NAMED the Middle East’s Leading Airport Hotel at the 2013 World Travel Awards, Millennium Airport Hotel, Dubai is one of the earlier hotels to be established in the UAE. In the past few years, the hotel has been refurbishing in phases and extending to increase its guest capacity, while offering the very latest in technology, design and comfort.
The hotel recently renovate club rooms and add an additional new rooms to the previously existing 116, more than doubling the room inventory. In early January the hotel has completed an extended outside ‘Terrace’, which connects three of the hotels best-loved restaurants, Cactus Jack’s, Biggles British Pub and Gozo Garden.The hotel is still undergoing further expansion and by the second quarter next year, it plans to have finished a number of new food and beverage outlets, overlooking the swimming pool and extended Terrace, in addition to a new conference centre which will include a ballroom, capable of hosting up to 400 guests for a banquet as well as five smaller meeting rooms.
TTN caught up with general manager Simon Moore in the midst of all this activity for a quick word on Millennium Airport Hotel, Dubai.
What are your most important objectives and aims for this year?As a hotel we always want to increase both the guests and employee satisfaction by remaining consistent with our services and offer new and enhanced facilities. Happy employees perform best, which leads to an increase in guest satisfaction. At Millennium & Copthorne Hotels our aim is to become the employer of choice in hospitality; we believe that translates into increased revenues and obviously one of our most important objectives is to achieve and hopefully exceed the budgeted total hotel revenues and gross operating profit.
Which are Millennium Airport Hotel’s key source markets?Our key source markets are in line with the Dubai’s major source markets – these include visitors from the UK and the GCC.
Are you keener on leisure travellers or corporate visitors? What facilities do you have for each of these visitors?Our hotel is designed to suit both types of visitors. We have recently added an additional 225 rooms and suites to our inventory as well as a resort-style pool. Additionally, our new extensive conference and catering facility measuring up to a total of 1,400 sq m that will be completed later this year, this will enable us to position ourselves as a MICE destination. Additionally, by leveraging on DTCM’s continuous development of new markets, in support of the government’s efforts to achieve 20 million visitors by 2020, we would be able to secure and position the Hotel as one a key meetings, incentives, conferences and events (Mice) location in Dubai.
Do you have any special facilities for families with children?Oasis, our resort style outdoor pool is designed for leisure, holiday, recreation and families. Set in a well-maintained terraced landscape with extensive gardens and lawns surrounding the pool. We also have a children’s safe and secured recreational area with a sand-pit and play-ground is available.
Going forward, what are your plans for the summer months? Anything special for Ramadan on the cards? How are forward bookings looking?Ramadan is a period we take the utmost care in organising, we will offer all guests a promotion which includes Iftar of Sahour. We will also have our regional summer campaign which will run over the summer months and support our occupancy levels during this period.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of being located near the airport? How do you see your business grow after DWC becomes fully functional? The advantage to being so close to the airport is that we receive many business and transiting passengers. We are also in a prime location for leisure tourists looking to experience a more traditional stay in Dubai. It was very recently announced that Emirates will remain at Dubai International until at least 2020, so we have plenty of time to develop our business strategy post 2020.
The hotel has been recently refurbished – what are the areas in the hotel that are new? Are there plans of further refurbishment/expansion? We have opened 225 new rooms recently, inclusive of new superior rooms, club suites and executive suites. We will also have a new club lounge and ballroom with new meeting rooms and some new restaurants.
What is driving this expansion/refurbishment? We expect to benefit from the airport, business situated in this area of Dubai plus the expanding Dubai Airport Freezone, as well as the cargo terminal. All of these commercial entities are expanding and we are experiencing high demand as a result. The hotel is also well located for many of Dubai’s major attractions, so it not exclusively for guests looking for a convenient spot near the airport.
Have the effects of the refurbishment project started reflecting in bookings yet?Yes, so far we have seen a high demand for our new superior rooms and guests are willing to pay higher rates for the newly refurbished rooms with the improved amenities. Since their unveiling we have received very positive guest feedback and our guest satisfaction rate has increased. All of which when combined with our average rate and occupancy justifies the decision to increase our room inventory.
The free Tina Turner act and the pizza promotion at Da Vinci’s – what is the business idea behind these F&B promotions? Tina Turner is just one of a series of tribute acts that are performing at the hotel. We try and have a tribute act once a month, it’s always a great night and I am happy to say not only is it successful but it has fast become a staple of Biggles. The great energy they bring always has the audience up and dancing and the majority of the audience live in Dubai and come back for the next show and so on. We have recently transformed Da Vinci’s into a more “relaxed” family style Italian Trattoria. This decision came because we wanted a relaxed and family friendly restaurant. We have actually had over a guest chef, called Chef Manolo who has been working closely with the Da Vinci team to provide some additional entertainment. The reason we offer these promotions is to encourage not just hotel guests, but also those living in Dubai to visit the restaurants and bar, enjoy themselves and return.
