Palatial resident
Frenchman Olivier Louis enjoys being general manager at the Palace of the Royal Mirage in Dubai because he can be both an ambassador and a hotelier.
Because of the guaranteed year-round sunshine here, it's easy to get up early and feel positive. I'm up by 6am, and the best part of the day is breakfast with my wife and two boys before they go to school. We usually have cereal, toast, juice and coffee.
Then they head off 15km in one direction to school and I drive off 15km the other way. Driving to work is a pleasure, however, as there is little congestion and I think Dubai must have the best roads in the world.
By 7.45am, I'm at the Palace and doing a quick round to chat with the night manager, rooms division manager and switchboard manager before going in to a daily operations meeting at 8.30am. In the meeting, we discuss details such as arriving VIPs, allocation of rooms, guest requests and pick-ups from the airport.
Some 80% of our guests come from Europe and about 25% from the UK alone. There is a strong bond between Dubai and the UK, and the modern oil and gas link strengthens that.
The people here really are friendly, too. After 11 September, the Western press painted such a bad picture of Arabs. Like everyone, we suffered a big aftershock in cancelled reservations. In September, October and November, occupancy fell by 40%.
The World Travel Market was a great chance to relaunch ourselves, however, and we did. Between Christmas and New Year, all 10 resorts on Jumeira Beach were completely full. In fact, December 2001 was better for us than the previous December. Occupancy was up by two percentage points and revenue rose by 10%.
Around mid-morning, I'll walk the property and talk to staff such as gardeners and pool attendants. This is a quick way to feel the pulse of the operation. Much of my day at the moment is taken up liaising with the design and building team, who are putting up two new properties beside us which will open in the autumn. These are the Arabian Court and the Residence and Spa. Both will offer more palatial luxury and amazing architecture, showing genuine Arabian culture.
Much of the day is spent on site, working with the engineers, designers and architects. I might stop for lunch at 2.30pm - usually a light meal of grilled fish and vegetables. For much of the rest of the day, I'll be doing administration. Most evenings, I am around for dinner and will often host a table for special guests. Around 25% of my job is dedicated to guest relations. I won't get home till midnight.
Because of the new openings, I spend a lot of time travelling around the world recruiting new staff. Some 80% of Dubai's population is expatriate. In our hotel alone, we have 34 different nationalities represented, and 20% of our management is British.
As I recruit 80% of all my staff, my biggest challenge is making sure that I pick the right people who will still want to be there a year later. I am offering them not just a job but a different way of life. The ideal candidate is aged 24-32, single and with a background in the hotel/restaurant business. In return, they work in a place with a great climate and infrastructure, almost no crime and they pay no tax. What could be better than that?
Palace of the Royal Mirage
Jumeira Beach, PO Box 37252, Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-399 99 99
Web site: www.royalmiragedubai.com
Owners: Dubai's ruling Makhtoum family
Management company: Sun International
Bedrooms: 250
Staff: 500
Turnover 2000-01: $35m (£24.5m)
Occupancy: 85%
Achieved average double room rates, 2001: low season, $285 (£200); high season, $325 (£228)
Just a minute…
What message do you have for Sheikh Makhtoum, Dubai's ruler?
Please keep on looking forward with vision and continue to be daring in what you allow the business sector to do.
Who would make up your ideal dinner party?
Half-a-dozen native Dubai subjects mixed with the same number of expats, so they could all get to know each other. My job is part-diplomat and I see my role as building bridges between people.
What has been the funniest moment in your job?
Everyone here wears the traditional dishdasha complete with the headgear [the ghutra and ghal]. When I first arrived, I was hosting a function but couldn't distinguish who was who, so I ended up treating everybody as if they were royalty.
