DUBAI: One of the World’s Most Exciting Countries for New Hotel Developments
In this article by Ted Horner and Floor Bleeker, they describe the increasing amount of tourism in the country of Dubai. Dubai is located in the Middle East and is "the commercial hub of the world’s top oil-exporting region" (Horner, Bleeker, 2007). However, Dubai's oil industry is only 3% of their gross domestic product. Tourism is the largest industry in Dubai and is continuing to grow. In the coming years Dubai will support over 60 luxury hotels , 4,000 residential villas not to mention waterhomes, shoreline apartments, water parks, restaurants, marinas, malls, and health spas that are being constructed in the next twelve years. The biggest hotel company that is making an impression on this region is Jumeirah, an international hospitality management company who specializes in luxury hotels. Their two most famous hotels in this region are Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. They use technology to satisfy the guest and make their experience as personal as possible. They have a philosophy called StayDifferent that incorporates two systems in the hotel. One is CRM and the other in-room technology. They created a central hub that incorporates information about the guest that comes from PMS systems, their rewards and recognition program, and restaurant reservations system. They want to create as personal an experience as possible and they use this information to determine your favorite type of pillow from their Burj Al Arab pillow menu. Their in-room technology is used in different ways in their different hotels because they want to create a different experience in each. In the Jumeirah Business Bay Hotel, they note your favorite channel on TV and that channel will always come up first when you turn the television on. Their in-room technology is user-friendly and eco-friendly by using motion detectors for lighting and MP3 plug ins to play the guest's music in any room including the bathroom.
I think that this article is fascinating both from a technology standpoint as well as the future of hotels. I have heard a lot about Dubai in passing and their creativity in both restaurant and hotel development. Jumeirah seems to have been a leader in CRM programs and taking these systems to the limit of what they are capable of. I think it is interesting that they have different uses of the in-room technology in their different hotels to create more personal experiences. They don't want guests to have the same experiences with the same "tricks" at all of their hotels. Jumeirah uses the same standards and principles as an umbrella for their personalized service. I think this makes the guests appreciate the individual hotels and how they cater to their target market. They have taken CRM systems to the next level as well. They interface all of their programs with the CRM system so they get as much information as possible about each guest. Even the restaurant systems bring in information including their food preferences. I would be very impressed by a hotel that knew preferences of mine without asking. I'm looking forward to seeing with this company comes up with in the future in the luxury hotels sector.
Horner, T, & Bleeker, F (2007). Dubai: One of the World's Most Exciting Countries for New Hotel Development. Hospitality Upgrade, Fall 2007, Retrieved March 1, 2008, from http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_files/File_Articles/HUFall07_DubaiExcitingNewHotelDevelopments_Horner.pdf.
3 comments:
Great summary and commenting Sara! I think it’s so interesting how other countries are trying to use technology in their hotels compared to the United States. I had no clue that Dubai was growing in the hospitality business, let alone that tourism was the largest industry. I hope they do a follow up article about what kind of in-room technology they are planning to install in the hotels besides motion detectors and MP3 plug-ins. Also, I hope that they utilize more sensor technology than just for lighting. It’s good to hear that they are being eco-friendly!
I will never forget watching a show on the Discovery channel about the famous hotel in Dubai a couple of years ago and how fascinated I was at the trends they had started. I really enjoyed reading this article to see how much more advanced Dubai is since I watched that television show. I think is it extremely important to pay close attention to the trends of other hotels worldwide. I think in this industry people often forget the advancements in other countries and focus just on their own country. We need to be aware of the success of hotels in other countries, because before we know they could be coming to our own country and taking over.
I really liked this article because I have been very intrigued by the hotel development in Dubai for a while now. I like that with all of the new CRM technology that is available many hotels are really starting to pick up their game, as pointed out by the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel. I also like that they use the technology to satisfy the guest and are not using it to the point of scaring or overwhelming the guest. It is the small touches, like having the TV set to your favorite station and making sure that your pillow preference is in your room, that really make a difference and let you know that the hotel is truly doing their best to accommodate you and take care of you.
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