The 252-key Fairmont Ajman opened in May this year, following almost two years of delays. The hotel was originally due to open in 2013 and later pushed back to 2014, before a final launch date was confirmed.
When it did open, however, it was clear that the property had created a sufficient buzz. Debuting with 170 rooms on May 1, it was fully booked for the opening weekend.
“People are looking for an alternative to Dubai… they’ve been there, done that; they want to do something different,” general manager Henny Schaeffer says. “The nice thing about Ajman is it’s a more relaxed and authentic experience. The hustle and bustle is in Dubai, and people like to go to a quieter destination, and if it’s only 20 or 30 minutes from [Dubai], why wouldn’t you do that?”
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Between the original opening date for the property, and the eventual opening this year, the already-busy beachfront in Ajman has become home to new properties from international operators, including the Ajman Saray, A Luxury Collection Resort, and Ajman Palace.
However, Schaeffer sees this is as a positive sign that Ajman is growing, and it’s up to operators to work together to help promote the destination.
“In the beginning it was only Kempinski, and it is very difficult for only one hotel to promote a destination. We are fortunate that Ajman has a very active tourism and development department now. Its success is dependent on having more brand names here. Kempinski has been doing very well, and continues to do well. Then Ajman Palace opened, and then of course Starwood opened Ajman Saray and, all of a sudden, Ajman was seen more as a destination,” he explains.
COMPETITION CHALLENGES
However, with another Ramada hotel on the way now, the hotel and its GM are well aware of the challenges they face. With this in mind, Schaeffer says the hotel has been working on a “creating Ajman memories” motto. “That’s the whole focus of this hotel. The company is all about turning moments into memories. Yes, we are in competition with each other, but at the same time we complement each other, operating in the same market and building a new destination. The pond is big enough for all of us to fish in. I don’t have to go after the Ajman Saray business or the Kempinski business. It is more like, all of a sudden, Ajman is on the map… people are thinking about why all these brand names are going there. And so, if the demand grows then the Ajman brand grows,” he enthuses.
Competition, however, does play heavily on the team’s mind, and creating a differentiated offering is key to drawing in guests. Among those is the hotel’s F&B offering.
Director of food and beverage, Ahmed Saeid, says when he joined the team, he set about conducting market research to see what other hotels in the vicinity offered.
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