The Monarch Dubai UAE

With a soft launch opening that has gone on for several months, tantalising pundits keen to experience their five-star deluxe offering, the personalized service unfolds the moment guests arrive at the airport and are escorted away from the madding crowds by limousine to their rooms, all of which are the amongst the most spacious in Dubai. "We would like to think we have conceptualized something with longevity that is doing well now and will continue to do so tomorrow. This is not like your corporate branded hotel which may be spreading throughout the region cookie cutterlike", says Henning, a newcomer to the region with extensive global hospitality experience in the some of the same hotel chains he wishes the Monarch Dubai to be different from. 

From the second you are greeted by your own butler on call 24/7, it's evident that the stringent 3:1 staff to room ratio is an indulgence that would not be difficult getting used to. "We are not a volume hotel; we will never be a volume hotel because of our limited number of rooms, but we differentiate ourselves with the product - which is quite spectacular - as well as with the level of service which we have introduced," he adds. And with a value addition such as a complimentary two-hour meeting room facility for impromptu business occasions to help put work pressures at bay, his claims to uniqueness ring true.

Fries adds that the property, owned by Kuwaiti Refad Hotels and Resorts, was aiming for "the very sophisticated, well-travelled clientele with a high expectation of service". Strolling into the grandiose lobby yields an enticing vision of glass and mahogany, which certainly lends a majestic air to the entire property on 33 floors. Both a business hotel and an urban city leisure enclave, the business facilities are world class. With a dedicated centre that has 13 meeting rooms, two boardrooms, an open-plan business area, separate offices and conference butlers, as well as high-speed wireless Internet and the latest audio-visual conference aids too, it's obvious as to why the Monarch Dubai is attracting the hallowed level of clientele and repeat clients that it does. In his view, this is necessary. "Whereas other properties have the support of a brand which is already established, we do not, so we have to establish the brand first, which makes it all the more interesting and all the more challenging for us to come into the competitive market of Dubai with a brand that is quite unknown." With a second hotel of the newly founded group known as 'The Square' in Dubai Media City, Fries is building a team that is service focussed, well trained and committed to the hotel.

With Teutonic precision, every step of the hospitality experience unfurls seamlessly. From the dinner at the soon to be opened Empire uber luxe restaurant presided over by the ebullient Chef Axel, to the Indonesian spa experience to rival Dubai's more established global players, the Monarch Dubai is conquering with its understated class. "The trend towards themed or celebrity associated hotels and partnering up with brands is an attempt at differentiation and a passing fad" he says, "One that we do not feel the need to capitulate to." Small touches like 'lift-boys' evokes a yearning for service one seldom sees anymore, as hoteliers becomes slaves to the dreaded 'Return On Investment' strictures. "Our principals take a long term view on their investments which is a good thing, as getting it right takes time. Only then it will make money for its shareholders", he concludes.