Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, which opened in April 2006 as the first property of the hotel chain in Dubai, UAE, recently completed an extensive $100-million renovation.
Located next to the Mall of the Emirates, the hotel offers convenience to both business and leisure guests who can enjoy the shopping, dining and entertainment facilities while being within easy reach of the main business districts. As a revitalised and vibrant property and a must-see destination in itself, the hotel is mindful of the needs of all generations and is expecting to receive an increased interest from guests. General manager Grant Ruddiman, answers TTN’s questions in an interview ...Did your inventory change with these renovations? The renovation of the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, which was completed at the close of 2015, encompassed the total refurbishment of the guestrooms, public and dining areas. While the diameters of the guestrooms have not changed, the new design, furniture and furnishings used provide more floor space and comfort for our guests. We also relocated and increased the size of some facilities to offer better dining and socialising options. This included positioning the new Levantine cuisine restaurant, Olea, as well as the late-night lounge and cocktail bar, Noir, at the front of the hotel where diners can utilise the new outside terraces when the weather is pleasant during the autumn, winter and spring seasons.Who were the designers/architects behind the renovation?
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Ruddiman ... leading the renovation |
There is a lot to talk of multi-generation travel and Generation Z. Were these new trends part of your thought process behind the design? Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates positions itself as a luxury five-star hotel for both business and leisure travellers, with the ratio slightly higher for leisure visitors. This means that we have families spending time in the hotel while using the leisure facilities and those of the adjacent Mall of the Emirates. Mindful of our guests whose families span a number of generations, we have both traditional in-room media and entertainment, such as television and radio, and upgraded smart technology facilities, which include an Ipad in every room offering all of the hotel’s services at the guests’ fingertips from room service to room controls.With the increasing need for connectivity whilst away from home or work, we have installed sufficient easily accessible power points in the rooms so guests can charge multiple devices whenever they want. We have upgraded the IT facilities, providing more wi-fi bandwidth and placing iPads in each room with the hotel services directory, which allows our guests to order services online. We use the iPads to communicate with our guests and they, in turn, can communicate directly with us, so that we can provide a speedier and more efficient service too.
Also shopping tourism is a growing trend. I assume you will tap into this market segment?The Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates’ prominent position on the main highway of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, and attachment to one of the largest and most prestigious, award-winning shopping malls in the UAE, makes our property an ideal choice for guests travelling for shopping. The Mall of the Emirates, however, is not only a place to shop; it’s an all-round entertainment destination. This is why many of our guests bring their families to enjoy Ski Dubai, Magic Planet and the newly relaunched Vox Cinemas. The mall saw a footfall of almost four million people last January, so we expect the same, if not a slight increase, of shoppers this year. As we approach our 10th anniversary in 2016, we have seen a steady increase in the number of guests who visit for both business and leisure. They can enjoy the shopping and entertainment facilities while being within easy reach of the main business districts, such as Downtown, Internet City, Media City, Tecom, JLT and the International Convention Centre.We are also fortunate in that the UAE’s visionary leadership has invested in a comprehensive infrastructure that includes air and road links with the Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region and beyond. The UAE government supports and promotes tourism in the country and we support it in turn with our commitment to customer service excellence.
What are your feeder markets? Will this expand in light of your new, innovative concepts?Due to the hotel’s location close to the central business district and also the beaches, we attract a wide range of nationalities, visiting for both business and leisure. We find that the majority of our guests are from the Mena region, with a significant, regular flow of guests from the other emirates, especially for holiday weekends. That said, we also receive significant international visitors from North America, Europe and Australasia, with growing numbers from South America too.We anticipate an increased interest in the property now that it has undergone the $100 million refurbishment. As a revitalised and vibrant new property and a must-see destination in itself, we are reaching out to the Mena region to let them know about our new offering and exciting new accommodation and dining options.
By Kim Thomson