Industry experts have suggested hotels should make the most of their 'down time' during the economic slowdown to redecorate; but is this actually a false economy?
Aidan Keane, founder of UK- and Dubai-based specialist leisure and retail design company Keane, believes so: “There is, at the moment, a complete and utter stop on new capital projects. Things that are committed now are being done and finished, but after that it’s all been bolted down. People really are battening down the hatches.”
Keane added that it was “not a good time at the moment” for hotels to redecorate.
“It might seem like a good time, because business is slow and you won’t disturb that many people. But if you refurbish a hotel now, you may find yourself in a position where the refurbishment is out of date before the property gets any use out of it,” he explained.
“I’ve seen it before, where people redecorate or refurbish an outlet or whatever because business is slow. But by the time things go back to normal and people are starting to go out and spend again, the new décor’s out-of-date.
“Say they redecorate now: it could take three years for the economy to pick up, by which time the ‘new’ look could easily be out-of-date.
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“Best to hang on, see what happens and invest when you can see some returns,” he advised.
However chartered designer Nigel Witham, who has run his own design practice headquartered in the UK for 20 years, pointed out that there were certain financial benefits to going ahead with redesigns now - particularly for hoteliers who are prepared to use companies from outside the region.
“Most contractors in the UK, having been overwhelmed with work for the last few years, are now very keen to export, so I’d say that if anyone wants to refurbish now they should take advantage of the exchange rate,” he said.
“As soon as we turn the corner the door will close fast as people rush to take advantage too late.”
WHAT THE HOTELS SAID:
“We plan certain projects well in advance taking into consideration that certain things need to be done. So far, our hotel is operating and working on specific projects as planned and as needed in certain areas.
“We have not really made decisions about redecorating or changing things just because there is a tourism slow-down. When we feel the need to redecorate or adjust, we do so – and this would only be the outcome of a specific business decision or a relevant strategy.”
Andreas Flückiger, general manager, Radisson SAS Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek
“We are in process of refurbishing our executive floors, however this was a planned refurbishment and not really as a response to the downturn.”
Sana Khan, cluster PR manager, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah and Hilton Dubai Creek
“With regards to renovations at Dusit Thani Dubai, we do not have any concrete plans at this stage.”
Michael Francis, marketing communications manager, Dusit Thani Dubai
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