Looking back to the opening in December 1999, what were your emotions at the time?
Being involved in the opening of something like the Burj Al Arab, which was getting attention from all around the world, we always had mixed emotions. There was a great feeling of pride to begin with. There was also a certain amount of trepidation associated with the challenge of having to make it work commercially. History has proven His Highness right: it was not just something that was great as an investment for overall tourism in Dubai, it has been a commercial success as well. Over the years the Burj Al Arab team has built the hotel’s success to where it is today.
Was there more pressure on this opening than any other in your career?
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Without a doubt, yes, if you think of all the investment that went into developing the resort at the time and the ground-breaking product that Burj Al Arab was. I think it was the first time that such a large all-suite hotel was built. Also, for the hotel to be built on a man-made island in the Gulf was quite something as well.
How has the hotel performed commercially over the years?
It has exceeded expectations, but then so has the development of Dubai. Burj Al Arab has certainly proven itself to be a very astute commercial investment, as well as a symbolic investment for the city of Dubai.
What is the future for the the Burj Al Arab?
We have what we call ‘zero tolerance’ in relation to any maintenance defects. Even though the décor is the same as it was at the very beginning, just about every fabric has been changed over the years. The interior design was done by Khuan Chew, of KCA International, and was very much talked about. Our approach is to keep the décor as close as possible to the original, but always maintained to the highest possible standards.
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