Schupbach says the F&B performance has been unbelievable. Schupbach says the F&B performance has been unbelievable.

Dining destination
The varied F&B and nightlife offer at the hotel is another element that has played a vital role in attracting different markets. As well as restaurants such as the Lebanese Al Nafoura and popular Indian, Amala, the hotel features two of Dubai’s largest nightlife destinations — MusicHall and the recently opened Supperclub — which Schupbach says complement each other rather than compete.

“I met with MusicHall in 2008, when I was at Madinat Jumeirah, they wanted to establish themselves but we didn’t have the right venue; here we have the Moulin Rouge feel with the big stage. They attract a certain clientele, which is mainly Middle Eastern, Lebanese; that’s 90% of the clientele it attracts.

Supperclub is a European concept, which ventured out to some key other destinations like London and Bangkok. They have the music, the dining, the show, so again, it’s a completely different clientele that will be attracted to MusicHall or the hotel [itself].”

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To date, Schupbach says F&B performance has been “unbelievable”. “We’re looking at footfall and the numbers, annually we do about 700,000 footfall just into our food and beverage, so that’s a lot of traffic”.

And there is still more to come. A Rib Room British steakhouse, similar to the one at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, is planned for the executive lounge on the first floor — a vast space already equipped with full kitchen, bar and booths ideal for a steakhouse concept. The club’s executive facility will move to the smaller C Club, currently a cigar lounge.

The hotel’s retail component is also being extended, with three more shops to open.

“Retail is very important component that you offer as part of your hotel resort destination. I think we have established ourselves quite well here; we have three more shops to open, some shops which will open in the next three months, and our existing partners that are here for three years are renewing, so again it’s a good sign that the business is good.”

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