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Make memories with Swissotel Al Ghurair

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Natalia Zubareva

Overlooking the historical Fish roundabout in the heart of Dubai, Deira, Swissotel Al Ghurair and Swissotel Living Al Ghurair is connected to Al Ghurair Centre, one of the first shopping malls in the Gulf region. The hospitality complex offers 428 guestrooms and suites and 192 apartments, each furnished with luxurious amenities and plenty of daylight. Known for its family-friendly facilities, the two hotel towers provide spacious accommodation, two dining venues, modern meetings and event spaces and recreational facilities.

Director of Sales and Marketing, Natalia Zubareva, sheds light on the property’s sustainability initiatives, its unique positioning and its enduring charm.

 

What strategy are you implementing to make the popular cluster property stand apart from others in the neighbourhood? 

I want to place Swissotel Al Ghurair in people’s hearts and connect them emotionally to our hotel through thoughtful services and stories of cherished memories with loved ones.

We continue to position the hotel as a family-friendly destination in the area, offering elevated dining and recreational facilities and the finesse and charm of the rich Swiss hospitality heritage of Swissotel Hotels and Resorts.

Adding to the younger guests, or “Little Explorers” journey, we have created a few seamless touchpoints, including a dedicated family check-in counter, a Playroom, special in-room amenities and dining options in our a la carte, buffet and Afternoon Tea menu. With the help of one of our partners, we are offering a Family Playcation package with complimentary breakfast, beach shuttle, and tickets to Laguna Waterpark included in the stay in a connected Family Room.

 

Is the property suitable for leisure, business or Mice?

Swissotel Al Ghurair is home to discerning travellers who prefer the hotel for leisure and business travel.

Advantaged by the location, placing our guests just 10 minutes away from Dubai International Airport and minutes away from the business and convention hub of the city, the hotel proves to be an excellent choice for corporate or MICE travellers.

The neighbourhood is extremely rich in its cultural heritage with the Dubai Museum, Dubai Creek, and the Souks, as well as modern tourist attractions of Al Seef, Museum of the Future and La Mer, enchanting tourists travelling for leisure.

Hence, the hotel is very popular among travellers seeking to discover the stories of past and future of Dubai.

 

What demographics usually frequent the property?

Every year, every season, we welcome tourists from all over the world, especially from all over Asia, Africa, the Far East and the Middle East. But, of course, one of our top guest sources is the United Arab Emirates, which enjoys a relaxing staycation. With the Swissotel Spa being extremely popular, ranking #3 on TripAdvisor, and our hotel apartments being one of the most spacious in the city, we notice many of our guests are expatriates in Dubai, either staying with us or visiting us for our facilities or a holiday.

The hotel is also very popular as a family hotel with its features and facilities among young parents as well as extended families travelling together.

Consequently, I also notice that we have a consistent demand among single-lady travellers who visit Dubai to travel for business or leisure.

 

What markets are you aiming to attract this year?

Dubai proactively and strategically has overcome the global pandemic, recovering its economy and hospitality industry faster than any other travel destination. The Dubai government has successfully built a reputation as one of the world’s leading and safest travel destinations.

In this post-pandemic stage, we notice that travelling is becoming cautious but frequent. With efficient communication, Dubai is looking forward to welcoming travellers from all around the world.

This year, we had guests from a few distant parts of the world, like Japan, Canada, Africa and Scandinavia. We intend to strengthen our relationships with business partners and share positive stories with the international markets.

By next year, we also wish to create a more prominent brand positioning in the European and Latin American markets.

 

What are the key trends you notice in incoming tourism? How do you plan to implement these within the property?

I thoroughly believe that digitalization, sustainability and personalization are the future of hospitality.

Technology is redefining luxury, making moments unforgettable to the guests through customization, convenience and consistency. It provides the tool to store information on guest preferences, helping us to create just the experience our guests seek. Additionally, it removes paperwork, neatly creating and simplifying complex workflows, connecting colleagues across geography, and creating the required backups in the cloud.

Swissotel Al Ghurair has already been quite involved with the sustainability initiatives, with their water filtration system, herb garden and Vitality concepts around the hotel. As per Accor standards, we even have all the digital touch-points integrated into a guest journey that helps us to communicate and offer them seamless and safe experiences.

I wish to take them further and create areas of sustainability and well-being around the hotel, encourage, and enhance personalized communication and services.

 

What does the future of Swissôtel Al Ghurair & Swissôtel Living Al Ghurair look like?

I believe our properties’ future is defined by financial stability and growth, more importantly, engaging and giving back to our community, and offering a wholesome lifestyle to our guests and colleagues.

We have recently implemented a water filtration system within the hotel, and by the end of this year, we aim to remove all single-use plastic from guest experiences.

At the hotel, we are undergoing some refurbishments at our restaurants and improving the stay experiences for the guests through guestroom modifications, in-room and restaurant dining experiences, shuttle facilities and introducing more family-friendly concepts.

Our commercial team is actively strengthening the relationship with our business partners while successfully adding new ones. In addition, we are increasing our brand and business footprints in international feeder markets and focusing on consistent communication with regional and international media.

Aligning our offerings more to the brand concepts of Vitality, Sustainability and Craftsmanship, I am determined that we will be able to remind and encourage our guests that ‘Life is a Journey. Live it well’.”

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