Hilal returned to Dubai right in the middle of this period, and reflects on how it may have ultimately helped the hotel.

“During the recession a lot of our competitors dropped their prices and I will say that they dropped their quality,” he claims.

“Now when business gets better I think it is very difficult to justify suddenly increasing your prices while your quality pretty much remains the same. We very clearly took the decision that we would maintain our prices, as we compete on quality rather than price.

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“We accepted a lower occupancy, but this was the right thing to do for the longevity of the hotel and for the type of guest that comes to this hotel,” he explains.

For the staff, there is an acceptance that a property claiming to be the most luxurious hotel in the world has to have services that live up to those standards.

On the frontline of delivering the ‘Burj experience’ is concierge manager Oscar Van Der Veen, who has in recent years become one of the public faces of the hotel and scooped up Concierge of the Year at the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2014 on October 29 (see p32 for the full report).

“Our guests expect something extraordinary from our hotel, be it the service of a butler, the smile of the doorman, or the Russian or Mandarin language assistance of our greeting hostess,” he says.

“Our guests also expect the highest quality and luxury — such as our Rolls-Royce Phantoms, the Hermès toiletries, the 24-karat gold dust on our cappuccinos or the 24-karat gold iPads. Our guests want the best in everything and it is our goal to deliver this each and every time.”

For Hilal, overseeing operations at the hotel, and for Lakkis, responsible for its upkeep aesthetically, their tasks would appear to pose significant challenges. However, both insist that they relish the need to continually strive for better to maintain the market position of the property.

“I take it as a challenge, not pressure,” comments Lakkis.

“I say it’s a positive challenge. Every single day we have to keep this momentum going,” he says.

“Being in such an incredible, fast-paced environment, this is what really makes you proud to be part of it. You feel as an individual that you are contributing to the success of this country, and this young nation, which has made an incredible achievement in the last 43 years.”

Lakkis goes even further, saying he doesn’t believe the huge tasks he faces are challenges, but rather something natural to the environment in which he works.

“A challenge is when you stop. This is the big challenge, the moment you stop thinking and stop creating something new.

“If you look at the growth of Dubai, you feel it is normal. We are expecting something new every day.”