Top 12 hoteliers to watch in 2012

Michel Koopman

3 Michel Koopman
Anantara director of operations Middle East and general manager, Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara

Michel Koopman has the dual responsibility of opening Anantara’s first city hotel in the UAE and ensuring the continued success of the company’s existing resort properties on Sir Bani Yas island and in Liwa.

The brand may be small in the Middle East compared to some, but its accessible, entrepreneurial spirit has won over guests and employees alike, while the partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company has ensured a steady roll-out of launches where others have fallen by the wayside.

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In Abu Dhabi, Koopman’s goal is clear: to develop Eastern Mangroves as a corporate, government hotel, with everything at the property geared around meeting the needs of these particular guests and the Abu Dhabi locals — for which Anantara aims to be the preferred hotel.

Spread across a 1.6 kilometre site, Eastern Mangroves is certainly a far cry from a typical city hotel; its USPs are its fantastic location, open space, natural light and privacy, while some of the highlights include the Anantara Spa and Royal Mangrove Residence — the largest suite in Abu Dhabi coming in at AED 55,000 (US $14,973) per night. The hotel’s competitor set includes Abu Dhabi’s Shangri-La and Fairmont, plus Emirates Palace for government contracts and Park Rotana for corporate business, and Koopman acknowledges that 2012 will be challenging because of the recent increase in supply in the capital.

“I think in 2012 there will definitely be pressure on the market, but we’re not in the business for one year, we’re in the business for the long term. I’d be more worried if I had to fill a 500-room box hotel or if I have to fill a hotel on Saadiyat Island with no corporate market — they are all built for the future.

We feel very comfortable with where we are and the amount of people who see the product when they travel. It’s a great location.

“We don’t have to fill up a hotel with 500 rooms. We have 222 rooms, we’re not going to run it at 80% in the first year for a few extra dollars. One question you asked is what’s more important rate or occupancy, definitely rate because it’s long term positioning that really makes this hotel successful and our owners have been very specific — we have to maintain our asset.

TDIC has spent a fortune on all our hotels so we are the custodians of the brand and the assets, and that’s what we need to do,” says Koopman.

“I know the market and I’ve been to every hotel, they’re all fantastic hotels, but I think what we try to offer is something that is generous but understated, luxury but not in your face, and its something that is really Abu Dhabi.

“We can compete at the top of the market with this product — we can, we should and we will,” asserts Koopman.

The hotel is scheduled to open as planned at the end of the second quarter this year.

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