Q&A: Kempinski on Dubai's Mall of the World

The announcment of the Mall of the World project earlier this month created a buzz throughout the hospitality industry, with the prospect of 100 hotels and serviced apartments, and a total of 20,000 rooms.

Kempinski Hotels president India, Middle East, & Africa Ulrich T Eckhardt gives his thoughts on the Mall of the World project and how he thinks his company might benefit.

Is this project something Kempinski is already/will be looking at?

Kempinski has had great success with Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates. Our partnership with MAF has been a model that works well for both of us in Dubai. It is no surprise to me that this model is now being repeated on a bigger scale.

Have you had any discussions yet with Dubai Holding about this?

Not yet.

Are there any particular brands within the Kempinski portfolio which might be suited to this development?

Kempinski is not a supermarket of brands, we have been one single luxury hotel brand since our creation in 1897.

From what we understand, the plans for the Mall of the World include a full range of hospitality offerings and we have proven that Kempinski’s distinct brand of European luxury works well when combined with the right mix of high-end shopping and entertainment at Mall of the Emirates.

What are your thoughts on the project having so many hotels in such a concentrated area?

Dubai already has high concentrations of hotels and shopping and we still sell out of rooms in our hotels and the malls are still crowed every weekend, and this plan reflects current visitor trends. I’m sure that the leadership in Dubai has taken into consideration many factors when deciding that the demand for more shopping, entertainment, meetings and events spaces, and hotel rooms will grow on pace with the vision that the government has to develop this and other projects.

Is there any risk of this damaging other entertainment areas and venues or is there this room for growth? Particularly considering you have a property linked to existing mall which is very close to this site.

People asked the same questions when Dubai Mall opened a few years ago. We’re still 100% full weekend after weekend at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates; and the steadily growing interest in Dubai as a destination has put those questions to rest.

The way I see it, the location of this new development couldn’t be better for us. We’re actually closer than any other hotels and I’m sure Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates will benefit from being both “just across the road”, and being “on the other side of the road” from the Mall of the World.