Hyatt Regency aims for quality

THE new general manager at Hyatt Regency Dubai & Galleria has been shaking up the system at the iconic deluxe hotel located on the Deira Corniche in Dubai. The hotel is within walking distance of the UAE’s largest gold Souk (traditional Arabian market), commercial shopping areas and is just 15 minutes from the Dubai International Airport. The metro station (green line) is located a few steps away from the hotel.

Fathi Khogaly joined the team earlier this year as the new general manager of the hotel. An Egyptian national, with extensive work experience of more than 25 years within Hyatt and the UAE, Khogaly has been attempting to make the business more profitable, which is a challenge because of the average year-round occupancy is already at a high 90 per cent.

On a coffee meeting, he tells TTN: “Occupancy is actually a very good question to talk about because you see the growth of Emirates airline and Dubai as a touristic hub. With the increase in tourists, the occupancy has gone up.

“I think the entire city is almost touching 85 to 90 per cent of occupancy as a whole. But we at Hyatt Regency are always above 90 per cent throughout the year. I have a daily report of all the three Hyatt properties in Dubai and can see the numbers for the last five days have been 100 per cent. You can see this  number has become normal for us.

“This year, however, the thrust is not on pushing the occupancy higher than, say 90 per cent. We plan to just hold on to the number we reached last year. You just cannot have the occupancy at 100 per cent all the time simply because it’s not human to be able to function at 100 per cent capacity every day. We need to take the focus off occupancy and shift it to the quality of our service and offerings.”

Hyatt Regency Dubai is centrally located, close to the business district and a variety of shopping malls. The Hyatt standards of customer service make Hyatt Regency Dubai an ideal hotel, whether travelling for business or pleasure. Great views of the city skyline with sea-view are a feature of all 414 spacious guestrooms and suites.

After an ambitious two-year renovation of the hotel, guests are presented with a new brighter lobby. All guestrooms feature warm natural tones and the increased meeting room facilities clearly demonstrate the transformation of Hyatt Regency Dubai into a modern and stylish haven for the business and leisure traveller.

The hotel provides a selection of nine flexible function rooms in addition to the hotel’s superb newly remodelled Crystal Ballroom, which can host up to 1,200 people. This multifunctional ballroom can be divided for smaller gatherings, such as weddings, conferences, exhibitions or boardroom meetings. A lush green venue, Golf Park is available for outdoor events. Further, the hotel has hosted over 5000 weddings since its opening.

Recently the hotel introduced, ‘Al Markaz’, a unique and contemporary high-end flexible business enclave with a “residential feel” for meetings, events as well as social gatherings has been introduced at the property. Al Markaz means ‘The Centre’ in Arabic. It is a place enhanced with latest technology, smart layouts and offers six meeting suites complete with wi-fi and iPod docking stations. A central lounge with free flowing space, including an open kitchen area, adds to the “residential feel”.

The hotel recently redid its Italian restaurant into an intimate business area. “This is because business requirements keep on changing. Dubai already has more than 3,000 restaurants. Our hotel requires more meeting space, more than it does restaurants.

“If I open a new hotel today, it will not be the same as I would have planned three years ago.” Today’s hotels need not have more than two restaurants, but a lot of business areas and meeting rooms and facilities, says the Egyptian national.

“Actually we are so lucky to be in Dubai. When other Hyatt general managers know you’re a GM in Dubai, they are jealous! The local government is keen to bring tourists into the land, the visa rules are simple, the infrastructure great and political situation calm; it’s much easier to get business here in Dubai than, for instance, in the rest of the Middle East.”