Business Traveller ME - July 2022 by Motivate Media Group

MIDDLE EAST

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businesstraveller.com

WHAT LIE S AHE AD

MICHELIN GUIDE DUBAI

FINE WATCHMAKING

PLUS

An exclusive interview with Rotana's Guy Hutchinson

The restaurants that made the cut in the inaugural edition

How the Swiss and German giants are raising the bar

Elevator Pitch • Air Miles • Four hours in Madrid

BECOMING THE BENCHMARK Dubai’s tourism sector is booming – and in many ways, it’s only getting started

Issam Kazim CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing UAE DHS12 OMAN RO1.30 BAHRAIN BD1.30 SAUDI ARABIA SR12 KUWAIT KD1

CONTENTS

REGULARS 06

UPFRONT

The latest airline, hotel and travel news 14

GLOBAL NEWS

An update on international travel 16

SUSTAINABLE TRAVELLER

Best practices in sustainability from across the region and beyond 32

AIR MILES

Artist Sacha Jafri on his most memorable travel adventure 34

ELEVATOR PITCH

Robin Solomon, general manager of Ibis Styles Deira 40

4 HOURS IN... MADRID

If you find yourself on a short stopover, here’s what to do 52

LIFESTYLE

Smart-casual workwear that is perfect for the summer 66

POSTCARD

Expo City Dubai is set to open on October 1, 2022

FEATURES

56 Flydubai Bespoke Boeing 737 Max 9 business class Dubai–Tel Aviv

Hungary’s capital has witnessed a massive investment in culture 28 AN EYE ON THE HORIZON

Guy Hutchinson, president and CEO of Rotana

MICHELIN IN DUBAI 38

Insights from Michelin Guide’s international director Gwendal Poullennec

THE CHARMS OF CHIANG RAI 42

BECOMING THE BENCHMARK

An exclusive interview with Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing

24 3

Thailand’s northernmost province has become an economic success 49 KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES

Here’s where the luxury watch industry is headed next

TRIED & TESTED H O T E L S

57 Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, The Palm, Dubai 58 Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers 59 Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich 60 JK Place Rome 61 Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre 62 St James’s Hotel and Club Mayfair 63 Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

ON THE COVER

24 HUNGARIAN SYMPHONY

THE REPORT TRIED & TESTED FLIGHTS

COVER: CLARKWIN CRUZ

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57 SMART TRAVELLER

42 49

64 Our guide to... How to donate unused frequent flyer miles to charity

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WELCOME

t didn’t have the 300-plus-year headstart of its peers such as London, New York City or Paris. Yet, Dubai’s tourism industry has somehow gone from non-existent only a few decades ago, to leapfrog the competition and be regarded as truly world-class today. Don’t take our word for it. Trust instead the 6.17 million overnight visitors who put their faith (and dirhams) into the destination between January-May this year. Has then Dubai’s tourism scene peaked? Far from it, if you listen intently to what Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, had to say at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (page 18). Dubai’s tourism growth is that of a rising tide – it’s taking various stakeholders along with it. Among them is the hotel sector, and one of the major players is Abu Dhabi-based Rotana whose CEO Guy Hutchinson recently told us that the group has a staggering 42 projects in the pipeline across its international portfolio (page 28). Over the last few months, we’ve witnessed various newfangled drivers of tourism emerge – if 2021 was about

revenge travel, this year has everyone jumping onto the ‘bleisure’ bandwagon. But there are more traditional domains such as culinary tourism that will remain a dominant factor when it comes to people deciding where to travel. In a first for the Middle East, Michelin revealed its selection of 69 restaurants in Dubai, awarding 11 of them Stars. The guide’s international director, Gwendal Poullennec, says that its inspectors were active on the field in the emirate for the last five years and more destinations in the region will make it to the coveted ranking over the next few years (page 38). There’s plenty more to read in our July-August summer edition. We’ll be back in September with fresh perspectives and insights as we lean into the final few months of 2022.

Varun Godinho, Editor

THIS ISSUE’S PICKS

Business Traveller Middle East is jointly published by Motivate Media Group and Panacea Media Ltd M OT I VAT E M E D I A GRO UP

Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Managing Partner and Group Editor Ian Fairservice Editor Varun Godinho Art Director Clarkwin Cruz Editorial Co-ordinator Londresa Flores Contributors Gemma Greenwood, Tom Otley, Hannah Brandler, Allyson Portee, Melanie Swan General Manager – Production S Sunil Kumar Production Manager Binu Purandaran Production Supervisor Venita Pinto Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne Group Director Andrew Wingrove Group Sales Manager Chaitali Khimji Senior Sales Manager Murali Narayanan PAN ACE A M E D I A LT D

Managing Director Julian Gregory Associate Publisher Middle East Rania Apthorpe Global Editor-in-Chief Tom Otley b us i n e s strave l l e r. c o m

4 HOURS IN... MADRID Where to shop, what to see and where to eat in Spain’s capital (Page 40)

TAJ EXOTICA RESORT AND SPA, THE PALM, DUBAI A review of the ultraluxurious property (Page 57)

FREQUENT FLYER MILES How to donate these to charities around the world (Page 64)

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UPFRONT

EMIRATES RANKED FOURTH MOST VALUABLE AIRLINE BRAND IN THE WORLD INDEPENDENT CONSULTANCY, Brand Finance, has published its annual Brand Finance

Airlines 50 2022 ranking. Within it, Dubai-based carrier Emirates is ranked as the fourth most valuable airline brand in the world. It estimated Emirates’ brand value at nearly US$5 billion. The consultancy added that the value is gauged as the net economic benefit an owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market. Emirates is the only Middle East carrier to be featured in the top 10 most valuable airline brands in the world – a list that is led by Delta. Delta’s brand value was estimated to be up 27 per cent to US$7.3 billion. Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia (brand value up 13 per cent to US$0.5 billion) meanwhile was ranked as the fastest-growing airline in the Middle East.

New freezone opens aboard QE2 Hotel in Dubai DUQE FREE ZONE has opened its headquarters in the Queen Elizabeth 2 Floating Hotel which is anchored permanently in Dubai’s Port Rashid. In June, DUQE announced its partnership with the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), an umbrella organisation operating under the Dubai Government. The new freezone entity will assist businesses beyond the launch stage by additionally delivering a range of value-added services including bank account opening assistance, accounting, medical fitness checks, Emirates ID, health insurance, VAT registration aid as well as business centre solutions. Hotel group Accor recently confirmed that it will rebrand the QE2 under its M Gallery portfolio. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

NEW HOME CHECK-IN SERVICE FOR SELECT EMIRATES PASSENGERS IN DUBAI AND SHARJAH Emirates has launched a new home check-in service for first class customers based in Dubai and Sharjah. Slots must be booked at least 24 hours before the flight, and are available up to six hours before departure. Formalities including document verification, checking-in of baggage, and issuing boarding passes will be undertaken by the visiting agents. They will transport the passenger’s luggage directly to the airport. The customers can arrive at the airport to catch their flight a minimum of 90 minutes before their scheduled departure time.

Le Meridien enters Qatar with 377-room hotel in Doha LE MÉRIDIEN HOTELS AND RESORTS,

part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio, has entered the Qatar market with its new Le Royal Méridien Doha property. Located in the country’s future city, Lusail, the 377room hotel features striking neo-classical architecture and connects to the Place Vendôme Qatar luxury complex that is home to 580 retail outlets, fine-dining outlets, theatres, office and residential spaces. The hotel’s dining options include Adrift Anda by David Myers, alfresco restaurant Yedi, Loleya Patisserie by Chef Aziz, and The G.O.A.T Sports Lounge. The property has 240 guest rooms, including 53 suites, offering sea or city views. It also boasts of 137 residences including studios, as well as one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. For meetings and events, the hotel’s in-house events team, Le Caractère Events, can curate large events including lavish weddings or business gatherings in its 11,000 sqm events space. The Pétale Royal Ballroom can host large events of up to 750 guests.

UPFRONT

Super Basement Carpark in Saudi giga project Diriyah

10,500

The number of cars that can be accommodated in a planned three-level underground facility

1 million sqm The floor area of the carpark

US$1 billion The cost of the contract to build it

AIR ASIA X CONSIDERING LONDON RETURN, VIA DUBAI RADISSON COLLECTION OPENS SECOND PROPERTY IN RIYADH RADISSON HOTEL GROUP has announced the opening of Mansard Riyadh,

A Radisson Collection Hotel. It is the brand’s second hotel in the city. Located in Riyadh’s northern neighbourhood of Ar Rabi, it is close to the King Abdullah Financial District. The hotel has 191 rooms, serviced apartments, and duplex villas designed in a colour scheme of blue and beige. The three-bedroom penthouse suite features hardwood floors and consists of a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, three bedrooms, a living area, kitchen, and dining room which seats up to eight guests. The suite also has a whirlpool tub surrounded by marble floors. The 230 sqm two-floor duplex villas have a fully-equipped kitchen, living room, powder room, and dining room with a table for six. On the second floor, there are three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. The names of the villas reference the grand squares of Paris, such as Vendôme, Concorde, and Opéra. Opening later this year in collaboration with New York City-based restaurant group Major Food Group, will be Carbone, one of the group’s flagship Michelin-starred restaurants that serves up an Italian-American dining experience, and Sadelle’s, a brunch-time favourite from the heart of the SoHo neighbourhood in New York.

EVER SINCE THE Malaysian airline retreated from Europe in 2012 it indicated that it would return. Recent media reports suggest that the airline is now actively seeking a return – but this time, Air Asia X would operate from Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick, via Dubai. The carrier would likely deploy an A330. When this low-cost carrier last served Europe (London Gatwick and Paris Orly) it operated non-stop. However, former Air Asia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani stated in 2012 that the “sweet spot” for long-haul flying was a sector of around eight hours. The London-Dubai and Dubai-Kuala Lumpur sectors are roughly the same flight length. A stopover in Dubai also means that Air Asia X would be able to tap two traffic flows (Kuala Lumpur-Dubai and Dubai-London).

SAUDIA TO BEGIN FLIGHTS TO ZURICH AND BARCELONA SAUDI ARABIA’S flag carrier, Saudia, has confirmed that it will begin flying a second route to Switzerland in August, with twiceweekly direct flights from Riyadh to Zurich. Furthermore, it will also start operating twice-weekly direct flights from Jeddah to Barcelona in July. It comes following an agreement signed between Saudia and the National Air Connectivity Programme in which direct flights will be operated between Saudi Arabia and four new international destinations this year, providing more than 60,000 seats annually. In addition to Zurich and Barcelona, Saudia is also adding 10 new routes to its network in 2022, which includes recently launched cities: Amsterdam, Entebbe, Bangkok, Marrakech, Malaga, Moscow, Beijing, the Greek island of Mykonos, Seoul, and Chicago.

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UPFRONT

Abu Dhabi takes steps to boost business events THE ABU DHABI CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION BUREAU , a division of the

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has signed a partnership with the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE). The partnership will reportedly provide networking and destination awareness opportunities to DCT Abu Dhabi stakeholders and year-round access to SITE’s dedicated incentive travel events and conferences. The latter is the only international association that focuses on incentive travel, and allows industry professionals to connect and learn best practices to boost the sector. The UAE’s capital will also host the SITE Executive Summit at Abu Dhabi Business Events Week 2022, which will be held next autumn.

Qatar Airways Group reports highest-ever annual net profit QATAR AIRWAYS GROUP has reported a record net profit of US$1.54

billion during the fiscal year 2021-22, 200 per cent more than its highest reported figure over the past 25 years that it has been operational. Overall revenue increased to US$14.4 billion, up 78 per cent compared to last year and two per cent higher than the full financial year pre-Covid which was 2019-20. Passenger revenue increased by 210 per cent over the last year for the second financial year in a row. Qatar Airways carried 18.5 million passengers, an increase of 218 per cent over last year. Revenue at Qatar Airways Cargo meanwhile grew 25 per cent over last year with the growth in cargo capacity (available tonne kilometres) of 25 per cent annually. The group generated an EBITDA margin of 34 per cent at US$4.9 billion, a 53 per cent increase over the previous year’s EBITDA of US$3.2 billion. The destination network of the national carrier of Qatar grew to more than 140 destinations in 2021-22, opening new routes including Abidjan, Lusaka, Harare, Almaty and Port Harcourt.

Etihad launches five new summer routes ETIHAD AIRWAYS launched five seasonal routes in June. Three services took off on June

15, connecting Abu Dhabi to Nice in the French Côte d’Azur, the city of Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete, and Malaga in Spain. The route between Abu Dhabi and Crete will operate until September 17, twice a week aboard the carrier’s A320 aircraft. Etihad will operate its service to Malaga until September 18, twice a week, using its B787. It will also deploy its B787 across the Abu Dhabi-Nice sector which will operate twice a week between June 15-September 18. Etihad’s summer schedule meanwhile also includes two additional new routes which also commenced in June to the islands of Santorini in Greece and Zanzibar in Tanzania. The airline is using its A320 to conduct thrice weekly flights to Santorini and Zanzibar until September 18.

WORTHY SACRIFICES Global tech company Travelport has revealed that people are prioritising travel over entertainment, shopping and self-care. Respondents said they would give up the following activities for six months or more in order to travel:

71% CONCERTS 64% NEW CLOTHES 63% SPA TREATMENTS 60% CINEMA 53% SPORTS 36% RESTAURANTS

Source: Study by Toluna Research, 2,000 respondents from the US, UK, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, India, Singapore and the UAE, March 2022

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UPFRONT

Palazzo Versace Dubai joins Global Hotel Alliance

Dubai to get its third Anantara property

Palazzo Versace Dubai, located in Dubai’s Jaddaf Waterfront, has confirmed that it will join the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA). The Dubai-based GHA reportedly represents a collection of 40 brands with over 800 hotels in 100 countries serving 21 million members. GHA’s brands include Anantara, Corinthia, JA Resorts, Kempinski, and Nikki Beach, among several others. Palazzo Versace Dubai is now part of the GHA Discovery hospitality rewards programme that offers members benefits across all GHA-member properties worldwide. The programme’s Discovery Dollars (D$) is reportedly the industry’s first digital rewards currency. The GHA Discovery programme generates approximately US$2 billion in revenue and more than eight million room nights annually.

Minor Hotels will open its third Anantara property in Dubai in July. Anantara Downtown Dubai will have 252 guest rooms and suites, all of which will offer views of Downtown Dubai, along with a wide variety of F&B options, a wellness floor with a spa, gym and swimming pool, and meeting and events spaces. Taking over the building operated by The Oberoi, Dubai, the hotel is located close to the DIFC district and several tourist attractions. Minor Hotels currently operates a total of eight properties in Dubai across its Anantara, Avani and Oaks brands, including Anantara properties on The Palm and World Islands. It will debut its NH brand later this year with the launch of NH Dubai The Palm. Minor Hotels has a portfolio of 529 hotels and resorts in 56 countries.

Ritz-Carlton enters Jordan with 228-room property in Amman

Rotana opens luxury property in Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah

The Ritz-Carlton has entered Jordan with a new property in the capital city of Amman. The 20-storey Ritz-Carlton, Amman features 228 guest rooms, including 34 suites, spread across seven different categories. It offers several dining options including the property’s signature restaurant, Roberto’s, which is a familiar presence in Dubai’s culinary scene. Its other F&B options include Ambros, Iris, Sarab Garden and The Founders Room. The hotel has a 1,050 sqm grand ballroom, five meeting rooms and a luxurious club lounge. The Ritz-Carlton Spa features temperature-controlled pools, six treatment rooms, a relaxation lounge and the largest spa bath in Amman.

UAE-based hotel management company Rotana has announced the soft opening of Slemani Rotana in the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah. The new five-star property is Rotana’s fourth hotel in the country after Erbil Rotana, Erbil Arjaan by Rotana and Babylon Rotana, Baghdad. Slemani Rotana features 240 rooms and suites and is located on Salim Street. The property includes wellness and business facilities including one-bedroom suites, a presidential suite, gym, spa, and a piano bar. The dining options include Cinnamon; Kamoon, which specialises in Oriental and Lebanese cuisine; and Balsamico Cucina Italiana which serves contemporary cuisine.

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SPONSORED

Ascott showcases four properties in Jeddah

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Ascott Jeddah is a leading premium serviced living brand; Ascott Tahlia Jeddah is a luxury offering; Citadines Al Salamah Jeddah is a home for onthe-go travellers; Ascott Sari Jeddah is a boutique Parisian style residence

global partnership with International SOS, offering 24x7 on-call support for wellness and security. Summer holiday seekers can now enjoy 20 per cent off at any of the above four properties in Jeddah with the ‘ASR Member Special Rate’ promotion that can be found on its website. discoverasr.com/offers

The serviced apartments range from studios- to three-bedroom units

f you are exploring business opportunities in the historical port city of Jeddah, or a traveller in search of the perfect staycation spot, premium serviced living brand Ascott has a few comprehensive options. Boasting four properties in the city, Ascott caters to different tiers of guests on business or leisure and long- or short-stays. These include, Ascott Tahlia Jeddah, designed for the luxury discerned travellers; Ascott Sari Jeddah, a boutique Parisian style residence for fashion connoisseurs; Citadines Al Salamah Jeddah, a vibrant home for on-the-go travellers; and Spectrums Residence Jeddah that offers families and bigger groups of guests the perfect city recluse. Featuring studios to three-bedroom serviced spaces, the apartments offer separate living and dining areas, along

with extensive lifestyle and business global amenities for adults and children alike. All properties are aligned with the brand’s ‘Ascott Cares’ programme worldwide, assuring its guests and staff of seven commitments to hygiene and safety excellence. Parallelly, Ascott Sari Jeddah, Ascott Tahlia Jeddah, and Citadines Al Salamah Jeddah are also a participant of Ascott’s

The Ascott Limited is a member of CapitaLand Investment. It is one of the leading international lodging owner-operators with properties across Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the US. Its portfolio of serviced apartments, coliving and hotel brands include Ascott The Residence, The Crest Collection, Somerset, Quest, Citadines, lyf, Préférence, Vertu, Harris, Citadines Connect, Fox, Yello, Fox Lite and POP!.

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OSCAR REYGO/UNSPLASH

UPFRONT GLOBAL NEWS

Emirates increases Dubai-

1 Mexico City to daily service

Emirates has begun daily flights between Dubai and Mexico City, via Barcelona. The latest decision boosts the frequency of the carrier’s services from six weekly flights to seven. It has therefore increased its average capacity on this sector and now offers around 2,000 seats per week to and from the capital of Mexico.

Choice Hotels to acquire

2 Radisson Hotel Group Americas

In a US$675 million deal that will add 624 hotels and 68,000 rooms to its portfolio, Choice Hotels has agreed to acquire Radisson Hotel Group Americas. Choice will take over the franchise agreements and operations of Radisson’s numerous properties across across the US, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Yotel to open within Lisbon’s

3 World Trade Centre

Yotel will open its second Portuguese property, located within Lisbon’s World Trade Centre. The 127-room Yotel Lisbon WTC is slated to open in 2024 and will offer more than 35,000 sqm of office, retail, recreational and hotel space across two eight-storey buildings. The Yotel brand was first launched in 2007 at London’s Gatwick airport. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

Jumeirah Frankfurt rebrands

4 as JW Marriott property

The Jumeirah Frankfurt is now trading as the JW Marriott Hotel Frankfurt. The 219-room hotel is located on Thurn-und-Taxis-Platz in the city’s Zeil shopping district, and is directly connected to the My Zeil shopping centre. Fun fact: the hotel produces its own honey from hives situated on the rooftop of the 25-storey building.

Intercontinental to debut

5 in Tashkent

IHG Hotels and Resorts plans to debut its Intercontinental brand in Uzbekistan’s capital later this year. The newly-built Intercontinental Tashkent will be located in the Trilliant Business Park Development Complex and include 216 rooms. Significantly, it will feature electric charging points for cars, and sustainable landscaping.

6 Waldorf Astoria to open in

8 Kuala Lumpur

Hilton will open its first hotel under its luxury Waldorf Astoria brand in Malaysia in 2024. Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur, situated in the city’s Bukit Bintang district, will feature 279 suites and 3,390 sqm of meeting and events space. There are currently around 30 Waldorf Astoria properties worldwide, with a further 20 in the pipeline.

DAVID EDELSTEIN/UNSPLASH

Japan reopens to international

Marriott to suspend all

6 operations in Russia

Marriott International announced plans in June to suspend operations in Russia, 25 years after entering the market. It stated: “Newly announced US, UK and EU restrictions will make it impossible for Marriott to continue to operate or franchise hotels in the Russian market.” In March this year, it closed its Russian corporate office too.

Akasa Air receives its first

7 aircraft

Akasa Air, a new low-cost carrier in India backed by billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, has received the first of its 72 Boeing 737 Max aircraft. It expects the delivery of eight more aircraft by March 2023, and the remaining 54 aeroplanes by 2026. Akasa is slated to commence domestic operations this year.

9 tourists

Japan reopened to international tourists in June. However, only those booked on private tour groups approved by the government are permitted to enter. Also, these tourists need to have spent at least 14 days in one of around 100 countries on Japan’s “blue list” (the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain are on it) prior to their arrival date.

United to launch nonstop

10 service between Brisbane-

San Francisco

United will launch a new yearround, nonstop service between San Francisco and Brisbane using its 787-9 Dreamliner. Apart from the Brisbane route, United already flies nonstop to Sydney from San Francisco and Los Angeles, and has nonstop flights between Melbourne and the US too. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

U PF R O N T SU S TAI N ABLE T R AV E LLE R

WIZZ AIR SIGNS MOU WITH AIRBUS ON HYDROGEN-POWERED AIRCRAFT

Dubai International airport to divert 60 per cent of waste from landfills The programme by Dubai Airports hopes to achieve its target by the middle of next year

A 16

new waste management initiative will help divert 60 per cent of all waste from Dubai International (DXB) airport away from landfills by the middle of 2023. As part of the new programme, Dubai Airports has implemented a food waste treatment plan which will capture and compost over 2,000 tonnes of food waste annually from F&B outlets, lounges and hotels across all its terminals and concourses. Decomposing food waste in landfills results in the emission of methane gas which is 72 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. The new food waste plan was created in partnership with Dubai Airports’ waste management partner Beeah Group. A special high-tech biodigester compost system installed in multiple locations across DXB will increase the speed at which food waste breaks down and becomes reusable compost and clean wastewater. The waste diversion strategy aims to identify economic and environmentally-friendly methods to capture, treat and recycle waste. To date, DXB has managed more than a 40 per cent reduction in waste. A special initiative already captures 100 per cent of all cooking oil used in the airport’s F&B outlets and converts it to biodiesel fuel.

2,000 TONNES

The amount of food waste annually that DXB aims to capture from across its terminals and concourses

100%

Wizz Air has signed an MoU with Airbus to explore the potential for efficient, ultra-low-cost hydrogen-powered aircraft operations. The MoU will identify both operational and infrastructure opportunities and challenges of hydrogen aircraft. Both Wizz Air and Airbus will study the impact of hydrogen models on Wizz Air’s fleet, operations and infrastructure, including its network, scheduling, ground bases and airports, by considering specific aircraft characteristics, such as achievable range and refuelling time. Wizz claims that it operates at the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per passenger kilometre amongst all competitor airlines. In November 2021, it signed an agreement with Airbus for the purchase of a further 102 A321 aircraft, comprising 75 A321 neo and 27 Airbus A321XLR aircraft. With the new order, Wizz Air’s delivery backlog comprises a firm order for 34 A320 neo, 240 A321 neo and 47 A321XLR aircraft, plus the additional order for 15 A321 neo and purchase rights for 75 A321 neo aeroplanes.

Of all cooking oil used in airport’s F&B outlets is already captured and converted to biodiesel fuel

VFS GLOBAL OUTLINES SUSTAINABILITY PLANS VFS Global, has published its Integrated Report last month. It covered some of the organisation’s major accomplishments in 2021 across several areas including diversity, equity and inclusion, employee empowerment, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and community empowerment. The report found that 52 per cent of VFS Global’s electricity usage was covered by renewable energy. More than 1,500 trees were planted in India and the UAE, thereby resulting in a carbon dioxide sequestering of 9.2 tonnes in 2021. Support of the Kolar bio-gas project, which eliminates approximately 4.5 tonnes of firewood usage (per household), also enabled the offsetting of 73,429 tonnes of total carbon dioxide emissions last year for VFS’ business-related travel. Additionally, VFS Global will introduce a Climate Change and Comprehensive School Safety education curriculum for grades 3-10 students across over 45,000 schools in India.

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UAE’s dnata to invest US$100 million in green operations N E W D E S ALI N AT I O N P L AN T I N N E O M T O B E C O M P L E T E LY P O W E R E D B Y RENEWABLE ENERGY

A new desalination plant powered 100 per cent by renewable energy is set to be built in the Saudi giga project of Neom. Enowa, the energy, water, and hydrogen subsidiary of Neom, has signed an MoU with Japanese trading company Itochu, and water, waste, and energy management solutions provider Veolia for this project. The entities will collaborate on the first-of-its-kind selective desalination plant which will be located in Oxagon. The initial phase of the desalination plant is set to open in 2024 and the plant will be fully operational by 2025. It will have a production capacity of 500,000 cubic metres of desalinated water per day by 2025, meeting approximately 30 per cent of Neom’s forecasted total water demand for residential, industrial, and commercial use. As part of Neom’s circular economy, the new plant will use advanced membrane technology to produce separate brine streams. It will enable Enowa to produce brine-derived products, which will be developed and monetised downstream, according to state-run Saudi Press Agency. Brine, which is usually considered a waste output of desalination, will be treated by Enowa to feed industries utilising high purity industrial salts, bromine, boron, potassium, gypsum, magnesium and rare metal feedstocks. The brine would therefore be classified as a product, rather than waste, and is expected to therefore minimise the plant’s environmental impact and present a potentially new business model for upcoming desalination facilities around the world.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Dubai-based air and travel services provider, dnata, has said that it would invest US$ 100 million in green operations over the next two years. It said that its ongoing investment in infrastructure, equipment and process improvement will help reduce its carbon footprint by 20 per cent by 2024, and by 50 per cent by 2030. Dnata has already installed renewable energy features such as solar panels, heat recovery units and electric vehicle charging points at its existing facilities in the UK, Singapore and Ireland. It has also incorporated carbon reduction initiatives in the construction and operation of its recently announced cargo centres in The Netherlands and Iraq. With regards to its fleet planning, dnata says that it has increased investments in electric and hybrid ramp, ground support (GSE) and forklift equipment, and refurbished existing GSE with new technologies to decrease emissions. It added that it has therefore become the first ground handler to successfully complete green aircraft turnarounds using only zero-emission GSE in the US and UAE. Dnata noted that its catering team is working closely with its airline customers to analyse consumption trends and use predictive data to optimise the loading of F&B for inflight catering. Analysis of on-board data not only reduces food waste, but also fuel burn associated with carrying excess weight. Earlier this year, it committed to reducing its waste to landfills by 20 per cent by 2024.

A breakdown of some of dnata’s key metrics for the financial year 2021-2022

527,000 3 million Number of aircraft turns handled

Tonnes of cargo managed

39.9 million

The number of meals uplifted

“The UAE continues to honour its commitments on climate action. We look forward to hosting the world at COP 28 and accelerating practical progress on climate action through an inclusive, practical and integrated approach” UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

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WORDS VARUN GODINHO

BE C O MI NG T H E BENCHMAR K Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, is steering the emirate’s tourism strategy towards creating a world-class offering that ranks among the world’s finest destinations

DUBAI TOURISM

rit. Gumption. Tenacity. It’s somewhere between these three traits that Dubai found the means to push itself out early from the initial Covid-19induced lockdowns and adjust to a new normal. It became one of the world’s first major global cities to reopen to international tourists in the second half of 2020. While other destinations were still fumbling for solutions, Dubai acted. A coordinated response from various stakeholders, not least homegrown carrier Emirates, the city’s leadership, and a web of private sector entities jumpstarted the city’s tourism industry. “Today, we’re not just the Department of Tourism as we were in the past. We are the Department of Economy and Tourism. So there’s a much bigger role we can play today, more so than we did in the past,” says Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing at Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Scripting a tourism turnaround strategy amidst an unprecedented global crisis isn’t something for which there is a playbook. But if ever there was one, Kazim would quite likely have written it. “We’ve been spearheading a lot of change that’s happening in the industry. We have a proven track record of moving up the ranking to reach number four on a global scale when it comes to the most visited city in the world, with an aspiration of becoming number one. For us, it’s about evolving, making sure that we’re adapting as well as listening to our market. It’s one thing about being aware of what the competition is doing, but it’s actually more important for us to see how the needs of our visitors and partners are being addressed,” says Kazim. Tourism is, after all, the backbone of Dubai’s diversified economy. It contributed 11.5 per cent to the emirate’s GDP in 2019, the year before the pandemic. By 2021, Dubai had climbed out of the abyss as far as its tourism market was concerned. It recorded 7.28 million international overnight visitors between January and December 2021, a 32 per cent year-on-year growth. Last year, the leading source market for the city’s international visitor arrivals was India with 910,000 visitors, followed by 491,000 travellers from Saudi Arabia, 444,000 visitors from Russia and 420,000 arrivals from the UK. As Kazim explains, the pandemic meant that the city’s tourism department began to focus on a wider target audience beyond its traditional source markets. “We started to focus on markets where we saw potential. So France, Italy, Netherlands and Egypt grew quite a bit, giving us a very solid starting point with these newer markets.” The strategy to cast a wider net paid off. According to the data released by the DET, in the first quarter of this year, from January-March, Dubai recorded 3.97 million international overnight visitors. Of this, the MENA and GCC contributed 35 per cent of the total volumes of international overnight visitors, while Western Europe

accounted for 24 per cent of its arrivals, and What we want to go South Asia was responsible for 14 per cent. back to is our 2019 The bar that Kazim sets for his team is figures, so 16.73 to reach even higher. “What we want to million overnight go back to is our 2019 figures, so 16.73 million overnight visitors, and build from visitors, and build there. [Nearly] four million visitors [in the from there first quarter] is something we’re very proud of. Of course, even with the four million, we still have other [source] markets that need to pick up – India hadn’t fully opened up during that period and neither had Saudi Arabia – our top two markets. China too still hasn’t come back,” notes Kazim. The stage is set for Dubai to race past its pre-pandemic figures. From January-May this year, Dubai received 6.17 million international overnight visitors, a 197 per cent year-on-year increase over the corresponding period in 2021. Indicating a surge of interest in Dubai, the DET noted that in May 2022, searches and bookings for the emirate reached almost pre-pandemic levels. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

DUBAI TOURISM

A dominant event that drove visits to Dubai over Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 was the six-month long Expo 2020 Dubai which concluded on March 31 – but not before recording over 24.1 million visits. “Hats off to the leadership for being able to not just With the private pull off an event, but to pull it off in such a sector, we have difficult time globally. And now, it’s about regular sessions [maintaining] the momentum that was built and inform them up. We’ve launched new visa programmes including golden visas, retirement visas, and about our plans freelance visas. It was based on hearing from and strategies people what are the gaps, the needs, and the opportunities and rolling it out for them to bring in more people to Dubai, not just to visit but to maybe even relocate, and for them to then hire all the best talent from around the world to come and live in Dubai as well.” Kazim is categorical that making sure Dubai attracts the number of visitors it can, isn’t the sole responsibility of the government alone – the private sector necessarily plays an important role. He says that the public-private partnership that exists in Dubai is vital to the city’s tourism success. “With the private sector, we have regular sessions with them and inform them about our plans and strategies, as well as from which markets we see growth potential and opportunities. We work with them on a group level and then even on an individual bespoke level, understanding what their segments of interests are and trying to make sure that even our campaigns are aligned with their offers. There isn’t a one size fits all [solution],” observes Kazim. There are factors exerting a negative influence on the city’s tourism sector – factors beyond its control. These range from the Russian-Ukrainian crisis playing out in East Europe, a soaring global inflationary rate that is putting pressure on disposable incomes of households, and a rise in oil prices that is pushing up airfares across most major

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DUBAI TOURISM

Sustainable growth

HOTEL STATS FOR DUBAI IN Q1 2022:

82% carriers. But rather than focusing on these, Kazim says that Dubai’s tourism strategy doubles down on those aspects that it can control, namely adding value to the travel experience. “Since 2013, when we launched our [tourism] strategy, we knew that we’re in an industry where there are so many socio-economic and geopolitical factors that are outside of our control and which dictate when and where people travel. At the same time, the [destination’s] value aspect comes into question. We want to make sure that when people come to Dubai, they really see the value of the experiences that they’re having. They understand that if they’re paying for something, they’re getting that in return as well from the experience, the service, and everything else.” The growth of tourism within Dubai is backed solidly by its hotels, airlines and restaurants, all of which have risen with the tide of Dubai’s growing tourism sector.

Dubai ranked first globally in hotel occupancy in Q1 2022 at 82 per cent, which was just shy of the 84 per cent that the city’s hotels recorded over the same period in 2019. For comparison, according to analytics firm STR, hotel occupancy in other major destinations in the first quarter of this year stood at 56 per cent in London, 55.3 per cent in New York and 51.2 per cent in Paris. Three key metrics regarding Dubai’s hotel performance in the first quarter of 2022 already surpassed the corresponding period in 2019. The average daily rate at Dubai hotels in Q1 2022 reached Dhs649 (compared to Dhs498), while the average length of stay was 4.3 nights (vs 3.5 nights) and occupied room nights stood at 10.22 million (vs 8.63 million). Also, in the first quarter of this year, there were a total of 769 hotel establishments and 140,192 rooms, compared to

Hotel occupancy levels

Dhs649

Average daily rate

769

Total number of hotels

140,192 Number of rooms available

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DUBAI TOURISM

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716 hotel establishments that were open with 117,434 rooms in Q1 2019. Dubai-based carrier Emirates meanwhile has moved swiftly to support the growth over the last few months and resumed flights to nearly 80 per cent of its pre pandemic destination network. It has also signed MoUs directly with a number of tourism boards including Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Africa and Maldives, among others, to boost visitor traffic in both directions across those destinations. Apart from the hotels and airlines, the city’s restaurants have also stepped up to the plate. A city with over 12,000 restaurants and cafés, Dubai was chosen as the first destination in the Middle East for the coveted Michelin Guide which debuted in June. The city’s rich culinary scene, says Kazim, can be a major contributor to the city’s tourism growth going forward. “I think gastronomy is one

of those key pillars that we’ve been talking about for quite some time. It was a main proposition that we had discussed when we launched our strategy in 2013. This came off the back of a lot of people talking about the amazing food scene that exists here. “We have people of 200 nationalities in Dubai and that comes across in the food and the service culture too. The Michelin Guide is something we’re very proud of.”

The path ahead

The way that Kazim and his team are making certain that the growth of the emirate’s tourism is sustainable, is by ensuring a high percentage of returning visitors – at the moment, 25 per cent of visitors to Dubai are those who have been here before. “Repeat visitations are important because that creates growth. With the new visa

programmes, we’re making sure more and more businesses are moving here and that families are moving here. “These people who move to Dubai can attract meetings and events in to the destination. Plus, they play a big role in the VFR – visiting friends and relatives – category as well. That in itself creates a loop that will enable us to grow the destination,” says Kazim. At the government level, there have been some major changes over the last few months, that have spurred tourism in Dubai. For example, in November last year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, merged two of the emirate’s key departments, Dubai Economy and Dubai Tourism, under a single entity called Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. One of the major goals at the time of the decision was to aim to

increase the number of tourists coming to Gastronomy is one Dubai by 40 per cent to 25 million visitors of those key pillars by 2025. that we had Also, in February this year, the second discussed when we edition of the World’s Coolest Winter campaign in the UAE concluded. That 45launched our day campaign which began on December strategy in 2013 15, 2021, was aimed at mobilising the resident population of the UAE to spur domestic tourism. According to state news agency WAM, the campaign raised the revenues of hotel establishments to Dhs1.5bn, compared to Dhs1bn in its first edition. The campaign increased the number of domestic tourists from 950,000 to 1.3 million between the first and second editions, while the occupancy rate of hotel establishments over the same period rose from 66 per cent to 73 per cent. At a national level, the total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the UAE’s GDP is forecasted to reach Dhs264.5 billion, or 12.4 per cent of the national GDP, by 2027. As far as future-oriented initiatives are concerned, and at a local level, Dubai is ensuring that digital transformation is very much on the agenda. At the World Government Summit 2022, Dubai Municipality said that it would work with private sector companies and investors The number of to launch a futuristic city in the metaverse. “I think the international metaverse is something that everyone’s excited about. overnight visitors Is it going to become the next big thing or is it going to to Dubai from be a fad that’s going to go away? We never know, but we January-May 2022 cannot leave it to chance. We want to make sure that we are involved in that space, and start introducing Dubai to people who have never experienced it before. [The metaverse] gives us that window of opportunity to see what chances and opportunities can be created from this The expected new platform. We want to make sure that we’re riding the contribution of the wave with everybody else,” says Kazim. travel and tourism And for the moment, Dubai’s tourism sector is sector to UAE’s GDP by 2027 effortlessly surfing the crest of a very big wave.

6.17 million

Dhs264.5 billion

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D E S T I N AT I O N

Hungarian symphony A massive investment in culture is putting Budapest on the map for music, art and film production

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WORDS ANDREW EAMES

OPPOSITE PAGE: Exterior view of Budapest’s House of Music at night

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LIGET BUDAPEST/PALKO GYORGY

THIS PAGE: House of Music, Budapest; built as part of the Liget Budapest project

obert Henke looks more like an academic than a musician. As he turned to accept the applause of the assembled audience he seemed faintly bemused to find himself on stage. His performance – the electronic utterances of a battalion of 1980s computers, orchestrated by Henke from a keyboard while sitting in his office chair – was a long way from being a The project is clearly intended to make the nation traditional concert. But then, the glass-walled auditorium feel proud of its cultural credentials. The hope, too, is in the brand-new Japanese-designed House of Music in Budapest is certainly a long way from being a conventional that it will attract more upmarket travellers, especially as the glorious neo-Renaissance State Opera House concert venue. down the road has just reopened after a multi-millionFor a start, its roof is organically shaped and looks euro restoration. Moreover, this is the city where tickets like a giant mushroom with holes poked in it to let the to opera, ballet and classical music concerts are a small light in and trees grow through. Under that roof, besides percentage of what you would pay in Western Europe. the auditorium with its planned 500-plus live musical performances a year, it also has a sound ATTRACTIONS GALORE dome where you can lie back on beanbags It looks like a giant As a weekend break destination, and bathe in a compelling combination of Budapest has long punched above its sound and images. Below ground in the mushroom with weight in terms of popularity, but most mushroom’s roots, there’s a comprehensive holes poked in it to of its visitors come for inexpensive exhibition that charts the development of let the light in and indulgences, including its pound-a-pint music all the way from the drumming of trees grow through beers and famous hot water spas, such early man to digital compositions in the as at Gellert or Szechenyi, where you mode of Henke, with all sorts of magically can get a massage for under £20. They innovative interactions along the way. come, too, for its good-value palatial If that is not enough to keep all members of the family hotels, its fancy coffee houses, and its happy, there are musical stepping stones outside, for ‘ruin bars’ such as Szimpla Kert, pubs that making music and blowing off steam. have recolonised tumbledown buildings All in all it’s a very impressive structure, in an innovative way. They also come for with a pretty hefty price tag (€80 million). sightseeing river cruises on the Danube and to But it is just one element in a whopping tour the House of Terror, the former headquarters €1 billion investment that the Hungarian of the secret police during the Communist period, with government is making in its Liget project, all its torture cells in the basement. constructed within the confines of Budapest’s city park. At some point in their stay most visitors cross the It includes a giant new Ethnographic Museum, currently Danube river to visit Buda, the government district up on nearly finished and looking like a huge skateboard ramp. a hill that rises on the west bank of the river (although the Eventually there will also be the New National Gallery to famous chain bridge crossing is closed for maintenance house the combined modern collections of the Museum right now). Most end up at Buda’s Fisherman’s Bastion of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery. viewpoint, very popular for selfies, and then return to Pest, Liget is, according to House of Music head of publicity the city’s commercial heart on the east bank, home to the Medea Kui, the largest-ever cultural investment project in Europe. And this in a country that spends more on culture famous Central Market and most of the shops and hotels. To get around, many visitors ride the old trams, the (3 per cent of GDP) per head of population than any ancient underground (second oldest in the world after other European nation.

D E S T I N AT I O N

London), the child-run Children’s Railway and, when the weather is good, they repair to Margaret Island in the middle of the river, with its spa, pools and jogging track.

ORBAN’S HUNGARY

Today, despite the proximity of the conflict in Ukraine, plenty of these typical weekend visitors are still arriving in Budapest. Some, of course, are peering around themselves nervously, looking for signs of a refugee crisis, or even of rebellious reactions to controversial prime minister Viktor Orban’s recent re-election. In fact neither are in evidence. There are Ukrainians in Budapest, for sure, but those who are in the city centre generally have money to spend, so are welcome guests. And while Orban himself may not be popular with Europe, his margin of victory (53 per cent of votes compared to the opposition’s 35 per cent) is indicative of his domestic popularity. The conflict in Ukraine helped him achieve that victory, with Hungarians banking on his ability to walk his well-practised tightrope between the EU and Putin’s Russia, thereby ensuring that their nation is very unlikely to be drawn into conflict by either side. If locals find the stability of Orban’s tenure reassuring, so too do outside investors The key ingredients who have business interests in Budapest. Many of them are coming not to experience in Budapest’s homegrown culture, but to make their own popularity with versions, because the city has long been Hollywood are its a rendezvous for Hollywood producers, extensive studios attracted by Hungarian government tax incentives that refund up to 30 per cent of their production costs.

HUNGARIAN TOURISM AGENCY

HOLLYWOOD CALLS

It’s not just the official subsidy that pulls in the makers of blockbusters such as Blade Runner 2049 and Terminator: Dark Fate, nor the city’s photogenic locations and lavish hotels that are more than good enough to accommodate even the pickiest of stars. The key ingredients in Budapest’s popularity with Hollywood are the sets of very professional studios both in and around the city; places such as the government-run NFI Studios at Fot, whose backlots and sound stages include a world-class medieval town, a Western village and an American suburb, all on the outskirts of the capital, a 30-minute drive from Budapest Ferenc Liszt airport. Aware of the importance of innovation in keeping their valuable customers happy, construction work has recently begun on four new lots at the NFI, increasing its capacity to 12,200 sqm by the end of 2023. It’s a strategy that is working well. Pre-pandemic, overseas film production was making an annual contribution approaching €500 million to the nation’s coffers, a figure that is likely to be reached in 2022 because all the production facilities are already booked up by J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

TOP TO BOTTOM: Szimpla Kert, a typical ‘ruin bar’ in Budapest; Margeret Island on the Danube offers a spa, pools and jogging track; New York Café at the Anantara New York Palace Hotel in Pest

Hotel news

big companies, including Marvel, Netflix, Lionsgate and Disney until the year’s end. Of course, film producers are not the only outside investors to notice that there is a willing labour force available in Hungary, comparatively cheaply, particularly with the current weakness of the forint (the local currency). Vehicle manufacturing currently represents about 20 per cent of Hungarian exports, and employs 170,000 people, both of which numbers are likely to increase substantially when BMW opens its new plant at Debrecen in 2025. The plan is for the mega-site to be the hub of BMW’s electric car production and when it gets up to full capacity, its workforce of 1,000 will be expected to produce 150,000 vehicles a year.

WIZZ AIR SUCCESS

■ Marriott’s Luxury Collection has opened a lavish new property, Matild Palace, built more than 120 years ago by Princess Clotild of SaxeCoburg and Gotha. The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so architects have been meticulous in the 111 rooms and 19 suites, with 4m high ceilings. Royalty must have been tall. 27

■ It’s a similar story at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, on the riverside, its façade a masterpiece of Art Nouveau and its foyer a magnificent glass cupola with wrought-iron peacocks. The presidential suites overlook the river and its spa occupies the whole of the top floor. ■ Also on the riverbank, but over on the Buda side, the glamorous Hotel Gellert sits next to the spa of the same name. The Budapest landmark is currently closed following its sale by the Danubius group to developer Indotek, which says it has plans to reopen the spa later this year, once it has been restored to its former glory. TOP TO BOTTOM: Four Seasons Gresham Palace; Gellert Spa; A terrace view from Matild Palace

GEORGE FAKAROS

Many of the executives for both these industries – film and automotive – will be travelling back and forth to Hungary courtesy of its own homemade transport success story, Wizz Air. Following the collapse of state airline Malev back in 2012, the Budapest-based low-cost airline’s business has grown steadily over the past few years, prospering on the back of labour force movements between east and west, and recently venturing into the medium-haul market by adding destinations in the Middle East. Pre-pandemic, the airline announced a plan to hire 4,600 new pilots by 2030 and ordered 102 new aircraft to add to the current fleet of 140, with the intention of taking the total to 500 by the end of the decade. Of course, these projections will have to be redrawn thanks to the current geopolitical situation, but Hungary is far from being alone in that predicament. For the moment, it is business as usual in the Hungarian capital.

■ Thailand-based luxury hotel group Anantara has just taken over the fabulous New York Palace hotel in downtown Pest, with its gloriously Belle Epoque café, all pastel frescos and gilded balustrades. That makes it popular with film industry executives, says Foldes Gabor, director of PR and marketing. Business travellers make up 20 per cent of the property’s guest list, a bit lower than pre-pandemic, but recovering.

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AN EYE ON THE HORIZON

THIS PAGE: Guy Hutchinson RIGHT: Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas

WORDS VARUN GODINHO As the Abu Dhabi-based hotel management company Rotana charts a rapid expansion across the region’s key markets, Guy Hutchinson ensures that the growth is sustainable and scalable

HOTELS

n industry veteran with over three decades spent understanding the hotel business inside out, Guy Hutchinson was appointed as president and CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Rotana in January 2020. Many who knew Hutchinson argue that it is his sheer depth and experience that resulted in him becoming a bulwark for the Abu Dhabi-based hotel management company during the most damaging period of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Two-and-a-half years in his role, Rotana, which was founded back in 1992 by Nasser Al Nowais and Selim El Zyr, seems to have come out on the other side of the pandemic in rude health. “As of today, we are 70 trading hotels, with a pipeline of another 42 – and the pipeline is growing fast,” Hutchinson told Business Traveller Middle East

BELOW: Rania Apthorpe presents an award to Guy Hutchinson

Rotana at Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2022 Rotana won several gongs at awards held in May. Nasser Al Nowais won the Lifetime Achievement Award, whereas Rotana also bagged serval other accolades including the Best Hotel Brand in the Middle East for its Rotana Hotels & Resorts division, the Best Business Hotel in Bahrain (Downtown Rotana) and Best Business Hotel in Jordan (Amman Rotana)

recently about the company whose projects span 24 cities across 14 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Congo and Lebanon. Rotana properties reportedly serve over six million guests per year, including 10,012 keys across 36 hotels in the UAE alone. Ask Hutchinson if the current demand within the UAE can absorb Rotana’s growth, and he offers no ambiguity. “This region cannot be measured in context with some other markets. Markets like Dubai have their own rhythm, developments, structure and context which is completely different. So we have a lot of confidence in the pipeline we have. In fact, we think it’s going to accelerate.” His reading of the market aligns with official numbers about the UAE’s hotel sector performance. According to tourism

figures for Q1 2022, UAE hotel establishments attracted nearly six million visitors who spent 25 million hotel nights, a growth of 10 per cent over the pre-pandemic period of Q1 2019. The average duration of hotel guest stays in the UAE increased during the same period, from three nights to four. Moreover, the occupancy rate of hotel establishments in the country during this period achieved a growth of 80 per cent, believed to be among the highest globally. Hotels generated a total revenue of Dhs11 billion, a 20 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2019 and resumed operations at full capacity of approximately 200,000 hotel rooms. While its home market has a solid foundation, Rotana has become a major player regionally too. Of the 42 hotels in the pipeline, four are scheduled to open this year itself. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

HOTELS

Also, of those 42 projects, 10 will deliver more than 3,000 keys in the next three years indicating the scale of those properties. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among those where aggressive expansion plans are being charted. “We’ve seen Qatar grow in the run-up to the World Cup. We’re now up to four trading assets and will open another two in Qatar. We will have six properties in total in Qatar, maybe seven, by the end of this year,” notes Hutchinson about the country where it recently signed the management of Residences by Rotana, a 503-key property. Another market that Rotana is bullish about is Saudi. “Saudi Arabia is a critical market. It’s a market we’re very excited about not just because of the mega projects, but because we’re opening destinations like Al Baha – where we’ve signed hotels – for the first time, both to international tourism and even to domestic tourism. “It’s about bringing global tourism standards to the kingdom. So it’s important to really hit those international brand marks. One of the things we are doing is that we are putting a twist which is specific to Saudi Arabia on Centro, our mid-market brand. It’s going to have a theme through its design, art, and culture which will very much reflect local Saudi culture. We’re bringing sustainable produce from local markets into Centro to make it a much more Saudi-centric product.” While Centro is the mid-market brand for Rotana, its other offerings include Rotana Hotels and Resorts which is the upmarket brand and includes four- and five-star properties; Rayhaan Hotels and Resorts which

was the first alcohol-free hospitality brand in the region; Arjaan Hotel Apartments; and The Residences which operate hotel-residence hybrid units and includes studio-four bedroom apartments and villas. At this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Rotana introduced a sixth brand – Edge. “This brand is a collection of independent hotels or

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILIT Y “Sustainability is a much bigger subject than just being net zero. It’s more than just having the green card in the bathroom. It’s about operating practices and culture. We’re very engaged in adjusting all of our standards in design and construction to achieve net zero, but also to embed the concept of sustainability in recruitment and human resource practices and the local community [where we operate] – it’s really a 360-degree discussion and it’s important to treat it in a very authentic way.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The Cove Rotana Resort; Arabian Travel Market 2022; Rose Rayhaan by Rotana; City Centre Rotana Doha; Yas Island Rotana; Sedra Residences by Rotana; Centro Salama

hotels where owners need an uplift in performance. Sometimes, there are hospitality assets which don’t fit cleanly into one brand or another because it might be a heritage building, and Edge is a brand which can capture those assets that retain their individual characteristics. The brand serves to drive their performance from a quality, management and financial perspective,” explains Hutchinson. Rotana says that its Edge brand has no specific requirements for the size or nature of the properties it will incorporate, and allows properties that sign up to retain their unique branding. At the ATM, Rotana confirmed that two properties were already signed under the new brand, including 328 keys in Dubai and 268 keys in Istanbul.

While Rotana’s decision to start a sixth brand will allow it to cast a wider net over the properties that it can take under its wing, Hutchinson says that there has also been a surprising diversification of its source markets over the course of the pandemic. “One of the strengths of this region is how diversified the feeder markets are. You might have a disruption in terms of Russia and Ukraine, but that is neutralised by other markets that are growing. The most surprising market for us in the last 15-18 months has been Latin America. If you look at the logistics of getting from Brazil or Mexico to the UAE, it’s not so straightforward. But these have grown to be very substantial markets for some of our hotels. For one of our hotels, Mexico was the single biggest initial source market. Unexpected, but this is the power of a destination like this, and an airline on the scale of Emirates, Etihad or Qatar Airways.”

Given his multidecade experience in the industry, Hutchinson is in a position to determine which travel trends are fads and which are more permanent changes that necessitate a response. “I’m not sure whether some of One of the strengths the travel patterns that have emerged [from of this region is the pandemic] will be how diversified the there forever. There were travel patterns feeder markets are that emerged out of necessity. But if we’re surprised by anything, it’s probably the pace at which travel patterns are normalising. So things like MICE – we did not expect to see companies from Europe or the US holding meetings for 200-300 people in

Dubai or Abu Dhabi. I didn’t expect that to return probably until next year. We thought the whole concept of the hybrid meetings or partial online meetings would be something for the next 18 months or two years. [Now], I think in six months that concept may have gone completely because of the pace at which we’re seeing people bringing back face-to-face large-scale meetings. The most surprising trend for us is the speed with which people are reclaiming those normal travel patterns,” says Hutchinson. Strategically, Rotana is also pushing ahead in markets that aren’t fully on the radar of Western-based hotel operators and management companies. An example is Iraq where Rotana recently announced the soft opening of the Slemani Rotana five-star property in the city of Sulaymaniyah – the fourth Rotana outpost in Iraq after Erbil Rotana, Erbil Arjaan by Rotana and Babylon Rotana, Baghdad. Much of the direction that Rotana is currently headed towards, Hutchinson attributes to its cofounders Nasser Al Nowais – who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Business Traveller Middle East awards – and Selim El Zyr. “Both Nasser and Selim have a very active role in the company. They’re hugely influential. They are involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. There’s so much experience and knowledge vested in these two individuals. There are so many relationships [that they’ve] built across the region, that the value they bring to us is substantial,” says Hutchinson. He adds that while the hotel industry in this region is only around 25-30 years old – compared to 300 years in markets like New York or London – it is in cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi where the evolution of the sector is the most active. “We’re driven by running hotels for hoteliers. If you’re a hospitality professional, this is how [and where] you want to operate,” says Hutchinson who is only too happy to, three decades in, still find himself in the thick of it. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

AIR MILES

AIR MILES WITH

Sacha Jafri

Sacha Jafri is a Dubai-based artist and leading philanthropist who recently collaborated with UNESCO on a project which is touring the world WORDS VARUN GODINHO

W 32

hich was the very first painting you sold? When I was at Eton College with Prince William, I did my A-level piece and it was called Cyclist and Passenger. I came first in the country for art A-levels. The wife of the headmaster of Eton at the time was a massive art collector and asked if she could buy the painting, offering me £2,000. I was going to sell it, but my dad said that I shouldn’t as it would be worth much more in the future. So I lent it to her. I remember going with my mum to their house and they had Picassos, Mondrians and Rothkos on their wall. There was actually no space for my painting, and so the headmaster took down a Picasso to put up my painting. Later, I sold that piece to a collector for £500,000.

the first 30 paintings. I’m doing another 20. In September, UNESCO has its big anniversary celebration at its headquarters in Paris where all 50 pieces will be on display. The event will be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron and the UN Secretary General.

Tell us about The Art Maze and UNESCO collaboration project. It’s UNESCO’s 50th anniversary and they want to celebrate it. I was asked to create 50 paintings celebrating the most prominent UNESCO sites around the world. The exhibition goes to 18 countries across six continents. We opened The Art Maze exhibition at the Burj Al Arab helipad with

How challenging was it to create the artwork you will send to the Moon this year? That project is in partnership with NASA, Spacebit, Astrobotic, and Selenian who is the art curation company that approached me to create this work. It will be the first official painting to be placed on the lunar surface. The artwork is on a lunar-resistant plate. With a laser, I etched onto the plate

Sacha Jafri’s Sagarmatha National Park – Mount Everest painting made for the UNESCO project

How did you manage to recenly unveil one of the paintings from The Art Maze collection on Mount Everest? It is the first painting to be unveiled on Mount Everest. It was above base camp at nearly 6,000 metres. You have to take a helicopter to get there and no one’s ever taken a painting there before because of the hazardous situation with the weather and how dangerous it is. The painting was up there for a day.

an image of two people embracing, signifying the reconnection of humanity. The plate had to go through tests over three years to make sure that it will last eternally on the Moon. During the day, temperatures rise to 200˚C, and at night they plunge to -180˚C. You also have to contend with radiation, gravity and the possibility of meteorites hitting the Moon. What is your golden rule when packing? Pack incredibly light. Make sure you can get everything in one bag. Which are the three things that you always pack in your suitcase? A picture of my daughter, a very comfortable pair of jeans and Vitamin C because I’m often on three hours of sleep. Which was your most rewarding travel experience to date? At the age of 24, I set myself a challenge to get from England to Siberia and back with no money in my pocket and no credit card. It took me two months, but I did it. I used to do chalk drawings in the street, street sketches, and sometimes I would paint little paintings for restaurants and they would give me food. I also befriended the concierges of hotels. I would get a night at the hotel, and I would do sketches [in return]. Which is the one travel experience you’d rather forget? A package holiday that you do in naivety thinking that it’s cheap and you’ll save some money, but it ends up just being a disaster. How do you spend your air miles? I only ever use them for upgrades. Which is the one UNESCO site you haven’t been to which is on your wish list? Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia in Türkiye.

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SPONSORED

A Crete odyssey

Explore the east of Crete, one of Greece’s most popular island holiday destinations

f you’ve got your summer plans well laid out, we’d safely assume that getting trapped in an overcrowded tourist destination is definitely not on the agenda. That’s where destinations like Greece, with its inviting Mediterranean climate and tourist spots which are spread out across a number of islands, allows travellers the chance to holiday in relative privacy. Pre pandemic, the country attracted 31.3 million visitors in 2019, a sharp increase from the 24 million it did in 2015. The country is inviting guests back and one of the key destinations that they’re flocking to is the island of Crete – specifically the east of Crete. Here’s what three of the main regions in the east of Crete have to offer.

Agios Nikolaos

Nestled along the Mirabello Bay, on the northeast coast of Lassithi Prefecture in east Crete, Mirabello is the largest natural bay in Crete. The town is dotted with several bars, nightclubs and restaurants that allow visitors to indulge in some of Greece’s reputed nightlife. During the day, explore Lake Voulismeni, an ancient lake located in the centre of the city. If you’ve brushed up on your Greek mythology – and there’s no reason you shouldn’t if you’re visiting Greece – you’ll recall that according to legend, the goddesses Athens and Artemis bathed in this lake whose waters are connected to the volcano on Santorini.

Elounda

Head 11km north of Agios Nikolaos where exploring its natural landscape of rocky coastlines and coves can provide plenty of opportunities for some quality time spent

outdoors. You can explore the village of Elounda itself which has a very sparse, but welcoming, local population, visit the fishing harbour, or discover the sunken city of Olous and the remains of a Byzantine basilica. Elounda has a number of luxury hotels with access to world-class spa facilities that include private steam rooms and several treatment suites. For those who favour adventure tourism, you can avail of activities including water skiing and windsurfing. 33

Spinalonga

Connected by boat from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos, the 8.5-acre islet of Spinalonga is steeped in history. On the ruins of an ancient castle, the Venetians built a fortress. Repairs to the fortress were made during the Cretan War (1645-1669). Spinalonga remained under the rule of Venice until it was occupied by the Ottomans in 1715. During the first two centuries of Ottoman rule, the fortress was used as a place of exile and isolation. At the end of the 19th century, however, its role was upgraded as it obtained an export trade permit. In the middle of the 19th century, a large number of people inhabited the islet, mostly tradesmen and seamen, who took advantage of the fortified settlement and the easy access to lucrative sea routes along the east of the Mediterranean. For further inspiration, pick up a copy of Victoria Hislop’s first novel The Island which is set in Spinalonga. The book was also adapted into a 26-part television series To Nisi. To step into the shoes of its protagonist Alexis Fielding and relive some of the key moments of the novel, you can stroll across the island in an hour. Take a left turn by the old town hall and you will head down to the seafront where you can spend an afternoon swimming. Once done, take the boat back to Elounda or Agios Nikolaos. visitgreece.gr

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E L E VATO R P I TC H

The elevator pitch

Business Traveller Middle East gives Robin Solomon, general manager of Ibis Styles Deira, five minutes to pitch his property to prospective guests

Ibis Styles Deira, located in the heart of Dubai’s heritage centre, offers a stylish launchpad to discover the city’s local hotspots and hidden gems. Our goal is to deliver an experience unlike any other where our guests can unlock a unique opportunity to explore the bustling souks, wander along the scenic Creek waterfront and uncover the area’s Dubai Heritage Village – while also having the opportunity to relax in the tastefully-designed rooms. With an aesthetic inspired by the beauty of Arabic calligraphy and urban movement, we wanted to provide an ambience that reflects the rich heritage of the area while also incorporating modern elements through bold colours and designs. Guests instantly feel inspired from the moment they enter the lobby as they are met with awe-inspiring artworks and a friendly welcome. Featuring an array of rooms ideal for families and individuals, the property offers a range of options for business travellers. Our hotel has two

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meeting rooms, both fully equipped with an LCD screen projector and flat-screen TV, and complimentary wifi so that any business needs can be handled efficiently. At Ibis Styles Deira, we understand that our guests need more than just a place to stay, but also a place to dine and create memories with families and friends. With four dynamic dining concepts, guests have a plethora of options available, suitable for all tastes and preferences. Our airy and spacious restaurant, Lily’s Garden is located on the ground floor. Serving fresh specialities derived from wholesome ingredients and botanical mixes throughout the day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is an urban sanctuary created to awaken the senses and invoke a lively atmosphere. The friendly team and welcoming ambience of The Sports Bar provide the perfect place to catch up and savour delectable comfort food, snacks, and drinks against the backdrop of live sports action from seven TV screens.

“Featuring an array of rooms ideal for families and individuals, the property offers a range of options for business travellers”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Robin Solomon; the infinity pool on the rooftop; interiors inspired by Arabic calligraphy

Our stylish rooftop features a striking infinity pool, offering guests the chance to relax against panoramic views of old Dubai, the Dubai Creek, and the majestic horizon of the Arabian Sea. Guests can expect a laidback day-to-night vibe with expertly crafted beverages and snacks which are served from the restaurant and bar. A fitness centre is located on the top floor allowing guests to maintain their fitness regime during their stay. For short- or long-term stays in the city, Ibis Styles is the ideal accommodation choice. Located near the Gold Souk metro and bus stations, the hotel provides guests easy access to key tourist attractions, business centres, and transport routes. Furthermore, a 15-minute drive will bring you to Dubai International airport. Besides, La Mer, Dubai Mall, and Burj Khalifa are all within a 20-minute drive from the hotel. We look forward to welcoming you soon to experience first-hand this exciting new property.

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

Connecting more flavours than any other airline.

OPINION

How to protect your ears when travelling Leticia Araujo, audiologist at ReSound, gives business travellers expert advice on how to take care of their ears during their trip, particularly if they suffer from tinnitus

Flying When an aircraft takes off, the noise in the cabin can be as high as 105 decibels. Sounds of more than 70 decibels can damage to hearing, so it’s recommended you take the following measures to protect your ears. Sit at the front of the plane Seats positioned in front of the wings are further away from the engines and the elements of the aircraft that generate the most noise throughout the flight. Ear protection Noise-cancelling headphones are a great way to protect the delicate parts of the inner ear from engine noise. They’re also good for blocking out general noise from other passengers. Yawning, swallowing, or sucking on boiled sweets This is the traditional advice given to anyone who struggles with pressure in their ears – and it works. That feeling of your ears popping occurs when the air pressure inside of the ear is different to the pressure outside, preventing the eardrum from vibrating normally. The eustachian tube, which regulates air pressure in the ear, can’t usually react fast enough, but by yawning, swallowing, or sucking a boiled sweet, the tube opens and allows the middle ear to receive a larger amount of air. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

ABOVE: Leticia Araujo, Swimming audiologist at If you are taking a dip in the hotel ReSound pool or in the ocean during your downtime, bacteria can enter the ears and cause infections known as Swimmer’s Ear (Otitis Externa). If you suffer from tinnitus, this can worsen your symptoms. By wearing earplugs, water cannot penetrate the ear canal and you will eliminate the chance of infection or your tinnitus symptoms worsening. Those suffering from recurring When an aircraft ear infections or a perforation to their takes off, the noise eardrums should try in the cabin can to use swim plugs be as high as every time they are in the water. 105 decibels

High altitudes If you’re travelling to a destination where the air pressure is high, it’s important to consider the impact the change in altitude can have on your ears. Significant changes in air pressure at higher elevations can cause stress to the inner ear and eardrum, known as Ear Barotrauma. This happens when the eustachian tube becomes blocked, causing discomfort and pain within the ears that can cause hearing changes and could potentially worsen tinnitus symptoms.

To avoid damage to your ears when visiting a location with barometric pressure changes, ascend slowly. Wind exposure If you’re visiting a location where the wind is likely to hit the ears at speed, it’s important to always use ear protection, as loud wind noise can cause tinnitus symptoms to flare up. Using earplugs is a great way to protect your ears from any excessive wind noise you experience. Many people might not consider the impact of wind exposure on their ears, but, for example, the average cyclist travelling at the standard 15mph can experience wind noise of 85 A-weighted decibels. Cold weather If you’re heading to a cold location on your next business trip, don’t forget to consider your ears when you wrap up warm. When visiting a cold climate, your ears naturally produce more wax to protect the inside of your ears from the lower temperature. However, for tinnitus sufferers, excess ear wax can be problematic, as blockages in the ear canal muffle noise and can make the tinnitus more noticeable. One way to prevent excess wax from building up is to keep your ears warm using earmuffs or a woolly hat to cover the entrances to the ear and prevent the cold from entering the ear canal. resound.com

OPINION

Fighting attrition Gerhard Hartman, vice-president for Medium Business at Sage Africa and Middle East, provides top tips for employee engagement and retention

he world over, local companies struggle to hold onto their best talent in fields where scarce skills such as finance, technology, management, and engineering are sought after. What will persuade someone to stay when offered another job with similar career development opportunities at the same pay level? The magic ingredients relate to human connection in the business, workplace flexibility, and the employee’s alignment with the company’s purpose and culture. The following practical tips can help you meet these needs and improve your employee engagement and retention. 1. Offer genuinely flexible working arrangements At Sage, we have embraced what we call Flexible Human Work – flexibility to choose to work from the office, home, or both; to decide where you work, including a different country or city; and to choose variable, compressed, part-time or job-share working arrangements. While not all organisations can offer every employee complete flexibility, offering realistic options is key to retention, especially among younger talent – align this to your business’ vision. 2. Foster true human connections Workplaces with higher levels of human connection will be more successful in retaining employees. Ways to foster relationships include promoting teamwork by giving everyone a chance to contribute and pairing employees with mentors to show them the ropes. 3. Create a sense of purpose and belonging Purpose-driven businesses excel at retaining employees. These businesses have a mission to solve customer problems and serve communities beyond the financial targets for the next quarter.

6. Offer appreciation Thanking employees for their hard work and commitment can go a long way. Monetary rewards like bonuses are always welcome, but public recognition and time off are also additional ways to show employees you appreciate them. 7. Personalise the proposition HR departments can benefit from using data to better understand employee behaviour and requirements. This can help them create customised employee value propositions for people from single parents to young high-flyers. 8. Use technology to streamline the employee experience Cloud-based technology makes it affordable and simple for nearly any organisation to implement a modern HR solution. This enables HR to focus on building great employee experiences and propositions rather than on admin. A cloud-based HR system will also offer digital self-service and employee communications features that improve the employee experience.

4. Focus on mental and physical wellness Employees have a renewed appreciation for psychological and physical health. Companies that support them with well-considered wellness programmes can gain an edge in employee retention. A fundamental way to show a business cares about mental and physical health is to respect that people need holidays, weekends, and reasonable working hours underpinned by what was contractually agreed. 5. Listen to employees Communication needs to be a two-way street – companies should listen to employees and take their feedback seriously. This includes an informal discussion between employees and leaders and more formal programmes such as employee surveys and performance reviews. It’s critical that employees feel they can share feedback, ideas and even criticism.

Employee retention: Understanding the competitive advantage The costs of high employee turnover to a business can be significant. Research by Gallup indicates the cost of replacing an employee can range from half to twice their annual salary. In addition to the costs of recruiting and training new employees, high turnover can harm workforce morale and the customer experience. Other employees may wonder if they should also be looking for new jobs or become resentful if asked to fill in for colleagues who have left. Those that cannot secure other jobs in the current economic climate might stay but become increasingly disengaged and dissatisfied in their careers. This, in turn, impacts the quality of their work, productivity, and engagements with customers. On the flip side, an engaged and satisfied workforce can be a serious competitive advantage. Research shows committed and engaged employees perform 20 per cent better and are 87 per cent less likely to leave their current company. Achieving this level of engagement isn’t easy, but the rewards will more than justify the effort. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

WORDS VARUN GODINHO

Aiming for the stars In an exclusive interview, Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, explains why Dubai was chosen as the first destination in the Middle East for the prestigious culinary guide 38

Gwendal Poullennec

s a ferociously independent rating entity that guards the identity of its inspectors as though they were state secrets, the Michelin Guide has become a universally respected reference for restaurants around the world. Five years ago, its inspectors began to surreptitiously survey the culinary scene in Dubai. As Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, told Business Traveller Middle East recently, the same inspector never visits a restaurant twice in order to protect their identity. However, the final rating of a restaurant is also never determined by one inspector alone. “We have different inspectors visit the same restaurant repeatedly. The decision to award a Star to that restaurant is always a team decision based on the feedback of several inspectors,” says Poullennec. “What is important for us is the knowledge of these inspectors of different types of cuisines, and so they travel the

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RESTAURANTS WITH MICHELIN STARS IN DUBAI Il Ristorante – Niko Romito Stay by Yannick Alléno 11 Woodfire

THE MICHELIN GUIDE DUBAI 2022

Restaurants with Two Michelin Stars

Restaurants with One Michelin Star

Restaurant with a Michelin Green Star

14 44

Bib Gourmand restaurants

Michelin-selected restaurants

Al Muntaha

world to sample different cuisines and remain open-minded. For example, French inspectors will not only contribute to the French Michelin Guide, but will also be involved in visiting and contributing to the Michelin guides in destinations in Asia, the US and now the Middle East,” he says, adding that each Michelin inspector, on average, has 300 meals in the field every year. Michelin now has a guide for around 40 destinations around the world – some of them cover an entire country, as is the case with France, while others focus on a specific city such as a Michelin Guide for New York City. The question then arises, why did Michelin take this long to get to Dubai? “Our inspectors have been following the evolution of the culinary landscape over the past few years in Dubai. It is because of the vibrancy and diversity of its cuisine, but also because of a sharp increase in the quality of its offerings, that we decided to move forward with the first Dubai guide,” notes Poullennec.

Armani Ristorante Hakkasan Höseki Ossiano Tasca by José Avillez Torno Subito Trèsind Studio

Michelin has recommended a total of 69 restaurants in its inaugural Dubai edition revealed last month. However, only 11 of them were awarded the coveted Michelin Star. Of these, nine won a single Star and two received two Stars. One Star is awarded to restaurants that Michelin regards as those with ‘high-quality cooking, worth a stop’. The nine Dubai restaurants that won a single Star each are: Al Muntaha, 11 Woodfire, Armani Ristorante, Hakkasan, Höseki, Ossiano, Tasca by José Avillez, Torno Subito and Trèsind Studio. The two restaurants in Dubai which received two Stars each and which are therefore categorised

GASTRONOMY

by Michelin as restaurants with ‘exceptional cooking, worth a detour’ are Il Ristorante – Niko Romito and Stay by Yannick Alléno. None of the restaurants in Dubai received three Stars this year which denotes a restaurant with ‘exceptional cuisine, worth a special detour.’ As Poullennec explains, there are around 15,000 restaurants around the world which have been recommended by the Michelin Guide across all its international editions. Of these, only around 3,200 have at least one Star, while there are just 134 restaurants globally with three Stars. The judging criteria evaluate five key criteria including the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavours, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed in the cuisine and – perhaps the most important of all – consistency both over time and across the entire menu. While Dubai hasn’t yet secured its elusive three-star restaurant, one of the restaurants selected by the guide did earn a Green Star. Lowe by Kate Christou and Jesse Blake is the only restaurant in Dubai to have received a Green Star in the inaugural edition. The kitchen team at Lowe, according to Michelin, practices nose-to-tail cooking and procures

their ingredients as locally as possible. Lowe also strives for zero food waste, where its ‘Waste Not’ dinners offer eight-ten courses of would-be waste products, saved over the previous months. “The Green Star concept was introduced in 2020. We have less than 500 restaurants worldwide with a Green Star. We want to spotlight restaurants that are at the forefront of a sustainable approach to gastronomy. These restaurants put sustainability at the heart of everything they do and are a true inspiration to their peers and their clients. We have as consistent an approach to evaluating restaurants for a Green Star as we do for a Michelin Star. Our inspectors base their decisions about a Green Star on research as well as a meal

ABOVE: King crab at Stay by Yannick Alléno LEFT: Linguine di semola, aragosta e gamberi rossi at Il Ristorante – Niko Romito

MICHELIN SPECIAL AWARDS WITHIN THE 2022 DUBAI EDITION: Sommelier Award Danijela Tesic of Ossiano Welcome and Service Award The Bait Maryam team Young Chef Award Solemann Haddad of Moonrise

at the restaurant. These restaurants have an impact that goes beyond the restaurant industry.” Another category that you’ll find in this year’s Dubai guide is that of the Bib Gourmand, one that as Poullennec says is “all about valuefor-money.” In the case of Dubai, there were 14 restaurants where the average price of a gourmet meal was Dhs250. These included the likes of Folly, Reif Japanese Kushiyaki, Bait Maryam, Indya by Vineet, Fi’Lia and Al Khayma, among others. While the Michelin Guide is broadly celebrated, there is criticism directed towards it too from some quarters that it puts undue pressure on chefs and restaurants to perform full-throttle non-stop. But Poullennec shrugs the criticism off by adding that the guide is ultimately in service to the end customer, and Michelin has to do justice to the customer by objectively updating it annually without kowtowing to the restaurant industry in any way. “Winning a Michelin Star is life-changing for the chefs and their teams. Of course, with a Star you can’t take it for granted. Every year we have a new guide, and the restaurants have to defend their Star because that restaurant is ultimately a recommendation we make to a consumer. We push restaurants to raise the bar and remain consistent,” he says. The Michelin Guide continues its international expansion, with the newest edition confirmed to launch in Istanbul in October. However, Poullennec hints at a further Middle East expansion of the guide too. “I don’t have any specific announcements to make at this point, but no doubt all the [major] destinations in the Middle East will be covered by the guide in the coming years. We started our [Middle East] selection with Dubai because Dubai is a mature, vibrant, diverse and fast-growing culinary destination in the region.” The latest results of the Michelin Guide Dubai make that abundantly clear.

BIB GOURMAND AWARDEES (value-for-money)

■ Al Khayma ■ Bait Maryam ■ Brasserie Boulud ■ Fi’Lia ■ Folly ■ Goldfish ■ Ibn Albahr ■ Indya by Vineet ■ Kinoya ■ Ninive ■ Orfali Bros ■ Reif Japanese Kushiyaki

■ Shabestan ■ Teible THE 44 MICHELINSELECTED RESTAURANTS IN DUBAI

■ 3Fils ■ Akira Back ■ Al Mandaloun ■ Al-Fanar ■ Amazónico ■ Avatāra ■ Avli by Tashas ■ Bleu Blanc ■ Bombay

Bungalow ■ Carnival by Trèsind ■ Ce Le Vi ■ Celebrities by Mauro Colagreco ■ Cipriani ■ Clap ■ Coya ■ Demon Duck by Alvin Leung ■ Gaia ■ Hashi ■ Hell’s Kitchen ■ Hutong ■ Il Borro ■ Indego by Vineet ■ L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon ■ Little Miss India ■ Lowe ■ LPM ■ Marea ■ Masti ■ Mimi Kakushi ■ Moonrise ■ Netsu by Ross Shonhan ■ Nobu ■ Pierre’s TT ■ Rhodes W1 ■ Rockfish ■ Sea Fu ■ Shang Palace ■ Siraj ■ Social by Heinz Beck ■ Sucre ■ Tàn Chá ■ The Artisan ■ Trèsind ■ Zuma J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

4 HOURS IN... 1

Madrid W O R D S A L LY S O N P O R T E E

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Bursting with life, encompassing culture, food, music and fashion, not to mention history, Madrid is an intriguing city full of hidden gems and is easily explored on foot

1 Stay — or dine — at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid

If you’re into Belle Époque architecture, you will adore this hotel, which first opened 110 years ago and has recently undergone a major renovation. Set in the heart of the city, and popular for high-profile meetings and events, it’s worth a visit, just to marvel at the building or to experience luxury hospitality with a Spanish twist. Even if you’re not an in-house guest, start your day here with a lavish breakfast in the opulent Dining Room or treat yourself to dinner at El Jardin del Ritz (pictured). Open all year round (weather permitting), the beautiful Ritz Garden is an atmospheric and stylish alfresco destination. Serving a signature amuse bouche tapas menu alongside a host of creative cocktails, mocktails and wine, the Ritz Garden is the place to meet, relax, dine and drink while making the most of Madrid’s traditionally balmy weather. The hotel is also a three-minute walk from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. mandarinoriental.com/madrid

2 Open your eyes to the Museo del Prado for Art

Across the street from the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid is the Museo del Prado, Spain’s national art museum, renowned globally. Here you will find art by Francisco Goya, known for his one-of-a kind style that’s seen in Barcelona, as well as Diego Velázquez and El Greco. The museum is more than 200 years old and is one of Madrid’s most popular attractions. Even if you’re not into visual art, you will be moved by the experience; with more than 8,600 paintings, 700-plus sculptures, and special exhibitions, you won’t be disappointed. museodelprado.es

3 Step back in time at the Royal Palace

The Royal Palace of Madrid is not only the largest palace in Western Europe, but one of the biggest in the world. Spanning more than 135,000

sqm, it features 3,418 rooms that have witnessed centuries of Spanish history. It is one of the few official residences of the Spanish royal family that is open to the public and attracts almost two million visitors annually who are lured by its works of art and unique treasures. It’s open seven days a week and tours are available, which include the magnificent garden. The changing of the guard ceremony is also worth seeing. patrimonionacional.es/visita/ palacio-real-de-madrid

4 Tuck into churros at Chocolateria San Ginés

Chocolateria San Ginés has been making amazing churros since 1894. Churros are a sweet fried dough that are knotted and thick. In Spain, they are commonly devoured for breakfast, but are just as great as a snack or dessert. Open daily, you’ll find people queuing for an inside or outside table at this specialist café, which is also the place to grab a thick and delicious Spanish hot chocolate, better known as chocolate caliente. Located between Puerta del Sol and Teatro Real, Chocolateria San Ginés is easy to find. chocolateriasangines.com

5 Shop out of town at Las Rozas Village

For discounted luxury brand shopping, head to Las Rozas Village, an open-air space at the foot of the Sierra, located just 25 minutes from Madrid’s city centre. It’s a more relaxed – and cheaper – way to shop for big-name fashion brands, from Prada to Ralph Lauren, Burberry to Billabong, Levi’s to Lacoste, and there are plenty of places to dine too. I recommend Cristina Oria for light plates like the salmon board, cooked in two different ways with blini, dill sauce, and butter, or just a hot drink to refuel. If you’re not sure what to buy, enlist the help of a personal shopper or style advisor. Reserved parking is available, and Uber offers a 30 per cent discount to Las Rozas shoppers. thebicestercollection.com/las-rozasvillage/en J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

WORDS HANNAH BRANDLER

The charms of Chiang Rai Thailand’s northernmost province surprises tourists with dramatic scenery, stunning cultural icons, and a shining example of social and sustainable development

LEISURE TR AVEL

Now a lush canopy, it’s hard to imagine the hillsides as barren earth as they were 30 years ago

iews of the winding road emerged in brief flashes, illuminated by floral roadside sculptures, as we drove after dark from the airport to our hilltop accommodation. It wasn’t until morning, however, that we got the full panoramic view of the spectacular Doi Nang Non, a mountain range which stretches across the highlands of Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. We were staying at Doi Tung Lodge, a peaceful retreat atop the range’s highest peak at 1,630m. The province of Chiang Rai, itself located at the northernmost tip of Thailand, has been largely overlooked by tourists in favour of the similar sounding Chiang Mai. Much of this has to do with its location in the Golden Triangle – a name given to the region where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet – and its history as a leading region for the production of opium. In recent years, however, it has become a shining example of social and sustainable development, with an industry based on alternative cash crops, namely coffee, and community-based tourism, thanks to efforts by the royal family, NGOs and the determination of the local people.

A troubled past

Arabica coffee

The peaceful 784-hectare coffee plantation bears no trace of its former opium roots, the perennial trees now offering a great yield which is sold to buyers in Thailand – including Thai Airways – and exported to Japan. The DTDP rented coffee plots to villagers, with the sense of ownership incentivising them to look after their land and increasing productivity. Training in the art of coffee-growing, too, was pivotal, with team members even polishing their nails to the perfect cherry colour as a guide to harvesting well-ripened coffee berries. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

DRAGONITE_EAST/GETTY IMAGES

LEFT AND INSET: A view of the lush greenery of Doi Nang Non; The Doi Tung Royal Villa

Doi Nang Non draws its name from its appearance – its peaks and troughs roughly resembling a reclining woman, with the mountain of Doi Tung corresponding to the belly. Now a lush canopy of greenery, it’s hard to imagine the hillsides as barren red earth as they were just 30 years ago. This was a by-product of opium cultivation in the region, with hill-dwelling ethnic minorities reliant on the illicit drug trade for their livelihood. Locals lived in poverty without

basic infrastructure or government support, and had few alternative opportunities for income, particularly as the area was controlled by an armed militia. With the opium trade came slash-and-burn agriculture, poverty, drug addiction, human and arms trafficking, and other issues. Change came when the beloved late Princess Srinagarindra, the grandmother of Thailand’s current king, visited the area in 1985. Guided by the notion that “no one wants to be bad, they just don’t have the opportunity to be good”, she focused on “helping people to help themselves” via her non-profit organisation The Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage. The Doi Tung Development Project (DTDP) was set up in 1988 as the flagship project of the foundation, covering an area of approximately 150 sq km and benefiting 11,000 people from six ethnic minorities in 29 villages. Reforestation projects, the provision of public amenities and healthcare, and education on the alternative uses of natural resources, proved key in the creation of legitimate livelihoods and the eradication of poverty. Opium workers were first transformed into reforestation workers, laying the foundations for the cultivation of economic crops to provide long-term stable incomes for the villagers – the most important of which was coffee.

IMAGES COURTESY OF THAI AIRWAYS

LEISURE TR AVEL

Farmers in the region sell their yield to the Doi Tung brand, a sustainable social enterprise set up in 2000 which comprises five businesses: café, handicrafts, processed food, agriculture and tourism. Part of the proceeds from Doi Tung products are sent directly to the villagers and the rest is invested in public health, education and the environment. The 2020 harvest season, for instance, generated a total income of US$604,485 for villagers. Farmers are also offered support to create their own brands, which fosters entrepreneurship in the region. The DTDP is continuing its work with the enterprise, collecting data to further develop strategies on the care and harvesting of coffee and macadamia plants, and looking at the economic potential of new crops, such as vanilla, cacao and mushrooms. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

Royal connections

ABOVE: Villagers grow and process coffee beans in Doi Tung and Doi Pha Mee

Princess Srinagarindra’s presence is felt throughout Doi Tung, with monuments dedicated to her life and a visible outpouring of emotion from locals when they speak of her work. Many refer to her affectionately as Mae Fah Luang, ‘Royal Mother from The Sky’, who descended from the heavens to relieve their suffering. Our visit in early December coincided with the eighth Colours of Doi Tung Festival, an annual celebration which takes place every weekend and on public holidays during December and January. The festival celebrates the culture of the six ethnic tribes in the area – Akha, Lahu, Tai Yai, Lue, Lawa and Chinese – and includes a street food market, and stalls selling traditional handmade crafts. Aside from the festivities, there are ample tourist attractions in the area which offer an insight into the history

of Doi Tung. The Hall of Inspiration features a permanent exhibition on the principles and works of the Princess Mother and her family, while her former residence, the Doi Tung Royal Villa, is located high up on the hill. Most impressive of all, however, is the Mae Fah Luang Garden on the slopes beneath the royal villa. The beautifully landscaped gardens lie at the centre of the former drug and weapon trafficking route and are a perfect visual manifestation of the social transformation of the area, with poppies replaced by various flower species planted amid streams and ponds. It’s a masterclass in horticulture and, much like the coffee plantations in the region, was created to provide job opportunities for the local people who tend to the land. Many of the gardeners also now own flower nurseries through which they generate income. As for the future of the DTDP, members of the team stressed that their

SIGHTS IN THE CITY OF CHIANG RAI Wat Rong Khun

Thailand has more than 30,000 Buddhist temples across the country, but the socalled White Temple by Chiang Rai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat differs from many of the traditional designs. The sparkling white structure is full of symbolic nods to heaven and hell – from a daunting Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth, surrounded by hundreds of outstretched hands, to the tranquil Gate of Heaven – along with modern twists such as murals of Superman and Mickey Mouse. Finish your visit with a trip to the ornately decorated bathrooms in the golden building. The temple opened in 1997 but works are ongoing and set to continue until 2070.

The Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park

ultimate aim is to work themselves out of their jobs, leaving locals to run the projects and achieve financial sustainability. Indeed, the impact of the DTDP goes beyond Chiang Rai, with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recognising it as a model for Sustainable Alternative Livelihood Development (SALD) in 2003. There are now international outreach programmes in place in Myanmar, Indonesia and Afghanistan. If you’re not familiar with Chiang Rai for its coffee or opium, it is highly likely that you were glued to the TV during the extraordinary two-week Tham Luang cave rescue operation in 2018. To remind you, a football team of 12 young boys and their assistant coach ended up trapped in the cave in the district of Mae Sai – a labyrinthine cave system which snakes for 10km beneath Doi Nang Non.

This 24-hectare oasis situated on former rice fields to the west of the city is peaceful and picturesque, set on a lake that reflects the beautiful architecture and indigenous plants from the region. The site houses the region’s largest collection of artefacts from the Lanna Kingdom. The impressive Haw Kham (Golden Pavilion) is a real highlight, built from 32 old teak houses and presented as a gift to Princess Srinagarindra in 1984. The candle-lit interiors feature Lanna and Burmese-style Buddha images, with a wooden Buddha dating back to 1693 suspended at the centre.

ABOVE: Mae Fah Luang Garden on the slopes beneath the Doi Tung Royal Villa

Chivit Thamma Da

The family-run café and bistro Chivit Thamma Da is a beautiful setting with seating flowing from the vine-covered white house into the grounds on the banks of the Kok River. The restaurant sources the majority of its produce locally to support the community and offers a seasonally changing menu. Don’t miss the aromatic tom kha gai (chicken coconut soup), fried rice served in a pineapple, the mixed Lanna platter and the detox mocktail made with fresh mint from the garden.

KONMESA//GETTY IMAGES; BLOODUA//GETTY IMAGES

International prominence

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LEISURE TR AVEL

Travellers can take part in a traditional coffee dripping workshop before savouring a cup

The ‘Great Cave of the Sleeping Lady’ was a favourite haunt for the boys, but the monsoon season meant that the cave began to flood, pushing them deeper inside until they were 5km from the entrance. The cave complex reopened as a museum and tourist attraction in 2019, located in the Khun Nam Nang Non national park. It’s a fascinating experience, with the boys’ bikes and belongings on show at the mouth of the cave, a museum with a mural dedicated to the brave team of international divers, and a sculpture in honour of the former Navy Seal diver Saman Gunan who died during the mission. Visitors can enter the cave – we brave souls ventured in – and there’s a newly extended trail that includes access to the underground chamber used by divers during the rescue. While it was busy during our visit, it seems that it is not yet on the global map. Tours are in Thai – we had a translator with us – and there doesn’t seem to be a website. Nonetheless, it’s worth a visit to get a glimpse of the miraculous feat and pay homage to its heroes, especially ahead of the release of a Netflix series slated for this year.

Community-based tourism We finished our tour of the Chiang Rai province with a visit to the village of Doi Pha Mee within the Mae Sai district, home to the Akha tribe. Like Doi Tung, the village has long been snubbed due to its history of opium farming but swapped poppy fields for J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

TOP: The site of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue operation. ABOVE AND LEFT: Phamee Coffee café in Doi Pha Mee

coffee plantations and communitybased tourism following a visit by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Srinagarindra’s son, in the 1970s. Villagers now rely on coffee, lychee and oranges for a stable income, and are eager for people to visit and experience the village’s cultural highlights. Phamee Coffee, for instance, hosts a variety of cultural activities, including Akha dance recitals in traditional dress, orange-picking, cotton-weaving and handicraft workshops. Travellers can also take part in a traditional coffee dripping workshop before savouring a cup alongside exquisite local cuisine amid the emerald-green scenery. The food is even hero-worthy, with diver Vernon Unsworth coincidentally dining at the table opposite us. We made our way to the airport, confident that Srinagarindra’s mission to transform the area is being accomplished. It’s now up to us to spread the word. I’m sure the Royal Mother from the Sky looks down on Chiang Rai with immense pride.

Thai Airways’ Doi Tung packages

Thai Airways partnered with the Doi Tung brand earlier this year to create ‘Black Silk Blend’ drip coffee for its first class and business class cabins. Thai International’s Royal Orchid Holidays offers two- and three-day packages to Doi Tung from THB11,900 (US$340) per person including a transfer to the airport, meals and accommodation. The airfare is not included.

HOTEL VIEWS

two years. Demand for our resort has grown not only in staycation segments, but we have also seen a full recovery in the number of overseas guests coming for longer durations – primarily from Europe and CIS countries. We continue to see growth in the coming months.

A hidden gem Antonino Cardillo, general manager of The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah, explains why the property ranks high on the list of preferred resorts for travellers to the emirate of Ajman in the UAE

hat is the biggest USP of your property compared to other

resorts in Ajman? The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah is the first luxury leisure resort in the UAE managed by Oberoi Hotels and Resorts. Occupying a prime location, it is designed by Italian architect Piero Lissoni and is built in harmony with its natural surroundings. The resort has spacious rooms and suites with private gardens or terraces, while the villas have private, temperature-controlled pools. In the resort’s restaurants, our guests can enjoy international cuisines and seafood, while taking in panoramic sea vistas. We are honoured to have been awarded the ‘Best Leisure Hotel in the UAE’ for two consecutive years by Business Traveller Middle East. It shows that we have consistently upheld the service promise for which the Oberoi brand is renowned worldwide. It is also a testament to the hard work of our whole team. What are some of the new categories of travellers that are now staying at the property? Since the pandemic began, we have

seen a change in the approach and priorities of our guests. There is an increased focus on safety and hygiene. They are choosing us because The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah offers greater privacy and a more serene ambience. Larger family groups are travelling together and taking advantage of our family accommodation options and experiences. There is a greater interest in getting outdoors and being in nature, and in finding a sanctuary that provides a luxurious experience that is both holistic and personalised.

FROM TOP: The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah; Antonino Cardillo; the Vinesse restaurant

The Al Zorah Development Company recently launched luxury villas adjacent to the Oberoi property. Will residents of those villas be able to access all the facilities at your hotel? Some, but not all. Beach access, use of our resort’s swimming pool and The Oberoi Spa are exclusive to our resident guests, and will always be. Our restaurants and bars welcome non-resident guests. This includes those staying in the new projects near the resort. Are there plans to expand or upgrade your property? This summer, both restaurants Vinesse and Aquario will have a design upgrade to offer our guests an even better culinary experience. Aquario bar will be fully transformed to provide a superb experience inside and on the terrace too. Slight modifications around the greenery of the pool will bring more privacy and a cozy atmosphere.

Which are some of the key culinary offerings in your property? Our culinary offerings include international cuisines with a focus on traditional cooking methods, seasonal produce, healthy meals and innovative pairings. Our master chefs are experts at creating authentic Mediterranean flavours, as well as traditional Indian and Arabic dishes. We also place importance on responsibly-sourced seafood. Has occupancy resumed to prepandemic levels? The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah has been a success story over the past J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

WATC H E S

THE LAST WISH The Moritz Grossmann Universalzeit is an elegant world-timer that fulfils the final desire of one of Germany ’s leading 19thcentury watchmakers

WORDS VARUN GODINHO 48

he necessity of a universal time is a concept that was wrestled with as far back as the late 19th century. In 1884, Canadian engineer Sir Sandford Fleming proposed that the world be divided into 24 standard time zones. That year, a common prime meridian was adopted at the Prime Meridian Conference in Washington DC, whereby the Greenwich Mean Time became the primary reference. A few weeks later, on January 23, 1885, in an effort to drum up support among fellow watchmakers to readily embrace this universal time concept, Moritz Grossmann took the train from Dresden to Leipzig to deliver a lecture at the Polytechnic Society in the Kaisersaal based on his essay “Universal Time and the Introduction to Civilian Life.” A cruel twist resulted when his speech began to slur during the lecture. As he sat down immediately after it, he collapsed and died of a stroke. Grossmann didn’t live to see his peers innovate on timepieces centred around the concept of universal time. Skip forward nearly 138 years, and the watchmaker which bears his name and operates out of the German region of Glashütte, debuted a finely crafted Moritz Grossmann Universalzeit piece earlier this year. The dial is made from silver and has a sunray-brushed blue colour to it. On that dial, you’ll find a representation of a world map in a salmon hue. You can read the time in six cities: Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Dubai, Singapore and Tokyo. The hours are displayed in the aperture next to the city, while the minutes can be read off the centrally mounted flat-polished lance-shaped minute hand. The hours of the seventh time zone, presumably the one where you find yourself any given day, is read using the centrally mounted hour hands. The stainless steel case has a diameter of 44.5mm which frames the intricate details on the dial and allows it to shine through. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

The new calibre 100.7 meanwhile was developed at the Moritz Grossmann manufacture itself. The time can be adjusted simultaneously across the six cities on the dial thanks to a disc which is connected to a 24-tooth ratchet wheel that displays each hour digitally and updates simultaneously. To set the time on the centrally-mounted hands, without changing the time in the six cities, you can use the pusher at 10 o’clock. The craftsmen in the watchmaking industry of Glashütte are fiercely competitive when it comes to their Swiss neighbours across the border. The pride in their work and quest for perfection is evident from the finishing on the movement where you’ll find a floral pattern on the balance and escape-wheel cock, and several other cut and polishing techniques used across the 292 components, all of which have been painstakingly finished by hand. This is German watchmaking at its finest. The last time we saw Mortiz Grossmann experiment with multiple timezones was with its GMT model that it launched in 2019. This year’s Universalzeit is several steps ahead and a comprehensive world-timer. There is a nagging question though that hangs over the piece in that it does not account for cities with varying daylight savings times – fortunately, the six cities featured on the dial do not have the concept of daylight savings. In our opinion though, introducing a city on the dial with daylight savings would have added an unwarranted level of complexity to reading the time on this watch which can now pat itself on the back as a fuss-free, elegant and thoroughly functional world-timer. Moritz Grossmann, the man, didn’t live to see his vision of a universal time zone wholeheartedly adopted around the world. The eponymous brand meanwhile has with this Universalzeit created a piece that pays tribute to the lasting legacy and last wish of a pioneering watchmaker.

WORDS CHRIS HALL

Keeping up with the times

What does a new crop of luxury watches tell us about the direction of travel in this most stately of industries?

ABOVE: Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ref 222 RIGHT & BELOW: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50th anniversary watch

DIODE SA DENIS HAYOUN

he world of luxury the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. watches can be As both the single most influential bemusing to design of the last half century and follow from afar, one of the most in-demand watches with its neverright now, Audemars Piguet was ending talk of never going to overhaul it drastically, hyped-up fashion instead playing it safe with a range of collaborations, tourbillons and new designs that delighted purists, titanium at one end, and intense while introducing a new automatic technical jargon at the movement as a other. It helps, I find, reminder that Every watch brand is substance, as well to consider everything engaged in constant as style, has a on a spectrum from tradition to modernity: part to play. dialogue with its every watch brand is Ploughing a past while fighting engaged in a constant similar furrow dialogue with its past is Vacheron to stay relevant while fighting to stay Constantin, relevant in a rapidly which stole the changing world. show at Watches and Wonders in SLICK OVERHAUL Geneva in April A good example is one with a revival of its of the biggest stories in 1970s icon Historique the watch world this year, 222 in period-correct the 50th anniversary of yellow gold.

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WATC H E S

This left all eyes on Patek Philippe, whose Nautilus is commonly bracketed alongside the Royal Oak and 222 as part of a ‘holy trinity’ of 1970s designs that melted the divide between high-end luxury and sporty, practical design. Last year, Patek discontinued the Ref 5711 Nautilus, before stoking demand to new heights by releasing limited-edition ‘end-of-run’ models, most notably in collaboration with Tiffany. A new Nautilus design was widely expected to be announced in Geneva, but fans were left waiting as the brand instead chose to focus on introducing a more youthful, playful aesthetic to some of its other lines, with a strong focus on travel time and chronograph complications. The 5326 Calatrava Annual Calendar Travel Time is classic Patek Philippe given a new 50

Patek stoked demand to new heights by releasing limited-edition ‘end-of-run’ models

spin, with a charcoal grey dial described as reminiscent of vintage camera bodies, while the Ref 5470 1/10th Second Monopusher Chronograph is a stunning reminder that this most idolised brand is first and foremost an engineer of incredible watchmaking rather than merely a vehicle for social media activity. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

VENERATED CLASSICS A renewed focus on the staple genres of tool watches – after a year of headline-grabbing limited editions and collaborations – was evident at the more mainstream brands, too. Rolex and sister brand Tudor both led out with GMT models; the opinion-splitting left-handed GMT-Master II for Rolex, and the Black Bay Pro for Tudor, while the same idea prevailed at Longines with its handsome Spirit Zulu Time, and at Seiko with its Grand Seiko range (there are many similarly impenetrably-named models, but the Spring Time GMT Ref SBGE283 is a highlight, with its steel bezel and deep blue dial). From the big-name chronograph brands has also come a crop of updates to venerated classics: BELOW AND RIGHT: The Tudor Black Bay Pro marks Greenwich Mean Time

RIGHT: Patek Philippe Ref 5470 1/10th Second Monopusher Chronograph

new Autavia chronographs from TAG Heuer line up alongside Breitling’s refreshed (and much more colourful) Navitimer collection and Omega’s latest Speedmaster ’57 in the ranks of entirely modern takes on designs from a misty-eyed golden era of chronograph creation.

DEEP DIVE It is with dive watches – that most simple horological template – that we have seen a real flurry of modern, hightech approaches, however. Montblanc has dipped a toe in the water for the first time with the 1858 Iced Sea, a solid diver that stands out with its fine dial representing glacier ice. Panerai’s latest Submersible models continue its commitment to recycled steel, or eSteel, as it calls it. And some of the biggest names in underwater watches have pushed to new depths. TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver will take you down to 1,000m without complaint, and boasts a nifty new crown-protection system, while Omega’s Planet Ocean ‘Ultra Deep’ range is rated to a phenomenal 6,000m of pressure. BELOW: Left-handed watch Rolex GMT-Master II Green and Black ‘Destro’

ABOVE: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver BELOW RIGHT: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch; a collaboration between Omega and Swatch

INTO THE FUTURE One watch launch, however, has dominated the news so far this year like no other: a collaboration between stablemates Omega and Swatch that saw the look of a Speedmaster Moonwatch carried onto a chunky, bioceramic-cased, quartz-powered Swatch. Released in 11 different colours (each one named for a body in the solar system), it was announced in March to the kind of fanfare usually reserved for Apple ‘drops’ – watch fans slept on the streets of London, Tokyo and New York to have a chance at buying the ‘Moonswatch’, as it was christened. Some couldn’t understand the hype over a £200, non-limited edition watch; others felt this particular balancing act between tradition and modernity was a little off, but within 24 hours, millions had heard about it and all available stock had sold out worldwide. If anything represents the future of watches, this is probably it. J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

Business Attire

WORDS & STYLING AMY SESSIONS

LIFESTYLE

Your answer to smart-casual workwear

Double-Breasted Linen Suit Jacket Dhs6,316 Thom Sweeney thomsweeney.com

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Meisterstück 4810 Textured-Leather Briefcase Dhs3,697 Montblanc montblanc.com

Tapered Pleated Linen Trousers Dhs2,091 Thom Sweeney thomsweeney.com

Jordaan Horsebit Leather Loafers Dhs3,317 Gucci gucci.com

Santos de Cartier Automatic 35.1mm Interchangeable 18-Karat Gold, Stainless Steel and Leather Watch, Ref. No. W2SA0016 Dhs32,507 Cartier cartier.com

Slim-Fit Honeycomb-Knit Cotton Polo Shirt Dhs825 exclusively available at MR PORTER mrporter.com

CD SU Square-Frame Acetate and Silver-Tone Sunglasses Dhs1,605 Dior Eyewear dior.com

Button-Down Collar Linen Shirt Dhs465 Club Monaco clubmonaco.com

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the

eport Tried, Tested, Tasted.

TR IED AND TE S TED F LIGHT

Flydubai Bespoke Boeing 737 MAX 9 business class Dubai–Tel Aviv

TR IED AND TE S TED HOTEL S AND APAR TMENTS

Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, 57 The Palm, Dubai Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers

Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich

SMAR T TR AVELLER

JK Place Rome

Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre

St James’s Hotel and Club Mayfair 62 Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

Our guide to... How to donate unused frequent flyer miles to charity

TRIED & TESTED FLIGHT

Flydubai Bespoke Boeing 737 MAX 9 business class DUBAI–TEL AVIV

B E S T S E A T For single travellers, ask BEST FOR

Points. The great thing about flying with Flydubai and Emirates is the points share arrangement between the two, so it’s easy to earn Skywards Miles with this flight

C ONFIGURATION 2 - 2, 1 - 1

SE AT PITCH 78 inches

B A C K G R O U N D The first airline to offer

direct flights between the UAE and Israel following the historic Abraham Accords in 2020, this route was among the airline’s top 10 in 2021 after its launch in November 2020. Around 250,000 Israeli tourists and business travellers came to the UAE in 2021, and many of them with flydubai. With 14 flights to Tel Aviv a week now on the twice-daily route, the service is booming.

C H E C K - I N With a separate check-in area for business travellers, the experience is much more luxurious than one expects from a budget airline. Red carpets await travellers in the peaceful space away from the main section of the terminal. Staff are pleasant and do their best to get things done quickly, even though we experienced a technical glitch while I was checking in. T H E L O U N G E Flydubai shares the Emirates lounge, which is very spacious. There is plenty of room to rest or work, with a wide range of seating options around the lounge. Food choices are fresh and plentiful, as is the bar with soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Staff are attentive and always on hand to keep you refreshed. B O A R D I N G Flydubai staff are exceedingly well trained, and the quality of service feels far from budget-quality. Staff are attentive

J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

sanitary kit, we had headphones and a bottle of water, and I was offered a blanket to sleep with which was heavy, soft and warm. It made all the difference to my nap. The seat is great for working, with a large space on either side and a 15.6-inch touchscreen TV.

and quickly pick up FLIGHT TIME on whether you’re 3 hours 45 minutes there to sleep or be attended to. PRICE Welcome drinks Internet rate for a and snacks are return business class served promptly, flight from Dubai to and they ensured Tel Aviv starts at we had everything around Dhs7,200 we needed for a comfortable CONTACT journey. Priority flydubai.com boarding makes the process much smoother on the flight which has now become a very busy route.

T H E S E A T I was in seat 2E, a single

window seat in the 2-2, 1-1 formation. The area was massive and the fully-reclining bed perfect for an inflight nap. It also felt very private. Though there were no extras like a

for a single seat in the even numbers – for couples, the odd numbers are best.

T H E F L I G H T With the choice of 167 movies and 159 TV shows, there is plenty of entertainment for a short flight, in addition to games. As my flight was at 7am, the meal choices were fresh fruit, yoghurt, scrambled eggs, blintzes, mezze and bakery items with a vast selection of teas, coffees and bar drinks to choose from. I didn’t eat as it was too early. Payable wifi is available on board and staff are always amenable. Having only one toilet for business though is slightly inconvenient.

The new aircraft feels luxurious, and not at all budget A R R I V A L Upon arrival, I found that the

entry process into Israel was fast and smooth. Covid testing on arrival was scrapped, so all that visitors need now is the entry slip and a security check. I was all done and in my taxi in around 45 minutes, even with a Covid test on arrival as it was still necessary at the time. Maybe the early flight helped as the airport was quiet.

V E R D I C T The new aircraft feels luxurious, and not at all budget. It’s a huge step up from the times I’ve flown business with flydubai before which though I’ve always enjoyed, I never felt I could sleep and work the way I did on this new plane. I can see this is well worth the extra investment to arrive fresh and ready for work. Melanie Swan

TRIED & TESTED HOTEL

Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, The Palm, Dubai B A C K G R O U N D It’s the third Taj property

in Dubai after the Business Bay and Jumeirah Lake Towers offerings, and is a full-service resort. The Taj Palm can pride itself on being one of only a handful of other Exotica brands globally.

W H A T ’ S I T L I K E ? You’ll receive the ultra-luxury Taj experience here. There is a stunning infinity loop glass structure in the middle of the lobby and an intricate Design Diamond Flow Chandelier by Preciosa Chandelier overhead. A comforting jasmine and rose fragrance wafts through the property. The impeccably trained staff that welcomes us in the lobby ensure that the entire check-in process is fussfree and discreet. There’s a level of professionalism among the staff here that still stands out in a city dotted with several other high-end hotels. W H E R E I S I T ? It’s located at almost the very end of the East Crescent on the Palm, which means to get to it you need to drive past Atlantis, Sofitel, Waldorf Astoria and Anantara. Although the competition is fierce, for a property that was only a few weeks old when we reviewed it, there was a constant stream of guests checking in. R O O M S The six-storey resort has a total of 325 keys, including 258 rooms and 67 suites, all of which have balconies. We stayed at the Two Bedroom Luxury Suite Sea View – a palatial suite with a living room, two bedrooms with ensuite

bathrooms, a walk-in closet and a guest powder room. In addition to the king beds in each of the two bedrooms, the rooms are very well-appointed with large work desks, TVs that swivel to face you wherever you’re seated. Each bedroom, as well as the living room, has an attached balcony. A turn-down service meant that the rooms were ready with the curtains drawn and lights muted by the time we returned in the evening.

F O O D A N D D R I N K There are seven dining and bar options at the hotel. For lunch, we visited Roaring Rabbit, a gastropub – try the shepherd’s pie and butter garlic prawns. For dinner, we went to fine-dining restaurant Varq. A must-try is the excellent Varqi crab with tandoori shrimp and crispy filo and 24-carat gold leaf. Head up to the Raia Rooftop Bar and Lounge after dinner for a commanding

There’s a level of professionalism among the staff that truly stands out

view of the skyline of the city and the rest of the Palm. Buffet breakfast is served every morning at the Palm Kitchen.

BEST FOR ‘Bleisure’ seekers

DON’T MISS A meal at Varq

PRICE From Dhs775 per night for a Luxury Sea View room and Dhs4,475 for a Two Bedroom Grand Luxury Sea View suite

B U S I N E S S There are eight meeting rooms, each with a capacity to host between 12-40 people. On the CONTACT ground floor are two East Crescent Road, large ballrooms – The Palm Jumeirah; one has a capacity +971 (0) 4 275 4444; for 500 and the other tajhotels.com can accommodate up to 220 people. The Taj Club Lounge also has smaller private meeting rooms. Importantly, all the work stations in the lounge have a software that automatically deletes all login data, password and browsing history the moment you log off. L E I S U R E The property has a 70-metre

long pool, which Taj says is one of the longest on the Palm. There is also a 230-metre stretch of private beachfront that guests can access. A kid’s club called Popsicle is open throughout the day, while a gaming room with a pool table and console station offers entertainment to teenagers. Metres away from the Technogymequipped gym, is the Jiva spa which has nine treatment rooms and several relaxing spa options.

V E R D I C T The Taj Palm Dubai really does deliver the pampered luxury experience that you’d expect from an Exotica property. It has industry-leading levels of service, dining options and overall hospitality standards. Definitely worth a visit. Varun Godinho J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

TRIED & TESTED HOTEL

Japanese and Italian. I dined at Its location contemporary Japanese restaurant DON’T MISS Tori No Su, where Observation sushi and teppanyaki Deck drinks menus are available. I was on the halfPRICE board package, which From Dhs655 includes a set menu. I per night (off peak) opted for the creamy Yuzo Miso Burrata, CONTACT grilled salmon with Corniche Road, Abu Ponzu sauce, and a Dhabi, UAE; +971 2811 selection of Mochi ice 5555; hilton.com cream – all delicious. I also dined at Sole which serves Italian classics and offers outdoor seating overlooking the beach and pool. My guest, who is half Italian, said the pizza was deliciously authentic. Breakfast is a sizeable buffet, with eggs cooked to order, served at all-day dining venue Rosewater. I also enjoyed a tasty Caesar salad, poolside, at Nahaam. You can’t stay at this hotel without a trip in the elevator to the 74th floor, where sunset drinks at the Observation Deck at 300 are a must. They also serve afternoon tea here and the views are spectacular.

BEST FOR

Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers 58

B A C K G R O U N D Conrad, a luxury brand in the Hilton portfolio, raised its flag at Etihad Towers in 2020. The hotel was formerly operated by the Jumeirah Group. W H A T ’ S I T L I K E ? Impressive. Mirroring the size and scale of the striking towers the hotel occupies, its lobby is vast with magnificent lighting and windows revealing panoramic coastal views. Service is attentive and friendly, and on arrival, a welcome drink and cold towel are served on a tray while you check in. I noticed the staff were dressed immaculately, which reflects well on the luxury brand. Décor is modern and elegant. W H E R E I S I T ? The hotel occupies the magnificent Etihad Towers on Abu Dhabi’s West Corniche. It’s 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi International, around 20 minutes from Yas and Saadiyat Islands, and 10 minutes from Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. R O O M S There are 377 rooms and suites with sea views. I stayed in a King Deluxe Room with Sea View featuring floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the Corniche and beyond – an inspiring view to wake up to before work. It was tastefully decorated with neutral tones and pale greens and featured a large work desk and chair, chaise lounge by the window, lots of wardrobe space, plus a sizeable bathroom with a double basin, walk-in shower and high-quality amenities J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

B U S I N E S S There are 13 meeting rooms with flexible set-up options and a 1,000-person capacity Mezzoon Ballroom, all located on Podium Level 4. For client meetings, there are plenty of restaurant choices. L E I S U R E With three pools and a private

If you have meetings in Abu Dhabi city, this hotel is the perfect luxury base in cool bottles shaped like the towers. I used the dry-cleaning service, which was very efficient, as was the complimentary wifi. There were plenty of plugs and sockets and it felt spacious and luxurious – a welcome retreat after a busy day of meetings.

F O O D A N D D R I N K You are spoiled for choice with 12 restaurants and bars, including 24x7 room service, with cuisines spanning Lebanese, Latin American,

beach, plus the Conrad Spa with 13 treatment rooms, a Hammam suite and rasul chamber, this is an urban sanctuary. The large gym is well kitted out with strength and cardio equipment, but plan your workout timings carefully as it doesn’t open until 0600 and closes in the afternoon for fogging. The hotel provides direct access to Avenue at Etihad Towers, home to luxury brands like Cartier and Hermès, and handily, a Waitrose.

V E R D I C T If you have meetings in Abu Dhabi city, this hotel is the perfect luxury base, with all you need under one roof, from multiple dining options and business facilities to quick access to leisure facilities. This hotel screams ‘bleisure’, thanks to its urban resort vibe, so tag on a day or two of downtime if you have the chance. Gemma Greenwood

TRIED & TESTED HOTEL

BEST FOR The pastries

Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich B A C K G R O U N D Bavarian King Maximilian II created the well-known Maximilianstrasse, Munich’s grandest street, a feat for the king. But then his sights turned to create a grand luxury hotel for the region – hence Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten. It has housed several famous people since its opening in 1858 and has been a part of the Kempinski Hotel Group since 1970. W H A T ’ S I T L I K E ? There is a grandiose air about the hotel. The dark wood interior in the lobby gives a feeling of heritage and royalty. Throughout the day, you’ll find a steady stream of guests in the lobby conducting meetings, having afternoon tea, and at times just unwinding. W H E R E I S I T ? It’s in the heart of Munich, making it easily accessible to all the conveniences and attractions within the city centre. It can be reached by the underground train or the tram. It’s 45 minutes from Munich Airport. R O O M S The Superior room encompasses

a lot of light and elegance with a wall length of windows and curtains, while the colours of the room are warm and have a relaxing vibe to it. The Deluxe room includes a desk for those on business, as well a comfy sofa. Rooms come with a flat-screen TV, a safe, choice of pillows, climate control, daily newspapers, free wifi, street views and a king bed (or twin-bed). There are also

suites like the Junior suite, Superior suite, Theresien suite, Maximillian suite, and the Ludwig suite. Ludwig is one of the hotel’s most luxurious suites designed by Colin Finnegan. It’s 175 sqm and boasts views of the city, which can be seen from its 40 sqm rooftop terrace that comes with its own 24-hour butler service and a full kitchen.

FOOD AND D R I N K There are

five restaurants at the hotel plus DON’T MISS room service. Berthold Schwarzreiter Delikatessen Restaurant is a fine-dining option PRICE that serves Bavarian From €405 per night classics and has one Michelin Star. CONTACT It’s named after 17 Maximilianstrasse, the Schwarzreiter 80539 Munich, fish, King Ludwig Germany; II’s favourite food. +49 89 21250; The Schwarzreiter kempinski.com Tagesbar meanwhile is a casual dining offering. Jahreszeiten Bar creates delectable virgin cocktails, as well as the hotel’s signature Royal Club Sandwich. Jahreszeiten Lobby offers sweet treats like éclairs, petit gateaux, and tarts. Another favourite within the hotel is Berthold Delikatessen, which opened in 1872 and serves coffee and homemade cakes. A breakfast buffet is served every morning, with hot and cold items. If you’d rather order room service during the day, try the Wiener Schnitzel.

There is a grandiose air about the hotel, a feeling of heritage and royalty B U S I N E S S Being one of Munich’s luxury hotels, the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski is built for business events. With five well-equipped conference rooms, they can be configured to accommodate up to 500 people. The hotel also specialises in team-building activities for businesses and their staff, like rooftop tours of Munich’s Olympic Stadium or BMW World. L E I S U R E There is a fitness area in the

spa. With cardio-vascular machines and weights by Technogym, the gym features state-of-the-art equipment. There is also an indoor pool to exercise and unwind.

V E R D I C T Stay here if you need to be

in the centre of Munich. The property is immaculately clean, the staff are friendly, the food is great, and the ambience in the lobby of the hotel with such a rich history is inviting. Allyson Portee J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

TRIED & TESTED HOTEL

Grand Deluxe, one Junior Suite Balcony, four Master suites, one JK Master suite and one JK Master Balcony.

JK Place Rome B A C K G R O U N D There are three JK Hotels, in Rome, Paris and Capri, with a new one planned for a 2024 opening in Milan. Members of Leading Hotels of the World, they are the brainchild of Ori Kafri who named the brand with his father’s initials – Jonathan Kafri. The Rome hotel opened at the end of 2013. W H E R E I S I T ? On Via di Monte d’Oro off Via della Fontanella di Borghese which becomes Via Condotti as it runs towards the Spanish Steps. It is within walking distance of Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.

CHRISTOS DRAZOS PHOTOGRAPHY

W H A T ’ S I T L I K E ? The hotel doesn’t have a grand entrance, just a discreet doorway on a side street, though taxis are able to stop right outside the door and liveried doormen are on hand to help with luggage. The hotel is in a 19th century building which was most recently part of the University of Rome. Reception is to the left, the library sitting room through glass doors to the right and the atrium to the hotel straight ahead. This is a lovely place to sit and have a tea or coffee, to rest and prepare the next excursion. It is like wandering into someone’s living room, albeit someone with exquisite taste and a lot of money. It has elegant furniture, a dark marble floor, pale grey sofas and chairs, tall plants, modern art and antique sculptures, and lots of natural light from the skylight. The interior design is by Tuscan architect Michele Bonan. There are lifts at either side of the atrium to take you up to the three floors of rooms.

R O O M S This is a true boutique hotel, with only 27 rooms and suites over three floors with around eleven room categories and every one being different, not just in terms of floor area but also design, whether it has a terrace or balcony or shower or bath. All of the rooms are beautifully designed, with polished wooden floors and good-sized wardrobes (some have walk-in wardrobes)

This is a true boutique hotel, with only 27 rooms and suites over three floors and a variety of bed styles including some with romantic rosewood canopies and wooden panelled walls. All have tea and coffee-making facilities, a complimentary minibar of soft drinks and snacks replenished every three days, high-speed wifi, and a small desk. The bathrooms are decorated in Carrara marble with Alma K Dead Sea amenities (produced by Ori’s sister, Amy Kafri) and have rain and power showers, with three having baths. There is one entry level JK Classic room, then five Superior rooms; two Superior Balcony rooms, six Deluxe, two JK Deluxe, one JK Deluxe Balcony, three

F O O D A N D D R I N K The hotel’s restaurant, JK Café, has coral-coloured sofa banquette seating, tan leather chairs and green walls. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and has a distinctive ‘Sputnik’ chandelier at its centre with large mirrors to give a sense of space and windows looking out on to Via dell’Arancio. The JK Café bar is a small area with wood-panelled walls, black and white architectural images by Massimo Listri, and a backlit bar of onyx and ceramic tiles by Marcello Fantoni with a painting by Marco Croce to one side. L E I S U R E There are no leisure facilities, though the hotel has an arrangement with a nearby fitness centre and spa. The hotel provides several bikes which can be used to tour the city. The hotel is excellent at organising private tours, and though expensive, offers value in terms of flexibility, for instance serving the inclusive à la carte breakfast for those who want it long after that meal has ‘closed’ (people do have jet lag, after all) and not charging for extras such as a cappuccino when requested. The hotel can also organise personalised tours of Rome, including access to normally inaccessible sites through Imago Artis Travel (iatravel.com). V E R D I C T This is the perfect bolthole for a visit to Rome – it’s central but hidden away and providing superb service with a residential feel. Tom Otley BEST FOR

An unashamedly luxury boutique hotel

DON’T MISS

An early evening stroll followed by a drink in the Library bar

PRICE

Internet rates for a midweek stay in June started from €700 for a JK Deluxe room

CONTACT

Via di Monte d’Oro 30, 00186 Rome, Italy: +39 06 982634; jkroma.com

J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

TRIED & TESTED HOTEL

Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre

feeling lazy, don’t miss the all-day breakfast served until mid-afternoon on Sundays. The iconic Peacock Alley for which the brand is known is an elegant lounge and a great place to meet friends, colleagues or clients. It is named after the alley that once connected the Waldorf and Astoria properties and adds another touch of New York heritage to DIFC.

B U S I N E S S Located on the ground floor, there are five event spaces with flexible set-up options, including a boardroom, a function suite with an open kitchen, and a grand ballroom (New York), which can accommodate up to 432 guests theatre-style.

A convenient and luxurious retreat in Dubai’s financial hub L E I S U R E Facilities include an ample gym B A C K G R O U N D The Waldorf Astoria

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), part of Hilton Hotels, opened in 2019 as the iconic brand’s third property in the UAE and its first city hotel. It brings quintessential New York luxury to Dubai’s bustling financial district, spanning floors 18 to 55 of the Burj Daman building.

W H A T ’ S I T L I K E ? It’s inspired by the architecture and lifestyle of the 1960s, with marble, brass, ebony and bronze décor that’s only a touch opulent, but definitely elegant. There are Art Deco overtones too, both in public areas and the guestrooms. It’s not over-the-top, but you feel enveloped in New York luxury at this urban retreat. Guests check in on the 18th floor where all of the hotel facilities are located. Staff are helpful, friendly and anticipate needs. W H E R E I S I T ? On Al Mustaqbal Street

in the heart of DIFC, close to the Dubai World Trade Centre, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and The Museum of the Future.

R O O M S There are 275 rooms, suites and residential suites. I stayed in a King Premier room with floor-to-ceiling windows revealing views of DIFC and a glimpse of the Museum of the Future too. Spanning 60 sqm, it was spacious, featured highquality furnishings with attention to detail, and a king bed with extremely comfortable

300-threadcount linen. It felt indulgent, which is just what I needed after a busy week of work in Dubai. The bathroom was sizeable, featuring a very large walk-in shower, deep-soak bath and two vanity units. The bedroom was furnished with a chaise lounge, sofa and coffee table and a work desk. My personal concierge attended to my dry cleaning and the complimentary wifi was fast.

F O O D A N D D R I N K I dined in Bull & Bear, inspired by the original venue once located in the Waldorf Astoria New York. This all-day dining venue serves great coffee and tasty homemade granola as part of a vast breakfast spread. There’s an a la carte menu too for eggs, just how you like them, and other cooked items. If you’re

with city views, plus an outdoor rooftop pool with the most comfortable sunbeds I have ever experienced – super thick and comfortable. It’s the place to enjoy laidback poolside dining and drinks from the St.Trop rooftop lounge, which introduces a French Riviera dimension to the property. Staff are attentive and helpful when it comes to food choices. The Waldorf Astoria Spa features a Grooming suite for beauty treatments and a Vichy suite with water therapies, a heated hammam table, a Flotation suite, and more.

V E R D I C T A convenient and luxurious retreat in Dubai’s financial hub where business travellers can rejuvenate after work hours enjoying superb cuisine and indulgent leisure facilities. Step outside and you are at the heart of the city’s action. Gemma Greenwood

BEST FOR Discerning business travellers

DON’T MISS A pool dip and drink at St.Trop

PRICE From Dhs1,998 per night for Hilton Honors members

CONTACT Al Mustaqbal Street, Za’abeel, DIFC, Dubai, UAE; +971 4 515 9999; hilton.com J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

TRIED & TESTED HOTEL

St James’s Hotel and Club Mayfair B A C K G R O U N D St James’s Hotel and Club is both a hotel and a club, which originally opened as a gentlemen’s club in 1892. St James’s is operated by Althoff Collection, which has 18 hotels under its Althoff (5-star) and Ameron Collection brands (4-star), mainly in Germany and Switzerland, and recently launched its Urban Loft brand. The company’s chief executive, Frank Marrenbach, was in charge of Oetker Collection for 15 years. The Club part of St James’s is a membership that gives you discounts off rooms and the restaurant along with reciprocal rights to some 600 clubs around the world.

W H E R E I S I T ? On Park Place, a cul-de-sac off St James’s Street. Walk down the street and look for the sign on the side of a building directing you to the Royal Overseas Club. Just before you get to those gates you will see a red brick building on your left with a flagpole and flag. It is a fiveminute walk from Green Park station which is on the Piccadilly, Jubilee and Victoria lines. W H A T ’ S I T L I K E ? From the outside, the hotel is very traditional. It has a deep terracotta Victorian exterior with wroughtiron detailing, but inside it is more modern, with original works of art in all the public areas, including European Impressionist, Expressionist and Cubist art. It was last substantially renovated by Berlin-based AMJ Design in 2008 but this has weathered well and successfully combines period features, including the internal staircase, with a more modern bar area and restaurant. The welcome was refreshingly informal: friendly, chatty and made me immediately feel that the stay would go well.

R O O M S Reception is just above street level, up a flight of steps. When you enter reception you are already on floor two with rooms on the lower floor (one), no rooms on two, but then rooms on floors up to six with the penthouse on floor seven. We were staying in a lower room which had a view onto an internal (inaccessible) courtyard. All 60 bedrooms are quietly

Seven Park Place is a superb restaurant, serving modern French cuisine luxurious, so while there’s no gold and gilt, décor includes silk wallpaper, black lacquered furniture, Murano glass chandeliers, and marble bathrooms. There are eight categories in total, five of which are suites. Entry level Superior rooms start at 22 sqm, with standard in-room amenities including an armchair, a work desk with free high-speed internet access, a laptop safe, a minibar, an iPod docking station, built-in wardrobes and a flatscreen TV, with Penhaligon toiletries in the bathrooms. Our room had a shower over the bath, which wouldn’t suit everyone. There are quite a few stairs in the property, though obviously there is a lift to access the various floors. Since it is also a club (£250 to join, £400 per year), there’s often a buzz around the public areas, albeit of a very refined sort.

F O O D A N D D R I N K The last time I stayed (around 15 years ago), the hotel’s restaurant was Andaman by Philipp Vogel. Since 2009 it has been Seven Park Place by William Drabble, and it is a superb restaurant, serving modern French cuisine. At a time when restaurants are quiet in London, it was almost full on this Thursday night. There are some excellent set menus, and the same kitchen serves à la carte in 1857 The Bar, which has bay windows, the art collection, and an extensive wine list along with what must be one of the largest offerings of port in a London hotel. There’s an all-day dining menu in 1857 The Bar (which also has the name William’s Bar and Bistro). Breakfast is served here (£22.50) and is both a buffet with the option of hot dishes to be ordered. Traditional afternoon tea is served daily from 3pm to 5.30pm. M E E T I N G S There are five meeting spaces in the basement, including the surprisingly large Mayfair Suite, as well as two adjoining suites on the penthouse floor. V E R D I C T This is a luxurious bolthole with great service, and a very special restaurant and bar. Tom Otley

DON’T MISS A special occasion meal in Seven Park Place

BEST FOR A romantic weekend in the centre of London

PRICE NO LIMIT FOTODESIGN

Internet rates for a midweek stay in July started from £470 for a Deluxe room

CONTACT 7-8 Park Place, St James’s; tel +44 (0)20 7316 1600; stjameshotelandclub.com J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

TRIED & TESTED HOTEL

BEST FOR Dani, its colourful yet luxurious Michelin-starred restaurant

DON’T MISS The state-of-the-art four-level leisure sanctuary

PRICE From €995 per night for a weekday in July

CONTACT

Four Seasons Hotel Madrid B A C K G R O U N D Opened during the

pandemic in 2020, the hotel has a rich history and was at some point, part of a royal palace. Combining seven buildings, which make up the hotel’s entirety, it was the first Four Seasons in all of Spain.

W H A T ’ S I T L I K E ? The circular lobby has a classy yet modern feel to it. On one side of the circular lobby is the concierge. As you walk around it, you’ll reach the reception. In the centre of the lobby are sofas where El Patio serves snacks and sweets. The staff are always welcoming and make it a point to remember the names of guests. L O C A T I O N Within a 25-minute car ride

from Madrid-Barajas International airport, the hotel is in the centre of Madrid and offers guests the ability to easily access the different areas within the city. Between Puerta del Sol and Barrio de las Letras, it’s possible to get to some great shopping spots off the various side streets close to the Sol Metro station. The property is also a 10-minute walk from the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Retiro Park attractions.

3 Calle de Sevilla, 28014 Madrid; +34 910 88 3333; fourseasons.com

desk, a dining table, and a chaise lounge. The Premier Terrace room meanwhile comes with a private terrace and views of the city too. At 82 sqm, the One-Bedroom Terrace suite offers a relaxing ambience, complete with a terrace, a living room and bathroom with two sinks, a bathtub, and a separate shower.

F O O D A N D D R I N K Dani is the rooftop restaurant serving Spanish and Andalusian Michelin star cuisine by celebrity chef Dani García. With a colour palette of green walls and orange chairs, the décor is certainly worth your attention. The male waiters wear colourful pants and navy blazers, while the women wear colourful dresses too. Starters range from oysters, and guacamole prepared

The property is a 10-minute walk from the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Retiro Park

tableside, to quintessential Spanish Iberian croquettes that melt in your mouth. The puff pastry onion soup is a twist on traditional French Onion Soup. Try the sole wellington that’s good for two – it’s a beef wellington, but with sole fish and mushroom duxelles, and a side of mustard sauce. Breakfast is also served in Dani. You can order healthy shakes like the superfood smoothie, papaya bircher with muesli, mango, and kaffir lime, and also the anti-stress smoothie with apple, celery, spinach and almond milk. The continental breakfast offerings include cold and hot items including eggs, churros, waffles, pancakes and crepes.

B U S I N E S S Due to the central location of the hotel, the Four Seasons is a sought-after space for business meetings, product launches, and galas for up to 350 guests. There are nine meeting and ballroom spaces totalling 1,700 sqm. The Sol Ballroom, Sol I, Sol II, Canalejas Ballroom, and Cibeles can be turned into a presentation space too for business meetings. Both ballrooms include prefunction areas, as well as access to the open-air courtyard and four changeable meeting rooms. L E I S U R E The spa and 24-hour gym are

located on four levels and can be accessed on the fifth floor from the main hotel elevator. There are eight treatment rooms, a 14-metre pool, sauna and steam rooms, and a gym which can be reached via a separate elevator that can only be accessed through the spa.

V E R D I C T From the new interiors to the rooftop restaurant, and the hotel’s proximity to famous Madrid sites – here, you will feel plugged into the kinetic energy of Spain’s capital city. Allyson Portee

R O O M S There are 200 rooms in the hotel. The Deluxe Sevilla room offers views of Madrid’s residential area. There is a work J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

SMART TR AVELLER

Our guide to...

How to donate unused frequent flyer miles to charity

M 64

iles (or points) are a perk of frequent travel and can be redeemed on future flights, upgrades, experiences, merchandise, car hire, accommodation and so on. But sometimes it’s hard to spend them – air tickets may be restricted by time and destination, for instance – and travellers can instead make a difference by donating points to non-profit organisations and charities around the world. AIR FRANCE AND KLM Flying Blue lists 18 charities to which its members may donate miles, including Aviation Sans Frontières, which provides air transport during humanitarian crises, the French Red Cross and WWF. flyingblue.com ALASKA AIRLINES The Alaska Airlines LIFT miles programme offers members the chance to support 12 selected charities – these include Alaska Airlines Disaster Relief Pool, the Nature Conservancy and the United Negro College Fund, which helps under-represented students to become highly-qualified graduates. alaskaair.com AMERICAN AIRLINES AAdvantage focuses on four types of charitable organisations – those that work to support social good, global health and wellbeing, heroes, or the planet. A minimum of 1,000 miles is required, although members with fewer than

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this can donate their entire balance. Charities include Unicef, Stand Up To Cancer and the Gary Sinise Foundation. aa.com THE LUFTHANSA GROUP Miles and More, the frequent flyer programme for Lufthansa Group airlines, has partnered with Help Alliance, which supports more than 40 projects worldwide. You can either make a free donation between 3,000 and 50,000 miles which is then allocated to the project most in need, or support a specific cause. Examples include providing emergency aid for the German Red Cross currently helping those affected by crisis in Ukraine, or helping to build a training centre for school-leavers in Togo. miles-and-more.com CATHAY PACIFIC Flyers who earn Asia Miles when flying with Cathay Pacific and partner airlines can donate to five charities including Unicef HK, Oxfam Hong Kong and Hong Kong Red Cross. Miles can also be contributed to carbon offset programme Fly Greener. asiamiles.com DELTA AIR LINES Through Sky Miles, travellers can donate to 21 charities which you can browse by region. In Europe they include Unicef, Habitat for Humanity, Make a Wish International and Junior Achievement Worldwide. Up to five charities can be processed in one transaction. delta.com EMIRATES Organisations for Skywards members to donate to include the Emirates Airline Foundation. emirates.com

FINNAIR Finnair Plus members can give to one of eight partnered charities, which include Unicef, UN Women and Punainen Risti, the Finnish

FRONTIER AIRLINES My Frontier partners with six foundations including Austin Pets Alive!, which flies programme managers to communities across the US to rescue homeless pets, and Shriners Hospital, which uses the miles to fly patients and their guardian to one of their hospitals for treatment. flyfrontier.com GARUDA INDONESIA Garuda Miles can be donated to Indonesia Mengajar, which promotes education across the country, and Kitabisa which helps provide flight services for volunteers, health workers and underprivileged patients to accelerate health care across Indonesia. Travellers can donate 100 to 50,000 miles by emailing garudamiles@garuda-indonesia.com. garuda-indonesia.com HAWAIIAN AIRLINES Hawaiian Miles allows members to donate to 14 local non-profit organisations, including Blood Bank of Hawaii, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, and Friends of Hokulea and Hawaiiloa, which helps to maintain canoe building skills. At the end of each year, the airline promises to match up to 500,000 miles to each participating charity. Donations begin at 50 miles. hawaiianairlines.com

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Southwest Airline’s Rapid Rewards scheme allows you to donate miles to its seven participating charities, including Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Honor Flight Network and the Ronald McDonald House Charities, which supports families with a child in hospital. southwest.com UNITED AIRLINES Mileage Plus has 21 charity partners including Airlink Flight, a rapid-response disaster relief organisation, and Dream Foundation, which fulfils final dreams for terminally ill adults. The programme usually has a number of active campaigns that you can donate a minimum of 1,000 miles to – if the campaign doesn’t reach its goal within the campaign period, these will be returned to you. There are currently no active running campaigns. united.com VIRGIN ATLANTIC Flying Club has not yet chosen its new charity partner, but members can transfer points to a holding charity account in the meantime. To make a donation, passengers are advised to contact the airline using the help bot, emailing or calling. virgin-atlantic.com

IBERIA Iberia Plus members can donate Avios to ten charity partners including Fundacion Aladina, which helps children and teenagers with cancer, and Fundacion Integra, which supports the inclusion of disadvantaged people in the labour market. iberia.com JETBLUE The True Blue programme gives members the option to contribute a minimum of 500 points to one of 25 organisations, including Save the Music Foundation, Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Carbonfund. org, and Concern Worldwide. jetblue.com/trueblue SINGAPORE AIRLINES KrisFlyer has partnered with Make-a-Wish Singapore to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. A minimum of 1,000 miles is required per donation, and a maximum of 100,000 can be donated per transaction. singaporeair.com

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ETIHAD AIRWAYS Etihad Guest sponsors charity organisations including the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, whose The Reach Campaign focuses on providing the medicine and treatment to protect families from river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, and Solar Buddy which designs solar light solutions for at-risk communities. Travellers can donate from 120 to 111,120 miles. Since the initiative began in 2007, more than 250 million miles have been donated. etihadguest.com

Red Cross. The minimum donation is 1,000 points. finnairshop.com

POSTCARD

If you were a fan of the Expo 2020 Dubai (get in queue) and summarily mourned the end of the six-month-long mega event at the end of March this year, here’s hope. In June, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced that the Expo City Dubai will open on October 1, 2022. As a legacy plan of Expo 2020, it will feature a number of the event’s flagship pavilions including those of the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Reworked versions of the national pavilions of Luxembourg, Australia, Pakistan, India, Morocco and Egypt will return too. Meanwhile, the Opportunity Pavilion will be repurposed into the Expo 2020 Dubai Museum. Visitors to the tech-friendly city can also explore familiar features including the Woman’s Pavilion, the mobility-focused Alif Pavilion and the sustainability-centred Terra Pavilion, besides attractions such as the Al Wasl Plaza, the Garden in the Sky observation tower and the Surreal water slopes. A mall is slated to open at the venue too. Meanwhile, a number of companies – including DP World and Siemens – have confirmed that they will shift their headquarters to the new location. Business plus leisure, in more ways than one. expocitydubai.com J U LY-A U G U S T 2 0 2 2

KARIM SAHIB / GETTY IMAGES

Expo City Dubai

From breathtaking beaches to vibrant city escapes, there is a lot to love about summer at Rotana. Live life to the fullest and book your stay at any Rotana hotel or resort with 20% off rooms, a complimentary extra bed and many more benefits. Book now via rotana.com

Business Traveller ME - July 2022

Articles inside

St James’s Hotel and Club Mayfair

Our guide to How to donate unused frequent yer miles to charity

Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre

THE CHARMS OF CHIANG RAI

Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich

KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES

Taj Exotica Resort and Spa e Palm, Dubai

JK Place Rome

Flydubai Bespoke Boeing 737 Max 9 business class Dubai–Tel Aviv

Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers

4 HOURS IN... MADRID

GLOBAL NEWS

ELEVATOR PITCH

UPFRONT

AN EYE ON THE HORIZON

SUSTAINABLE TRAVELLER

HUNGARIAN SYMPHONY

AIR MILES

MICHELIN IN DUBAI