Continuing an iconic tradition
When it first opened in 1975, the Intercontinental Dubai was the largest building for miles around. Now, in 2007, Intercontinental Hotels Group have launched three brand new properties at Creekside in Dubai Festival City, aiming to continue the iconic tradition that the original hotel has built up in the area...
The InterContinental Dubai Festival City is a wonderful example of how modern architecture on the outside can be combined with beautifully furnished insides to create a truly iconic design.
With 500 stylish rooms including 121 suites, three Presidential Suites and one Royal Suite across 36 floors, the InterContinental Dubai Festival City offers stunning views of the historic Dubai Creek, city skyline or Festival Waterfront Centre, the world-class shopping centre. The brief for the design of the InterContinental Dubai Festival City focussed on the existing customer base of the hotel and the company. IHG told Hotel Spec what the original intentions were: "Interior designer Daniel Leong from Lim Teo and Wilkes Interior Design was given the brief for the new properties which infused the IHG brand standards of quality with local ethnic flavours. The look and feel of the properties was intended to reflect the InterContinental clientele; smart, luxurious, astute. As well as this the design was meant to welcome and familiarise Arabic and Indian guests along with Western travellers, creating a balance between each region. The Arabic flavours were demonstrated with subtle, indirect materials such as crystal studded lounge chairs to represent a lady's dress, or the shape of the lobby representing an Arabic ship. The overall concept of the InterContinental Hotels Group Properties was to have clean and modern looking hotels with an Arabic feel for the international traveller."
The hotel is part of a three-pronged development in Festival City, and sits alongside Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City and the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City. All of the hotels were soft launched in November and December of 2007, having gone from concept to completion in an incredible three years. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) have described the simultaneous opening of three hotels in the same location as the largest project in their history - and the celebrations don't end there, as InterContinental Dubai Festival City is the 150th InterContinental hotel to open worldwide.
In an area with so much development, a hotel has to fight hard to be seen and heard above the construction clamour. The InterContinental Dubai Festival City builds on an already formidable reputation to achieve this: "In 1975 InterContinental Dubai opened as the first Five Star hotel in Dubai. At the time this was the largest building for miles around, and the signature hotel of the region. The hotel survived for a period as a local landmark and example of true quality, so the new developments within Dubai Festival City will already have a following and a name for itself in Dubai. The location of InterContinental Dubai Festival City on the Dubai Creek does not simply provide terrific views across the water, but a link to the cultural past of the city. This was the place Dubai came to life as a Pearl farming community, and supplied the industry of the area as a means of transporting goods.
"Another main significance of the location of the hotel is the connection with the 2.1 million square feet retail resort, Festival Waterfront Centre. As a mixed-use development, Dubai Festival City has much to offer guests all year round. With over 550 retail outlets and 90 restaurants and cafés directly connected to the InterContinental Dubai Festival City and Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City, along with a 12 screen cinema complex, luxury 100 berth marina, and two 18-hole championship golf courses nearby, there are plenty of activities for all.
"Also connected to InterContinental and Crowne Plaza is an impressive 3,800 sqm event centre. Across two levels, two large ballrooms and pre-function rooms can accommodate 1,600 guests, or be broken down into eight smaller meeting rooms able to service anything from smaller VIP board meetings to a reception style banquet."
Integrating the hotel into the Festival City setting was another great concern. The debate about whether a hotel should be the focal point in a mixed-use development or whether it should blend seamlessly in is something that was very much at the forefront of the thinking behind the design: "Billed as a ‘World-Class Waterfront Lifestyle Resort', Dubai Festival City is set to become a ‘must-visit' destination for Dubai's residents and tourists. 2.1 million square feet of retail space sit side by side with entertainment and leisure facilities such as a golf course and luxury marina, commercial areas, residential apartments and now more than 1,000 luxury hotel rooms created by the opening of three new properties from InterContinental: InterContinental Dubai Festival City, Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City and InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City. The Residence Suites are a first for InterContinental Hotels Group in the UAE, and are specially designed to cater for the needs of extended-stay guests. These residences offer superbly appointed rooms, extensive conferencing and sporting facilities and outstanding restaurants as standard, but their walking-distance proximity to an 18-hole championship golf course and a shopping centre which features more than 500 of the world's top retailers adds a whole new dimension to their profile.
"By any stretch of the imagination, opening three new properties on one individual site represents a huge investment, and it is a graphic demonstration of InterContinental's confidence in expansion with particular emphasis on hotel-enhanced mixed-use developments. The group has recognised that developments of this kind can make new hotels economically feasible and, as already discussed, they can reap the benefits of custom which comes from the residential, leisure, retail and business sectors of the site."
The InterContinental Dubai Festival City offers guests sports and recreational facilities for their every need. The leisure deck includes an outdoor 25-metre pool, children's splash pool and three outdoor spa pools, and a state of the art gym that sports the latest fitness equipment including the Kinesis ‘free weights' range.
In addition, two splendid food and beverage outlets opened with the hotel; the international Anise and scenic Vista. Anise is a world-food restaurant catering to a total sensory experience, integrating the diner into the kitchen. Cuisine from all over the world is prepared and served from live cooking stations around the restaurant, keeping diners on the edge of their seat with excitement. This large and luxurious Vista lobby lounge and bar curves the Creek side of the hotel, framing stunning views across the water, and also the striking silhouette of the towers and skyscrapers of Sheikh Zayed Road. Vista Lounge is a place to sit and enjoy exquisite decor, the impeccable amazing views, and sample delicious and funky beverages at the bar which appears to be floating above the promenade at the edge of the infinity pool. Once fully operational, the hotel will feature eight superb restaurants and eateries, including the much anticipated ‘Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire'. Set to be the sixth restaurant in the three star Michelin chef's repertoire, ‘Reflets' will be an example of exceptional taste in every fashion. 
The bedrooms and bathrooms of any hotel are also incredibly important - and in a hotel with a wide range of Executive Suites, the InterContinental is no different. London-based Terry McGinnity, executive director of GA Design International, was selected from a list of prestigious names and entrusted with creating the perfect mini-havens for InterContinental guests in need of relaxation or simply time to work in peace. McGinnity is known for his focus on luxury materials, balancing a luxurious look with practicality and modern designs. "Using richer materials but along cleaner planes enabled me to effectively bring in the feel of luxury that this region loves so much, without actually compromising on the clean forms and steering clear of overly decorative elements," said McGinnity. "By keeping the detailing clean and simple this emphasises the luxury of the materials used, from high-gloss Macassar ebony to the linen-panelled walls." Simplicity also carries through the decor, as all surfaces have been freed of lamps, literature, phones etc to provide a calm and uncluttered ambiance. The local market remains key to rooms design, a series of sliding screen doors and walls combine to give maximum flexibility and privacy allowing the guest to close off areas such as the entry hall so that Room Service can wheel in and leave a tray without disturbing guests.
Designing a hotel to a set of standards that conform to one brand's vision can be a difficult task. Luckily, IHG offered the designers of InterContinental Hotels Group the ability to offer an individual creative touch: "Brand standards give a direction to designers and guidelines for them to start from. Creativity is often appreciated, and has definitely been encouraged by InterContinental Hotels Group Dubai Festival City, however a consistency of certain factors is always implied when working with a brand such as this one. Quality is one such of these. Guests familiar with the InterContinental brand in particular expect quality designs and furnishings throughout their experience with us, and these expectations are at the center of the design process. Other branded consistency, such as sophisticated yet homely tones and textures carry through our three properties. The guest should feel comfortable and confident when staying with us. Our guests tend to expect a certain standard, from doorknobs to bath tubs.
"Further details such as uniforms and design detail have a brand standard of quality which IHG adds. As InterContinental wishes guests to acquire a totally enriching experience from their stay, encountering as much of the surrounding region into their stay as possible, the uniforms of colleagues aim to encapsulate this. They are heavily influenced by the surroundings, bringing tones, textures and designs of Arabic culture to the hotel outlets, spa and front office staff. The hotel design itself as well as furnishings and artwork chosen to compliment the ambience all add to the cultural appeal of the Middle East, InterContinental Dubai Festival City an experience as well as a luxurious destination."
Making the venue an experience as well as a luxurious destination was a task that had to take into account the cultural differences that exist in the Middle Eastern region. IHG described the difficulties involved: "InterContinental Hotels Group are the largest hotels company, with hotels in the most countries of the world. As such the group has become aware of the cultural needs and differences in particular regions, and the Middle East is no exception. From a design aspect, intimate requirements had to be adhered to during the room layouts to ensure that every room would have practical considerations for the Middle Eastern guest, as well as incorporating these into a design that other global travellers could utilise.
"Specifically, the bathrooms needed to ensure that guests sharing a room could have total privacy if needed. The bathrooms and hallways of the rooms can both be made into separate interlocking zones through the use of sliding doors. This can provide privacy, for instance, for guests to receive room service, or for use of the bathroom facilities without disturbing someone in the main area of the room. Another feature of the design is to make the mini bar a removable unit, so the room can be prepared as per the requirements of an individual guest.
"Designers had the task of creating a balance between functionality and modernity with the privacy and conservative nature Middle Eastern guests require. The specifications and features of our hotels rooms and attention to detail have held this in mind, and created surroundings to suit a multitude of cultural preferences."
Middle Eastern tourism is showing no signs of dying. As the first article in this issue of Hotel Spec shows, the year-on-year growth of the hotel industry in the Middle East, and Dubai in particular, is something that is unlikely to subside. This is something that IHG agree with: "The tourism industry in Dubai continues to experience phenomenal growth year on year. The Dubai government anticipates that by 2010, more than 15 million tourists are expected to arrive in Dubai, compared to five million visitors in 2003. In line with this massive influx, it is anticipated that there will be a need for 70,000 to 80,000 hotel rooms by the end of the decade.
"The country is set to sustain its boom in the tourism industry. Whether it is business or leisure tourism, the industry is growing at rapid rates. In terms of hotel occupancy rates, Dubai has been a top performer with the highest occupancy rates in the region, and among highest in the world with a reported occupancy rate of 86 per cent in 2006, compared to 82.7 per cent in New York, and 80 per cent in Singapore.
"This development within Middle East and the UAE particularly, is extremely important within the objectives of the InterContinental Hotels Group globally, with a company goal of a net organic growth of 60,000 rooms by 2008.
"Dubai has also caught on to the growing global trend of mixed-use developments, quite prevalent in other parts of the world. Most hotels now have a direct link to shopping centres, and in a city like Dubai which was subjected to seasonal visitors, this is a big plus as now Dubai attracts visitors from all around the world 365 days of the year. Having hotels attached to other multi feature facilities such as shopping malls, entertainment centres, spas and health clubs helps to eliminate the seasonality and weather factors and provides enough activities and ‘things-to-do' for all types of international travellers.
"Our reputation in the market is very positive and with the openings of InterContinental Dubai Festival City, Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City and the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City, we will reaffirm our commitment to supporting the development of the hospitality sector and further consolidate our position as the largest hotel operator in the Middle East," said Tom Meyer, Area General Manager, IHG Dubai Festival City. With the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City now open for bookings from November this year, the property has re-confirmed the enormous demand for this type of upscale, extended residential accommodation as the market in Dubai continues to mature and diversify. The three properties together will cater to all segments of the market - whether it is leisure, business, MICE, or extended stay."
Issues like sustainability and global warming are obviously important to any new design and this is no different with the InterContinental Dubai Festival City. "The upcoming properties have been fitted out with the latest in environmentally efficient equipment and fixtures. Water conservation is a core element of the hotels' role in the environmental effort and all toilets, showerheads, and faucets are specially designed to help save water.
"An aggressive recycling program will be practiced at all three hotels. Even before the hotels open their doors to its first guests, boxes and other packaging material that remain after countless deliveries, are being separated and recycled. All team members will recycle waste from the back of house and guestrooms, including daily newspapers, bottles and cans. Guests staying for more than one night will have the option of participating in the water and air pollution prevention effort by having their sheets and towels replaced less frequently. Energy conservation programs at the hotels will receive similar consideration. One of the examples given by Tom Meyer, Area General Manager: "Modern construction materials withstand Dubai weather conditions easily, the InterContinental Hotels Group projects at Dubai Festival City properties are much heavier on air conditioning than hotels in other parts of the world and incorporate a system to slow down the velocity of the air entering the properties to increase the efficiency of the cooling facilities".
"The true strength of InterContinental Hotels Group, Dubai Festival City environmental effort lies in the staff education program. Before the hotels open, every employee will participate in environmental information sessions and workshops to heighten their awareness of the environment. Informing the staff how committed all three hotel brands are to the environment will be a key factor in the continuation and improvement of hotels' waste management and conservation efforts making InterContinental Dubai Festival City an experience as well as a luxurious destination."
Making the venue an experience as well as a luxurious destination was a task that had to take into account the cultural differences that exist in the Middle Eastern region. IHG described the difficulties involved: "InterContinental Hotels Group are the largest hotels company, with hotels in the most countries of the world. As such the group has become aware of the cultural needs and differences in particular regions, and the Middle East is no exception. From a design aspect, intimate requirements had to be adhered to during the room layouts to ensure that every room would have practical considerations for the Middle Eastern guest, as well as incorporating these into a design that other global travellers could utilise.
"Specifically, the bathrooms needed to ensure that guests sharing a room could have total privacy if needed. The bathrooms and hallways of the rooms can both be made into separate interlocking zones through the use of sliding doors. This can provide privacy, for instance, for guests to receive room service, or for use of the bathroom facilities without disturbing someone in the main area of the room. Another feature of the design is to make the mini bar a removable unit, so the room can be prepared as per the requirements of an individual guest.
"Designers had the task of creating a balance between functionality and modernity with the privacy and conservative nature Middle Eastern guests require. The specifications and features of our hotels rooms and attention to detail have held this in mind, and created surroundings to suit a multitude of cultural preferences."
Middle Eastern tourism is showing no signs of dying. As the first article in this issue of Hotel Spec shows, the year-on-year growth of the hotel industry in the Middle East, and Dubai in particular, is something that is unlikely to subside. This is something that IHG agree with: "The tourism industry in Dubai continues to experience phenomenal growth year on year. The Dubai government anticipates that by 2010, more than 15 million tourists are expected to arrive in Dubai, compared to five million visitors in 2003. In line with this massive influx, it is anticipated that there will be a need for 70,000 to 80,000 hotel rooms by the end of the decade.
"The country is set to sustain its boom in the tourism industry. Whether it is business or leisure tourism, the industry is growing at rapid rates. In terms of hotel occupancy rates, Dubai has been a top performer with the highest occupancy rates in the region, and among highest in the world with a reported occupancy rate of 86 per cent in 2006, compared to 82.7 per cent in New York, and 80 per cent in Singapore. This development within Middle East and the UAE particularly, is extremely important within the objectives of the InterContinental Hotels Group globally, with a company goal of a net organic growth of 60,000 rooms by 2008.
"Dubai has also caught on to the growing global trend of mixed-use developments, quite prevalent in other parts of the world. Most hotels now have a direct link to shopping centres, and in a city like Dubai which was subjected to seasonal visitors, this is a big plus as now Dubai attracts visitors from all around the world 365 days of the year. Having hotels attached to other multi feature facilities such as shopping malls, entertainment centres, spas and health clubs helps to eliminate the seasonality and weather factors and provides enough activities and ‘things-to-do' for all types of international travellers.
"Our reputation in the market is very positive and with the openings of InterContinental Dubai Festival City, Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City and the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City, we will reaffirm our commitment to supporting the development of the hospitality sector and further consolidate our position as the largest hotel operator in the Middle East," said Tom Meyer, Area General Manager, IHG Dubai Festival City. With the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City now open for bookings from November this year, the property has re-confirmed the enormous demand for this type of upscale, extended residential accommodation as the market in Dubai continues to mature and diversify. The three properties together will cater to all segments of the market - whether it is leisure, business, MICE, or extended stay."
Issues like sustainability and global warming are obviously important to any new design and this is no different with the InterContinental Dubai Festival City. "The upcoming properties have been fitted out with the latest in environmentally efficient equipment and fixtures. Water conservation is a core element of the hotels' role in the environmental effort and all toilets, showerheads, and faucets are specially designed to help save water. "An aggressive recycling program will be practiced at all three hotels. Even before the hotels open their doors to its first guests, boxes and other packaging material that remain after countless deliveries, are being separated and recycled. All team members will recycle waste from the back of house and guestrooms, including daily newspapers, bottles and cans. Guests staying for more than one night will have the option of participating in the water and air pollution prevention effort by having their sheets and towels replaced less frequently.
"Energy conservation programs at the hotels will receive similar consideration. One of the examples given by Tom Meyer, Area General Manager: "Modern construction materials withstand Dubai weather conditions easily, the InterContinental Hotels Group projects at Dubai Festival City properties are much heavier on air conditioning than hotels in other parts of the world and incorporate a system to slow down the velocity of the air entering the properties to increase the efficiency of the cooling facilities".
"The true strength of InterContinental Hotels Group, Dubai Festival City environmental effort lies in the staff education program. Before the hotels open, every employee will participate in environmental information sessions and workshops to heighten their awareness of the environment. Informing the staff how committed all three hotel brands are to the environment will be a key factor in the continuation and improvement of hotels' waste management and conservation efforts."