside the hotel lobby, the impact is instant.

“You have a 23-metre high lobby overlooking the Arabian Gulf,” enthuses Greif. “It’s an incredible sense of space. You come into the lobby and the first thing you see is the ocean and that was also the reason I wanted the turquoise green for the uniforms because in summer, the colour of the ocean is actually that shade of green.

“The lobby is also the first contact point for a customer, so the welcome is very important, but at the same time the product is only as good as the service is.”

As you move around the hotel, the feel is one of understated elegance with key features, such as the colour-changing, custom-made chandeliers, acting as focal points while the use of carefully chosen, high-end materials is apparent, most noticeably in frequented guest areas such as the lifts.

“There isn’t a single guest who doesn’t walk into the lift and say ‘wow – I didn’t expect that’,” comments Greif. “The stone and marble collection throughout Etihad Towers is just extraordinary.”

The 382 rooms and suites also reflect the ethos of quality from the latest technology to the custom-made amenities, designed by ADA Cosmetics International.

“I wanted a scent which reflects male and female travellers without being too feminine or too masculine. I wanted the colours of the rooms to be complemented; especially the bathrooms, but more importantly, I wanted the exact shape of these five towers for the packaging. Guests have given us really super feedback so we’re very happy with it.”

The lastest technology
The use of technology has been integrated for guest comfort but also from an environmental standpoint.

“Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has extremely clear guidelines in its manuals which you need to get your operating licence.

“Being a high-rise tower with a glass front automatically generates more heat, so we had to get the technology installed to avoid wasting energy senselessly,” says Greif.

“The guest room management system makes sure that if a room is unoccupied, it is set at 23°C. Once you occupy your room, you can choose whatever temperature you like.”

Other simple but effective touches, such as the use of iPads, has also proven popular.

“We have our royal suites and all of these are controlled by iPad — that’s actually far more user-friendly than your normal displays on the wall,” explains Greif.

“We have iPads in the limousines so when you arrive at the airport, you can check your emails first if that’s what you choose to do.

“The technology today is there. It is finding the right technology, but more importantly, educating your colleagues who then make it easier for the guests,” she adds.

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Brand Essence
The rooms reflect a calm, neutral approach with photography showcasing the UAE in the ’60s and ’70s from the private collection of His Highness Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan. The inclusion of the collection reflects Jumeirah’s brand promise ‘stay different’ of being culturally connected.

Greif explains: “We wanted to say ‘yes’, we have a modern hotel and all the niceties you want as a traveller, but we also want to show you a little bit about who we were around 40 or 50 years ago.”

The stay different approach is also reflected in the smaller details which are highly appealing to a luxury guest.

“We have certain things that have been created exclusively for us such as the Arabian coffee spice created by a Michelin-star chef and we have exclusive rights on the TWG teas,” reveals Greif.

With one of the largest conference facilities in the city and extensive leisure options which include Talise Spa, three swimming pools and multiple dining options, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers appeals to both business and leisure guests.

“Ultimately, the hotel should have about 70% business clientele and 30% leisure. The hotel caters to both but we will never position ourselves as a beach resort,” she explains.

The response from the local and international markets has been positive and while occupancy remains low in the early phase, maintaining rates was a priority.

“At the moment, we are running relatively low occupancy; however, it’s also better for us, because we did not want to come in with extremely low room rates — rather less occupancy, but making sure we can service our customers.”

Commercial Approach
With several recent luxury openings in the city, what has been the impact of the competition? Greif takes a long-term perspective.

“You need to look at it from different perspectives; we have a lot of new hotels and increase of bedroom stock, and the increase of business to the same level is not there at this moment.

“However, as the destination of Abu Dhabi evolves and the more big international brand names you get, it’s a testament to the destination.

“It also proves to investors, who put their money in to build these operations, that they do see a future here,” she says.

Competition certainly keeps hotels on their toes and Jumeirah already has aggressive sales and marketing plans for 2012 including sales trips to key markets, reports Greif.

“We’ve just been in the GCC and we went to Berlin in March. ‘We’re then having a strategic sales blitz with our office in Frankfurt, covering England, Germany and Switzerland. Then we will go over to Asia, to Japan and China, and then later on we’ll go to India.”

The use of Sirius — the Group’s reward and recognition programme — has also made an impact on performance, with approximately 12% of the overnight business coming from Sirius members.

Well into its third month of operation, the priorities for Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in 2012 are very clear, as Greif emphasises.

“Our priorities are to settle the hotel operation down and to make sure we are using our customer feedback to improve on what we do today.

“Training and re-training is especially important because everybody was new to this hotel, so people need to get comfortable with the technology being used here, so a lot of it is now making sure that everybody sticks to the standards and improves on those as well.”

With the team comprising just 10% of colleagues who transferred from other sister properties, the emphasis is understandable and forms part of a very clear outcome for the end of 2012: “By the end of this year, this machine has to be very well-oiled and that requires support from everyone — it doesn’t matter what level.

The focus is on our colleagues to make sure they’re comfortable, that they get the skill sets they need, and they also get the know-how to deal with our different clientele,” concludes Greif.

Culinary Creativity
With 12 restaurants and bars (four of which are set to open this spring), executive chef Loughlin Druhan had the privilege of being one of the first colleagues assigned to the project.

As a result, he developed many of the food and beverage concepts with a number of factors coming into play during the design process: “We looked at the iconic building itself and thought what would fit in with the strategy of Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.

“We also looked at the market segment and the local and international markets and the fact that it is primarily a business hotel. Take into consideration the other towers as well and you have a lot of segment markets. I think we’re quite diverse in what we chose in relation to the concepts.”

One of the highlights of the culinary offering is the upcoming opening of Scott’s — the renowned seafood restaurant from London which is part of Caprice Holdings, for which Jumeirah Restaurants owns the regional rights.

Druhan explains how the operation will be run: “Even though it is self-managed by Jumeirah Restaurants, we work together as a team and we’re there to support them. I think it will be the leading seafood restaurant in Abu Dhabi. Coming from London, it’s proven itself over the years and it will be a great addition to Abu Dhabi and to the Jumeirah portfolio.”

Having clearly worked hard to create some unique concepts, Druhan explains his strategy for success: “I spent a lot time selecting our chefs — it’s lucky I came in at such an early stage where I could actually take my time, flying them in and doing the tasting to ensure they fit with the concept.

“In today’s generation, it is important that you have chefs that can interact. The days where the chef stands in the back of the kitchen — that’s a thing of the past. It’s not just about cooking.”

Other initiatives include menus which not only take into consideration the seasons but also aspects such as nutrition.

“I don’t believe health and nutrition is a trend,” comments Druhan, “but it’s an expectation today. When we designed the menus we were careful to ensure we covered these areas.

We have a system that we’ve set in place as part of our ordering process and through this, we’re actually able to print out the nutritional values. That means we’re in a situation where we can print out the recipe if a guest asks and that’s something a little bit different” adds Druhan.

Suppliers
Chandeliers: Lasvit (Czech Republic) www.lasvit.com
Lobby mosaic tiling: Designed by DBI Design www.dbidesign.com.au
Blue & white chinaware: Bernardo
Carpets: Designed by DBI Design www.dbidesign.com.au
Bathroom amenities: ADA Cosmetics International www.ada-cosmetics.com

Hotel Highlights
Rooms
• 382 rooms and suites
• 48 tower rooms
• 132 deluxe rooms
• 72 grand deluxe rooms
• 24 tower club rooms
• 41 deluxe club rooms
• 47 grand club rooms
• 14 club suites
• 2 Etihad suites
• 1 sky suite
• 1 royal Etihad suite

Food and beverage
• Li Beirut, a Lebanese restaurant with a sea view and outdoor terrace seating available.
• Rosewater, the all-day dining restaurant with sea view and outdoor terrace seating.
• Brasserie Angélique, offering classic French home-style cuisine (expected opening Spring 2012).
• Tori No Su, Japanese restaurant and lounge (expected opening spring 2012).
• Nahaam, a casual beach restaurant.
• Scott’s, seafood restaurant located on the water off the beach (expected opening Spring 2012).
• Ray’s Bar, located on level 62.
• Quest, pan-Asian signature restaurant on level 63.
• Bhodi, the spa café.
• Lobby lounge.
• Lobby bar.
• Pool bar.

Meeting-space highlights
• Mezzoon Ballroom, accommodating up to 1400 conference guests and includes a special service elevator with the capacity to lift cars.
• 13 meeting rooms.
• Pre-function area, overlooking the Gulf sea.
• Bridal suite, VIP suite and a business centre.

Other facilities
• 199 fully-serviced residences varying from studios of 57m² to spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments of up to 170m².
• Club executive lounge.
• Talise Spa with 13 private treatment rooms.
• Three swimming pools.
• Six P Gym.
• Access to high-end shopping with more than 30 premium boutiques.