Prior to joining The Address Dubai Mall, you were GM at sister property The Palace — The Old Town. What are your reflections on your 18 months there?
I think when I took The Palace over it was at a very elementary stage and what we were able to do over a year and a half was really to reposition the hotel and to give it its own identity. The areas that have most evolved are probably F&B and the spa.
The positioning of Ewaan didn’t work; it was a Mediterranean restaurant but it really needed to be an Arabic / oriental restaurant.
So we’ve done that and it really has become a favourite, especially at dinner with the local clientele.
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We kept the tents used during Ramadan last year because people loved them and continued a suhour menu à la carte with shisha. Now we have double seating capacity; it became a complete area.
Then we also repositioned what used to be Thiptara bar, now called Fai, and that was a complete exercise of a new identity, new logo etc. We gave it a proper entrance.
With the completion of the fountain and the lake it became natural that it evolved into a bar. It’s a true retreat and I think that is what The Palace needed to be identified as.
The lake has totally enveloped the hotel and with the fountains singing and dancing at night it’s magical.
We’ve also recategorised some rooms to capitalise on the fountain views. Ninety rooms are actually full fountain views so that has helped create another category.
The spa really needed to be positioned correctly and we did that successfully. We also launched a membership programme through the recreation and the gym, creating loyalty for a number of customers.
I think the only outlet that was really well positioned was Asado and that just solidified its position. People go to Asado at The Palace, they don’t go to The Palace at Asado.
The most important factor was the change in the feel of the hotel. When I took it over it didn’t have that engagement, that warm and cosy feel, and now many people come to the hotel and note that.
The team has really become dynamic, taking the concept of home to personalise the level of service offered to the customers.
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