Burj al-Arab Casting Shade on the Persian Gulf
Dubai is home to some of the world’s most instantly recognizable hotels, but does the service measure up to the facilities? Some come close, but none I found merits the rarefied ranking of a real five-star. And that includes the iconic sail-shaped Burj al-Arab—which I prefer to call the Bourgeois à l’Arabe.
What distinguishes five-star from four-star service? The primary difference lies in the anticipation of a guest’s needs. A good hotel provides what you want before you know you want it. An example: You’re at a city hotel in, say, London, and step outside just as it begins to rain. Before you have to ask, the doorman offers an umbrella. Sure, any good four-star stocks umbrellas, but only the five-star will thrust one into your hand at the exact moment you need it, without your having to request it. Herein lies the problem.
Raffles Dubai Bedroom
Dubai’s hotels are staffed by inexperienced youths from developing countries, many of whom had never set foot inside a luxury hotel before working at one. Employers routinely take away their passports, and don’t allow them access to their earnings until they leave the country. They live in employer-provided dorms, get bused back and forth to work, labor six long days a week, and have no social lives. Few employees speak the same language and must attempt communication in English, their second or third language. Thus they can’t rely on shared cultural gestures and non-verbal cues: misunderstandings constantly occur. Workers don’t know basic hotel lingo, such as ‘feather pillow’ or ‘alarm clock,’ let alone ‘iPod docking station’ or ‘ethernet cable.’ How can you anticipate guests’ needs when you have no idea what they’re asking you?
Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) determines the star level of the city’s hotels, but the system is based entirely on facilities. Thus, many hotels in Dubai are classed as five-stars. But real classification systems by organizations such as Michelin and Forbes Travel (formerly Mobil), are based as much on service as facilities. This makes the third Michelin star, or fifth Forbes star, hard to get. You can’t fool a good inspector, even if you know he’s coming.
Lobby of the Burj al-Arab
When I inspected Dubai’s hotels, I worked like a Michelin or Forbes inspector, calling on my experience in the luxury-hotel business and considering service as well as facilities. I gave each hotel the benefit of the doubt by assuming it a five-star until it proved itself otherwise. Then I deducted points. I deducted a lot of points in Dubai.
Let’s take the Burj Al Arab, the hotel most famous for hyping itself as the world’s only ‘seven-star’ hotel. Psha, say I. To my eye, it barely achieves five. Why? The doorman was missing in action. Though a battalion of valets flanked the door, they remained frozen, arms at their sides, as I counted to 60 before finally opening the door myself. A small detail, yes, but the fifth star is entirely about small details. And for $3000 a night, there’s no room for mistakes such as this, one which a demanding guest would consider a discourtesy.
Raffles Dubai Lobby
The reason the valets didn’t open the front door is at the heart of why Dubai’s hotel service is weak: employees have no civil rights in the UAE and live in fear of losing their employer-sponsored work visas—which would result in immediate deportation to their poor-as-dirt home countries—thus they dare not go off script. The valet is hired to park cars, not open doors. But at a proper five-star, employees must be nimble, take initiative: honor first the guest, then the employee handbook.
If you feel like you're being watched in Dubai, just remember: You are.
The true measure of a hotel’s service lies in how it handles problems. Anyone can steer a ship in calm seas, but only a master can navigate a gale. Thus, I present complex service requests when I visit a hotel. I won’t reveal tactics, but I will say that the number-one property I found in Dubai was not the Burj al-Arab, but Raffles, which takes a more European approach to service. Fear not: You probably won’t have any problems with your Dubai hotel, unless you’re particularly demanding, in which case, please take notes and send them my way.
John A. Vlahides is a former member of Les Clefs d’Or, the international union of the world’s elite luxury-hotel concierges, and co-authored Lonely Planet Dubai City Guide, 4th ed. Copyright Lonely Planet. Please do not reproduce without permission.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
$3000 a night and they wouldn’t open the door for you? Yikes!
John, I live and work in Dubai in the Hospitality Industry and I find your quoted impression – ” inexperienced youths from developing countries, many of whom had never set foot inside a luxury hotel before working at one.of Dubai’s hotel industry” as very unfair. While the youth are from developing countries is true to an extent—-if u call hoteliers from India to be from a developing country …you have not seen India’s hotel standards—The Taj Group, Oberoi Hotels, Leela Hotels etc. India is growing at a 8-9 % and many hoteliers from the worldover are seeking a living there.
That apart , Dubai’s hotel service standards -in my opinion are as good OR as bad as anywhere else in the world. If you had gone around the many three and four star hotels in Dubai,you would have seen great service. Yes, because of costs hoteliers have to compromise on certain things but SERVICE…No, I don’t think any hotel in Dubai —save a few would compromise on service !!!
John, I would agree with you to some extent but not fully. I have been in Dubai since 2006 and have seen the level of service dropping which should have been otherwise growing. NOt only because of new hotel openings but also it was much needed during the recession times, as it was only the things on which you have to spend the least. And if i say the service levels in most of the hotels are appaling it would be an understatement. What i have noticed that Dubai or the Middle east market in whole is a product based market and less focussed on services. They make tall hotels with sharp designs with extravagant spendings but when it comes to provide training to the staff which you said correctly is mainly Asian (India, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka mainly) and a bit of east European and somewhat European., the operators pull thier hands out and hardly spends any money on the most important part of training. So I would not say that its the people who are lacking the skills but I strongly believe that its the lack of management’s initiative and thier willful blindedness form this topic.
I have seen and read in various hotel magazines and at least it made me happy that recently top managers are acknowleding and accepting this as a matter of concern. But what baffles me that being the top management they have still only acknowledged it and mostly probably because they wanted it featured in the top hotel magazines and get thier photo clicked in them. (definitely sounds good for a Resume).
I think everyone knows where they lack, but the problem is the knowing doing gap and no one has got the balls to stand out and take the lead and the people who does are not very much liked by the Management. ( I am sure this is going to change very soon )
Still there are few hotels which I would say that they are par at the service (Fairmont, Raffles, Royal ascot), actually three only. As they have spend ton of money on their training and staff development and certainly they have good facilities for staff and here i would like to emphasize that 40% of thier staff are of Asian origin.
The onother problem is the old school managers who are still in their dreams of good old days where the work used to done in “kiss up and kick down” way. They are lacking the actual leadership qualities and have reached the position either because of their passport or they are too old to be thrown away. (Too loyal to the company or they are the ones who have fired 5% staff in recission, happy for the owner)
I remember when the recission banged the doors in Dubai, the first thing the managers did was to make a list of the staff which they did not need (why they hired them at first place) and they cut on their training needs (when existed) and I am sure that no one except one or two would have said this in thier communication meetings as Department head or GM …………….” See guys it is a fact that recession is here and we have to do something about it. By next month I will need you guys to come up with detailed plans where we can cut our costs, maintain our standards and improve our services…..” . Few took it wrong and came back with in idea of dismissing the staffs (surely a great reduction in cost). I said ” Thanks for letting me know! and you dont have to come from tomorrow ..” and instead I fired this manager and kept the list which he made. Do not get me wrong if you remeber i asked ” Cutting unneccessary costs and maintain standards…” how would you do that without your staff. It as a fact that good hotels with great service in Dubai made more profit and money than they did in pre recession time and they did not fired any staff at all.
And what Manoj said needs no explanation, hotels in India are exceptionally good at service where in most of the hotels the management write this on thier slary slips ” This has been provided to you by your guests who are your bread and butter”. Most of them have 0 tolerance policy against guest complaints. I am also particularly sure about other countries such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia, etc. Yeah one problem is there which is that they lack thier skills in English, but then they have managers and supervisors who can take care of any problems quite confidently.
Also on your statement …..” You’re at a city hotel in, say, London, and step outside just as it begins to rain. Before you have to ask, the doorman offers an umbrella…..” well it does not rain much in Dubai. And the standards in Europe are certainly not as good as you have mentioned about them. They are infact just little bit better than of Dubai.
I hope the management will understand the need of training and the GM or owners will understand the need of training their managers and our Dubai hospitality will see some good leaders emerging.