The approach that Van Opsal encourages in his staff
is to place value on personal attention to the guests,
“This business is not about buildings, it’s about a
feeling of service. Starwood is setting itself apart
in this regard. We have fantastic staff training, but
overall, I think it is the nature of the staff that we hire
that sets us apart”.
“Although Abu Dhabi has had less international
PR than Dubai, the pace of development has now
really picked up. Things like the Formula 1 and the
introduction of the first branches of the Guggenheim
and the Louvre on Sadiyaat Island will only serve
to increase international recognition of Abu Dhabi,
not only as a business destination, but as a tourism
destination par excellence. This can only be good for
the hotel industry.”
Van Opsal continues with recounting a story in which
he received a phone call from a guest who had stayed
in the hotel twenty years previously, marvelling about
the fact that a member of staff had remembered his
name, and had greeted him as if he had only been
there recently.
Despite a recent drop in room rates, suffered across
the sector due to a multitude of hotel rooms coming
online in the past year, the general manager is very
positive about the outlook for the industry in Abu
Dhabi.
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