Sneak Peek: JW Marriott Marquis Dubai
General manager Rupprecht Queitsch tells Louise Oakley why the Emirates Group-owned JW Marriott Marquis Dubai hotel will bring the coveted global meetings and convention market to the destination
It is impossible to miss the soaring structure of Emirates Group’s upcoming Marriott hotel elevated high above Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road. When it opens in October 2012, the two-tower property will bring with it a series of accolades: it will be the first JW Marriott Marquis branded hotel in the Middle East; it will become the largest hotel in Dubai with 1608 rooms; and at a height of 355 metres, just 26 metres shorter than the Empire State Building, it will be the tallest dedicated hotel building in the world.
Once inside the hotel, highlights include two ballrooms of 1400m² and 1200m², the second highest bar in Dubai on the 71st floor; and a fine-dining outlet from celebrated Indian chef, Atul Kochhar.
But to focus on these features, impressive as they are, would be to bypass the main purpose of the hotel — that of bringing to Dubai a meetings, convention and events market of a scale never seen in the UAE before.
It is this specific goal, coupled with the strength of the Dubai market — last year, the city was one of the top five global RevPar performers worldwide with occupancies averaging 75.4% (STR) — that justifies the significant room inventory.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that the general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has been GM in the world’s leading MICE destinations, namely New York, Paris, London and Berlin.
A 40-year veteran of the hotel industry, German national Rupprecht Queitsch is, in his own words, “a little bit different than your average general manager”.
Hotelier is inclined to agree; in a sneak preview and behind the scenes tour of the hotel in February, Queitsch avoided the usual hotel USP spiel and instead focused on discussing the growth of Dubai as a tourism and business destination and revealing the value of the MICE sector in more mature destinations, cleverly setting the scene for JW Marriott Marquis in the market here.
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Queitsch alludes first to the US market, where the MICE sector contributed $106 billion to the country’s GDP in 2011, higher than the automotive manufacturing industry.
“[There are] 1.8 million corporate business meetings taking place in the US, with $26 billion spent,” he says.
“Emirates Group has recognised this and increased flights to the US non-stop, it will be seven flights very soon, they’re adding Seattle and Dallas, so it’s a great success.
In 2011, there was more American business coming to Dubai than in 2010 — the year-to-date September 2011 figure was more than the entire 2010 [numbers] so the growth of US business is really impressive,” says Queitsch.
He continues: “Other key markets are obviously Europe, I love the European meetings market, there’s a lot of pharmaceutical, automotive, consulting, it’s a powerful meetings market in Europe, I think we know it vey well, we have 180 hotels in Europe, we can network with those resources, we can work with them, and its not a secret that having worked in Paris I love the destination and I know the potential behind it”.
Know the competition
Queitsch’s first-hand knowledge of these cities is powerful — his aim is to compete with markets such as New York, Las Vegas and Paris for convention business, which may not previously have come to Dubai on account of limited facilities.
“This hotel is perfectly built and designed for the business traveller and conventions,” he asserts.
“I’m not saying that just for Dubai, I have lived in Paris for six years, Paris is the largest convention meeting place worldwide and I managed the largest Marriott hotel in Europe, so I know a little bit about the meetings business,” he says, smiling.
“This hotel has facilities that can match a lot of the facilities in Europe and Asia so it is not only a key hotel in the Dubai market, but we also compete with all kinds of destinations.”
He reveals an example of a piece of business won by JW Marriott Marquis already from a group that Queitsch doesn’t think would have considered Dubai previously.
“We booked a piece of business recently, 700 rooms, five nights…this business would not have come. When I dealt with this group, we were in competition with Berlin, Lisbon and Madrid. We were not competing [with hotels in Dubai]. We are creating something new.
“They will spend millions of dirhams, not only in our hotel but they’re going to use transport, they’re going to go into the desert, with 265 4x4s, they’re going to go shopping, to restaurants.
There are a lot of benefits from this,” asserts Queitsch.
“We work very closely with DTCM and the Convention Bureau. We are good friends with them already. There is a big demand already coming through the convention bureau for large business. They said this is the perfect match,” he continues.
“Another resource we have is the Marriott convention system; we have a convention connection called Innovation. All major convention hotels worldwide are connected in the system. We know if there is an 800-room convention in Las Vegas, and we would love to knock on their door and say ‘next time you have a meeting, you come to Dubai’.”
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Faith in Dubai
Queitsch’s argument is compelling and he is confident of filling the 1608 rooms he will be in charge of.
“[Look at] Dubai’s [development] — the Dubai airport growth [of] 8% increase in volume, 51 million passengers going through from key markets of India, UK, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar, Germany and US — how much better can it get?
“This is what we are here for, this is our market, this is a huge convention market. This is where we need to put Dubai and our hotel on the map obviously and say we can receive and hold [these groups].”
Again, Queitsch relies on the numbers to back him up: there are 215 destinations out of Dubai with 150 airlines offering a huge potential. Add to this the cruise market, which he recalls has grown from one ship in 1993 with 703 passengers to 135 ships in 2011 with 375,000 passengers.
What is crucial for hotel operators, says Queitsch, is that each hotel identifies its target market within “the wealth of business around us”.
“People need to know what market they’re in…leisure, corporate…there’s always a purpose for each business. You have to know your purpose.
Our purpose is very clear, and I think we are in a very good position. The other hotels have to worry about their purpose and their mission but I think if you look at this volume coming in through the airport you just have to go fishing and hook it, it’s not that complicated. But there is enough coming, no question and not only today but in the future,” he asserts.
Significantly for the JW Marriott Marquis, adds Queitsch, is the transformation underway in the type of guest coming to Dubai. It is no longer as simple as categorising people as either business or leisure.
“Here’s an interesting trend for Dubai — you find today’s business guest is also a leisure guest. They come here for business and they go to the beach afterwards, go shopping, while the leisure person still does business on his computer. The prediction is that in 2015, in this destination, business purpose travellers will outpace the leisure travellers.
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“That is a powerful message and if that is true we are rightly positioned, by that time we will be [firing] on all cylinders and ready for all these business people coming to town,” Queitsch concludes.
His persuasive powers have certainly set the scene and it is arguable that the opening of JW Marriott Marquis Dubai in quarter four will signal yet another new era for Dubai’s tourism industry.
With the backing of Emirates Group and the global distribution power of Marriott International, the potential is there to do for Business Bay what Atlantis did for Palm Jumeirah four years ago. And winning business from key cities worldwide would do wonders for Dubai’s reputation as a MICE destination, elevating it to an entirely new level.
If Queitsch can get the right sales team, who’s to doubt the hotel’s potential? Maybe this general manager will even be able to silence the naysayers, at least for the while.
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Hotel highlights
Rooms
• 1608 rooms and suites:
• 882 king-size rooms.
• 486 double rooms
• 236 club suites
• 4 royal two-level suites
Food and beverage
• La Farine, Boulangerie located on the ground floor
• All-day dining, international cuisine with a capacity of 350 seats
• Positano Italian coastal cuisine, 134 seats
• Thai restaurant, 195 seats
• Rang Mahal Indian restaurant, celebrating Chef Atul Kochhar with a capacity of 167 seats
• Music lounge, restaurant and lounge with a capacity of 262 seats
• Prime 68, steakhouse, fine dining located on the 68th floor with a capacity of 102 seats
• The Vault, located on the 71st floor and with a capacity of 120 seats
• Japanese restaurant, 86 seats
• Lebanese restaurant, 334 seats
• Events restaurant, 225 seats
• Wine bar and a sports bar
Meeting space highlights
• Two ballrooms with high ceilings: Dubai and Emirates comprising 1400m² and 1200m² respectively, one in each tower
• 24 breakout meeting rooms
• 5100m² of total event space
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About Rupprecht Queitsch
Munich-born Rupprecht Queitsch has been a general manager for 23 years. His first GM role was at Hamburg Marriott in 1989 and in 1992, he became general manager at the New York Marriott Financial Centre Hotel in New York City.
He has headed up a range of hotels in Europe: Amsterdam Marriott, Renaissance Prague Hotel, Prague Marriott Hotel, Marriott Executive Apartments Prague, Berlin Marriott Hotel, Paris Marriott Champs Elysees and Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel and Convention Centre.
Wherever he is based, Queitsch endeavours to forge strong ties within the local community.
He is a past president of the Lions Club in Prague, a member of the Skal Club and the Chaine des Rotisseurs and has been a Member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic and France, where he was elected vice president of the chamber in 2007.