Face-to-face: Grant Ruddiman, GM of Kempinski Mall of the Emirates
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Every year up to 10,000 new hotel rooms open in Dubai, most of which are positioned in the luxury sector for which this popular Middle East destination is renowned.
With the likes of Four Seasons, St Regis and Versace debuting in Dubai of late, it’s put pressure on existing properties to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’.
Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, which was first built in 2004 as part of the iconic shopping mall complex, famous for its indoor Ski Slope, Ski Dubai, is considered one of the city’s top hotels. But in the face of sharp competition and to coincide with a £180 million extension of Mall of the Emirates, the property has embarked on an ambitious phased refurbishment project that will be completed January 2016.
Designed to retain the hotel’s “flagship” status, the £67 million Kempinski Mall of the Emirates revamp marks one of the Middle East region’s biggest hotel renovation projects to date.
It has involved the total refurbishment of all 398 rooms and suites, 15 ski chalets, 15 meeting rooms and the Aspen by Kempinski lobby lounge, plus inspired the creation three new standalone restaurants serving Spanish, Levantine and Latin American Asian fusion cuisine.
Interiors are winter wonderland inspired, yet incorporate warmth through Asian motifs to give a real sense of place in this unique Arabia-meets-Aspen environment.
As the renovations near completion, with 15 ski chalets and five pool cabanas due to be unveiled in January, the property’s general manager Grant Ruddiman, who joined the property mid-refurbishment in June (2015), says the new look will make all the difference to this already popular property.
On the location…
We remain one of the best located hotels, with direct access to Sheikh Zayed Road and Dubai Metro, but most importantly, as part of the popular Mall of the Emirates complex, which has undergone a massive transformation under the ‘Evolution 2015’ project. With brand new retail outlets, plus a state-of-the-art Vox Cinemas that even offers a butler service, the mall is a destination in its own right and Kempinski Mall of the Emirates is very much part of that destination. It’s very convenient for guests who want everything on their doorstep.
On the accommodation…
The refurbished rooms and suites are more spacious with our 11 corner suites proving particularly popular given they provide a place to dine and relax plus there’s plenty of space for luggage – or rather, shopping. But what we’re really excited about is our 15 new ski chalets and five new pool cabanas. There are four chalet types – the regular Ski Chalet (45sqm), the Duplex Ski Chalet (76qm), the two-bedroom Grand Ski Chalet (150sqm) and the three-bedroom Grand Ski Chalet (228sqm), while the five Pool Cabanas are being extended to include a terrace that overlooks our revamped pool area. They are being furnished in Florida Keys style with white-wash furnishings and finishes. We expect these to be popular with families and also for private events.
On dining experiences
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates now offers three brand new dining experiences that we believe are unique. In November we opened Olea, offering authentic Levantine cuisine created by Levant chefs who use traditional cooking methods. It’s our flagship outlet and also features a beautiful landscaped terrace. Our trendy Spanish Tapas & Bodega outlet has also proved a big hit with guests and the local community, offering authentic tapas and entertainment, while Noir is a stunning cocktail lounge and bar with New York mixologists, a DJ and a Shisha terrace.
On in-room amenities
Given our commitment to the Green Globe programme, which has made us look at how we procure, outsource and carry out our waste management, we’ve been smart about our in-room amenities in order to minimise our environmental impact. We’ve kept what we offer in room sensible and if guests require anything extra, we can deliver it to their room on request. We’ve also installed iPads in every guestroom, but it’s not technology for technology’s sake – they are used to communicate messages to our guests, including our CSR policies and promotions, and also to make it easy for them to check messages, book any of our facilities, or simply to find out hotel information.
On new in-house butlers
From January 2016 we will be hiring and training dedicated butlers who will initially serve guests staying in our Aspen chalets. We will then extend this service to the hotel suites. We want to train members of our staff to make sure they are more aware of the needs of our customers. Today, effective guest engagement is crucial.
On new source markets
Our key source markets for guests are predominantly the UK, Middle East, Europe and Asia, but we are probing new markets like South America. There’s also a lot more air traffic coming from Africa and we are looking at South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya for both leisure and corporate business.
REFURBISHMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Interior design reflects both the chilly ski slopes of Aspen and neighbouring Ski Dubai and the sunny warmth of the Arabian Gulf;
Arabic touches and motifs are evident through patterned textures;
All rooms are equipped with an iPad, which guests can use to control their TV, order room service, or to make a restaurant or spa reservation;
New Spanish and Levantine restaurant concepts plus the Noir lounge and bar with Shisha terrace;
15 refurbished Ski Chalets and five new Pool Cabanas;
The new-look chic Aspen Lobby lounge with Italian marble flooring and classic Swarovski crystal chandeliers (popular for afternoon tea);
17 new-look meeting rooms (15 refurbished and two new) with natural daylight and state-of-the-art equipment.
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