Ahead of the launch on September 1, Louise Oakley visits Fairmont The Palm, Dubai to discover the hotel’s highlights and get a taste for its culinary showpieces

I’m starting to feel a little spoilt; I’ve lost count of the number luxury hotels I’ve encountered since moving to Dubai four years ago, and now, as a Palm Jumeirah resident, I get a taste of the holiday lifestyle the emirate has become so famous for every day.

Quite simply, the hotel product available in Dubai is some of the best in the world - the top global architects and interior designers have offices here, and international brands are constantly out to top each other in the luxury stakes.

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So, when I’m privileged enough to visit these top-tier hotels during pre-opening, it’s not actually the bricks and mortar I’m that interested in.

Rather, it’s the vision of the general manager to dare to be different, set superior service standards, train hundreds of people who may never have been to Dubai before - not to mention never themselves benefit from a luxury experience - and co-coordinate the mammoth task of getting the hotel ready on time.

At Fairmont The Palm, Dubai - where I was the first journalist to enter, on April 5 - this vision belongs to GM Martin Van Kan, new to Dubai and Fairmont, although with extensive experience of the luxury segment elsewhere in the region.

And the pressure was on; not only was I looking for Van Kan to impress from a business perspective, but also from that of a consumer. I have a vested interest in this hotel you see; it’s a five-minute walk from my apartment, and in a city where walking is rare, that’s rather special.

Plus, Van Kan is eager for the hotel to fit into the residential community on Palm Jumeriah and offer something for us Palm dwellers to do without leaving our peaceful island, so I am precisely an, albeit less wealthy, member of the neighbourhood the property is so keen to attract.

Five months out and the hotel structure is 99% complete, with 1500 workers now turning their attention to the interiors and landscaping, and Building Completion Certificates due at the end of May.

I am told everything is on track, and Van Kan is remarkably calm and cool as we begin our tour. Firstly, while the product isn’t my primary concern, it has to be said that the lofty lobby is impressive. The entire hotel is designed to offer an “authentically local appeal”, a core Fairmont standard.

FOR EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM  HOTELIER'S VISIT PLEASE CLICK HERE

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