< PreviousCAREERS HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 20 EMIRATISATION Emirates Airline recently announced a series of key appointments and rotations in its global commercial operations. With this latest announce- ment, Emirates’ commercial team now has 42 UAE nationals in leadership roles. More than 75% of them have been with the company for over 10 years, and most have gone through the Emirates Commercial Trainee programme for graduates, the company said in a statement. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer said: “The commercial organisation is responsible for delivering on our top-line results, which last year was close to AED100 billion. It’s a testimony to the bench strength within the organisation that our key commercial roles are being filled by internal talent who bring with them deep expertise and diverse experience. “I am confident that the team is well placed to deliver the best possible support to our customers, and to deliver on our business strategy, targets, and future growth.” Leading the airline’s commercial activities in markets across six continents, and reporting to Kazim are Salem Obaidalla, currently senior VP Aeropolitical & Industry Affairs, who will take over as senior VP Commercial Operations Americas, Adil Al Ghaith, currently senior VP Commercial Operations Gulf, Middle East & Iran who will take on additional responsibility for UAE and Oman, Orhan Abbas, currently senior VP Commercial Operations Africa who will take over as senior VP Commercial Operations Far East, Badr Abbas, cur- rently senior VP Commercial Operations Far East who will take over as senior VP Commercial Operations Africa, Thierry Aucoc, currently senior VP Com- mercial Operations Europe & Russian Federation who will take on additional responsibility for Germany and UK and Ahmed Khoory, senior VP Commercial Operations West Asia & Indian Ocean, who retains his current portfolio. The company has also made a number of promotions and carried out rota- tions across the commercial team. Elsewhere within the organisation, a recruitment drive aimed at hiring more UAE nationals as cabin crew has been launched according to Abdulaziz Ali, the executive vice president of human resources at Emirates Group. According to the airline, approximately 50 of its more than 20,000 cabin crew are Emiratis. Ali added that Emirates has an excess of 3,200 job vacan- cies, mainly for cabin crew positions. “We need more UAE nationals,” he said at a roundtable discussion. “The role hasn’t received much interest from Emiratis because some have expressed concerns over what the position entails.” SAUDISATION Hospitality giant Marriott International hosted dedicated recruitment days for Saudi nationals at the Le Meridien Jeddah and Riyadh Marriott Hotel. Saudisation remains the group’s key priority, and Marriott plans to host more recruitment drives to further strengthen its leadership programme, Tahseen. The first recruitment day was held at Le Meridien Jeddah from October 7 to 8, and the second one was held at Riyadh Marriott Hotel from October 9 to 10. The initiatives were in line with the company’s growth plans in the Kingdom where the anticipated addition of 20 new properties and over 3,500 rooms by the end of 2023 could generate nearly 4,000 new jobs. The initiative was aimed at recruiting locals who were looking to enter the hos- pitality industry, as well as nationals looking for career progression in hospitality. The properties were recruiting across various departments including purchasing, marketing, front desk, sales, guest services, food & beverage and human resources. “As part of our growth strategy for the Kingdom, we aim to foster and develop more Saudi nationals across our portfolio and provide them with a platform to be able to contribute to the success of the country’s travel and tourism sector. Our development pipeline in Saudi Arabia is expected to create nearly 4,000 new jobs in the country within the next five years, and as such, we are committed to developing more opportunities for Saudi nationals to join the hospitality industry,” said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. Saudi Arabia is currently Marriott’s second largest market in the Middle East with a portfolio of 28 properties and more than 8,000 rooms across nine brands. APPOINTMENTS Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek has appointed Josimar Delfin as the director of PR & marketing. Delfin’s career in hospitality spans a total of ten years, including one year in the Maldives and nine years in the Middle East. She started off her career in hospitality as a part of the front office team, even winning the AICR (Amicale Internationale des Sous Directeurs et Chefs de Réception des Grand Hôtels) Receptionist of the Year UAE competition in 2010 (1st Runner Up). Delfin has held different positions and has worked with various brands such as the Intercontinental Hotel Group, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Meliá Hotels International and the last four years with the Radisson Hotel Group. Prior to joining the team at Deira Creek, she was the cluster director of PR & marketing for the Radisson Blu and the Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. EMIRATES APPOINTS MORE EMIRATIS IN SENIOR STAFF SHAKE-UP Dubai-based airline announces key appointments and rotations in its global commercial operations CAREER NEWS RECRUITMENT & TRAINING RADISSON BLU DUBAI DEIRA CREEK APPOINTS DIRECTOR OF PR & MARKETING MARRIOTT HOSTS RECRUITMENT DAYS FOR SAUDI NATIONALS TO BOOST SAUDISATION Josimar Delfi n has 10 years’ hospitality experience Two of the hotel group’s properties hired candidates across various departments Emirates Airline, Dubai Airport. Josimar Delfin. KSA is Marriott’s second largest market in the Middle East.CAREERS HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 21 WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO THE HOSPI- TALITY INDUSTRY? My biggest inspiration with regards to cooking would have to be my grand- mother. Growing up, she was always in the kitchen, cooking up some of the best food I have ever had. My fondest memories growing up would have to be picking the vegetables from our back- yard garden and cooking alongside nanny June. It gave me an appreciation for food, and taught me how to appreci- ate the produce in its truest form. HOW HAS YOUR PREVIOUS WORK EXPERI- ENCE INSPIRED YOU TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? The most inspirational experience I’ve had in the workplace would have to be during my time spent working beside chef Mark Jarvis. He would always encourage his staff to go the extra mile in terms of creativity with the dishes they created, and to also appreciate the ingredients they worked with. GIVEN YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE, WOULD YOU SAY IT IS THE MOST NATURAL PROGRESSION TO BE A HEAD CHEF? As head chef at Bleu Blanc, I am exactly where I want and need to be right now, fulfi lling my passion as a chef. Some day in the future, I do hope to use the experi- ence, knowledge and skills gained here to open my very own restaurant, creating a concept that is entirely mine but one that has hints of all the various places I’ve worked at in the past. TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE OTHER MARKETS YOU HAVE WORKED IN AND HOW THAT COMPARES TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE? From beginning my career in London before moving to Dubai, I have worked with a multitude of different personalities and types of people that can, at times, hinder the creative process of a chef. At Bleu Blanc, I have the good fortune of working alongside an extremely talented and hard-working group of people, always looking to challenge the norms and be as crea- tive as possible. WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES AND OPPOR- TUNITIES THAT YOU FORESEE IN THIS ROLE? The festive season is always a chal lenge for me, especially when you are operating within a new restaurant and a new team. However, the team I am currently working with at Bleu Blanc is defi nitely a strong, creative and hard- working bunch, so the next few months should be pretty fun. BLANC CANVAS MY GO ALS 2018 – 2019 Head chef, Queen Elizabeth 2 Dubai, UAE 2016 – 2018 Private chef 2014 -2015 Sous Chef , Barrel 12, The Palm Dubai, UAE 2014 – 2015 Sous Chef, Atlantis The Palm Dubai Dubai, UAE 2013 – 2014 Senior Chef de Partie, Bingham Hotel Richmond, London MY CV Bleu Blanc at Renaissance Downtown has welcomed Murry Lane as its new head chef. The Brit talks to us about his past experience and what to expect from his tenure WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE A FEW OF YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR? I have to say that being appointed as head chef of Bleu Blanc, such a well- established and known restaurant, is one of my greatest accomplishments to date. I do, however, believe that there are many more accomplish- ments to come in the future. Careers New Recruit Careers 1. I would like to lead this incredibly hard-working, creative and passionate team into winning as many awards as possible and putting Bleu Blanc on the map as one of the ‘must dine’ places to visit in the city of Dubai. 5. I want to open and run a number of different restaurants all with their own distinct titles and abilities to win their own achievements. Also, a 1967 Ford Mustang in the driveway wouldn’t be bad either. 2. Improving the existing menu, creating good food, with spectacular flavours and presentation, while also welcoming guests to enjoy the cuisine I hold near and dear to my heart. 3. To do the very best I can at Bleu Blanc, creating a lasting reputation in Dubai for clean, consistent good food. 4. I want to push my brilliant team to work to the best of their abilities, help them to progress in their careers and achieve their goals. Murry Lane.PEOPLE HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 22 FIVE TIPS FOR GUEST SATISFACTION 1. A friendly and hearty welcome is a must – first impressions last. 2. Attention to detail is essential. 3. Serve in a way that guests leave with good memories. 4. Make your guests feel comfortable and as if they are at home. 5. Remember your guests’ special occasions and leave small gifts to surprise them. How do you monitor feedback? Liaising with guests is the best way to discover what we are doing right and how we can improve. I chat with guests when they are in the lobby, checking out, or having breakfast to get their feedback about the hotel and members of our staff, which I really enjoy. Guests appreciate that we value their opinions and want to hear their thoughts. I also monitor and respond to guest comments made through online channels. Guest satisfaction is always our top priority. What is the trickiest situation that you have had to deal with? At a previous hotel we held a Halloween party and as you can imagine, some of the young guests were very excited and making more noise than usual. One of our guests became upset by the noise and asked to move rooms, but we were fully booked. He became quite angry and asked to see the general manager. Unfortunately, when the GM appeared, he was wearing a Halloween costume, which the guest did not appreciate. It was a very tricky situation to resolve. What do you do to motivate yourself? I really enjoy my job, so I don’t lack motivation, but it can be quite demanding, so I focus on keeping calm to stay on top of every task and detail. FRONT OF HOUSE Meet ZUHAL KARAKAŞ GÜLLÜ What made you want to work in the hospitality industry? I am a sociable person and enjoy talking to people from all walks of life. The hotel industry has given me the opportunity to not only meet guests from all over the world but work with a multi-cultural team of passionate hospitality professionals. What are the career obstacles you’ve faced? Adapting to different management styles has sometimes been challenging, but I feel that the experience has benefitted my career by teaching me to be adaptable to new situations. What makes you thrive in your place of work? I enjoy the team spirit and camaraderie that is unique to the hotel environment. Tell us about your experience in the industry. My introduction to the industry happened in 2008 with an internship at Dedeman Hotels in Istanbul, which set me on a successful career path. My first official role was in the front office at Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul where I worked for five years and was promoted to front office supervisor. I then spent four-and-a-half years at the Sofa Hotel Istanbul as a front office supervisor and later, as acting operations manager. These roles prepared me for my move to The House Hotel Bomonti as hotel manager in May 2019. HOTEL MANAGER, HOUSE HOTEL BOMONTI, ISTANBUL Zuhal Karakaş Güllü, hotel manager at the House Hotel Bomonti, Istanbul talks about her role, why she joined the hospitality industry and shares five tips for guest satisfaction. Tell us about your role. I am responsible for operations across multiple departments including the front office, housekeeping, technical services, food and beverage and the kitchens. Liaising with the sales and revenue teams to ensure we deliver healthy hotel revenues is also part of my remit. However, the most important task – and one of the most enjoyable – is chatting with our guests. It is crucial to engage with our customers to get their honest feedback as ultimately my role is to make sure guests are happy before, during and after their stay with us.PEOPLE HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 23 Anish Kottakkal, the head chef at Aloft Dubai South speaks about his role, why he chose a career in this industry, his challenges and more. Describe your role. As a head chef I oversee many diverse aspects of the kitchen and restaurant. I work closely with all team members, creating menus, determining the food inventory levels, monitoring the efficiency of the kitchen and ensuring consistency in food production and quality of food by implementing and maintaining high food safety standards. How long have you worked in the hospitality industry? Describe your experience. I have been working in the hotel industry for the past 11 years. Following my bachelor of hotel management studies, I completed my trainings in India and then found an opportunity in Dubai. I joined Marriott in 2011. to ramp up the business. We also need to be accurate with our purchases and align this to expected guest numbers. Finally, delivering as much variety as possible and catering to our in-house and walk-in guests working in the neighbourhood mainly in Dubai World Central airport and the business zones around the hotel. Tell us about your work strategies. • Training my team and sharing feedback to ensure we are all continuously learning from one another. • Creating unique dishes so that I can enjoy being creative. • Having a well organised workspace and work environment. Three things you absolutely enjoy about your job. • I enjoy making food for others and like all chefs, I enjoy receiving compliments for my food. • Watching my ideas becoming a reality, executing them perfectly and then watching the guest take the first bite. • The sense of satisfaction and the great feeling we get after we execute successful functions and a busy food service. Describe your single biggest achievement. My single biggest achievement to date is the successful opening and execution of the kitchen operation in Aloft Dubai South. We are a small operation so we have a small team and everyone needs to be hands-on and it is an environment that can offer a fantastic learning experience for everyone. Tell us about some of the roles you held prior to your current position. I worked as the complex sous chef – Aloft and Element, Me’aisam Dubai, the junior sous chef – Ritz Carlton Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai and as the chef de partie – JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai. Describe your hospitality journey. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in hotel management and immediately started my career with the Address Hotel, Dubai Marina as commis chef at the hotel’s French fine dining restaurant. I then worked for Carnival Cruise lines where I spent one year working in the main kitchen. Upon my return to Dubai, I joined Ritz Carlton DIFC as a commis 1 working in the Banquet Kitchen and was promoted to demi chef. I transferred to JW Marriott Marquis in 2013 as chef de partie in the French bistro restaurant La Farine. In 2014 I moved to Ritz Carlton Jumeirah Beach as a junior sous Chef where I worked in the Beach Restaurant and in the All Day Dining, Lobby Lounge and Room Service Kitchen. In 2018, I joined Aloft and Element Me’aisam complex as a sous chef as part of the pre- opening team. I then moved to Aloft Dubai South as part of the pre-opening team as head chef. What are your three biggest challenges? We are the first hotel in Dubai South district and it can be hard to convince our suppliers to deliver to our location. Also keeping a close eye on food costs as we continue BACK OF HOUSE Meet ANISH KOTTAKKAL THE HEAD CHEF AT ALOFT DUBAI SOUTH MY FAVOURITE: Advice received: Be kind to people and treat everyone as you would want to be treated. Meal: Rice with mom’s raw mango curry and beef fry Holiday Destination: Munaar Hill Station, South India Hotel stay experience: Coconut Lagoon Resort located near the backwaters of Kerala, India Hobbies: Watching movies, playing badminton, browsing culinary pagesPEOPLE: GM INTERVIEW 24 HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 By Claudia de Brito Having worked in hospitality for more than 20 years, Vida Emirates Hills general manager Daniel Kingston has had many roles from a dish washer in a local restaurant in New Zealand to serving the Queen Mother her lunch in London. We catch up with him to talk about his approach to leadership, the importance of community engagement and standing out in a crowded market Daniel Kingston started his career with a very old family owned hotel in London, its claim to fame was that it was the first hotel in the world to have an en suite in every room. Thankfully they have un- dergone some renovations since those days. He then spent many years working with W Hotels, including opening the first W hotel outside of the US as well as opening the first W in the Middle East. Most recently, he was involved in the opening of the first Vida hotel, the Vida Downtown and that was where he says he fell in love with the brand. Management Style When it comes to his leadership style, Kingston has a very guest focused approach. He says: “Nothing is too much trouble for our guests, every decision made is on how this can improve our guest experience.” Another key philosophy is the importance of ensur- ing the hotels he operates have a sense of personality: “Our guests want to feel that energy the moment they walk in the door, you can have all the prettiest hardware, however until you add that people element, the hotel doesn’t really come alive. I have been very fortunate to work for some very strong brands. It’s important to maintain the integrity of your brand in every touch CEO Interview People VIDI VIDA Veni25 25 HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 PEOPLE: GM INTERVIEWPEOPLE: GM INTERVIEW 26 HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 point, from the guest experience through to managing your team.” Kingston also underlines the impor- tance of people skills, the ability to man- age different walks of life and keep the different team members engaged and motivated. He explains: “Not to sound cliché, but listening skills - there’s a rea- son we have two ears and one mouth, we don’t have all the answers and we need to listen to those experts in their fields.” He continues: “I would also say the impor- tance of making informed decisions and understanding how these decisions align to your businesses goals and objectives. Last and certainly not least, making train- ing and succession planning a key part of the culture you are trying to create.” Making a Mark The Vida Emirates Hills has em- braced a sustainable approach to hospitality. Along with the usual green initiatives such as linen and room servicing processes, the prop- erty is eliminating single use in-room amenities. Kingston says: “We do not use single use plastic in the meeting rooms and provide filtered tap water for our guests. We have also intro- duced ‘Keep Cups’ for the guests to The infinity pool overlooks Emirates Golf Club. purchase, if a guest has a Vida Keep Cup, they can purchase their coffees at a heavily reduced price. “In addition, we have “Charicycle” bi- cycles in all our hotels for our guests to use on a complimentary basis, Charicyle has a wonderful message behind their bicycles. We are also partnering with Ro’yati Society with our unique “Travel Lighter” initiative, all our guests are in- vited to leave an item (or two) behind for those less fortunate.” In terms of facilities, the hotel has a striking pool deck, with an Infinity pool overlooking the Emirates Golf course and the Dubai city skyline. This is al- ready becoming a selling point for the Vida is a fantastic home- grown brand, Dubai is in our DNA, it’s very dynamic with a focus on the young, entrepreneur mind-set and I really feel it’s a great representation of Dubai.” The sleek guestrooms are decorated in neutral tones.PEOPLE: GM INTERVIEW 27 HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 property. Kingston explains: “This is already proving very popular for wed- ding enquiries, as it has a unique indoor and outdoor option for the guests, which with the un-certain Dubai weather, is giving guests a great option.” Another selling point is the F&B, with two concepts to choose from: “Our Social Eatery, Origins, is a beautiful space with a focus on locally sourced ingredients, (in partnership with Greenheart Farm) as well as food with a story behind it. “Lastly, our neighbourhood gin bar, Junipers, which is already a huge hit with the local residential market. With an ec- lectic design and focus on gin-based liba- tions, it is a fabulous after work spot.” The Market Some would say it was a risky move to open a hotel in June but Kingston says it paid off: “Summer is always an inter- esting time to open a new hotel in Dubai however, we are very happy with where reflected at Vida Emirates Hills in terms of the space we want to create for our guests, as well as some of the partner- ships we have established. For exam- ple, we have partnered with Let’s Work, a home grown start up that focusses on co-working spaces, it’s really exciting to see all the different people working in the hotel and helps bring a different energy into our spaces. “We are also one of the few lifestyle hotels that are really well positioned for golf, with the ability to leverage on Emaars’ world class golf courses. We are seeing a lot of bookings com- ing in from November onwards. The wonderful thing about Vida Emirates Hills, is you almost have a resort like feel, but are not even five minutes from the Marina.” With four residential towers in the development and 21 retail spaces, King- ston is very much focused on the com- munity: “We are working on creating various events that encourage the com- munity to come in and enjoy the hotel as well as establishing partnerships with the local community. “Obviously, it’s a very challenging en- vironment, however Dubai is still such a dynamic city with a great global foot- print, there are still many guests visit- ing the city and living here, so it creates a tremendous opportunity to create compelling offers that attract guests to your hotel and restaurants. I don’t think it’s about being cheap and offering dis- counts, it’s about looking at those value- added aspects that bring people in.” we are at, as we have used the summer months to focus on service and iron out some of those kinks. The really pleasing thing is the level of interest and poten- tial that we are seeing for post summer, so we expect great things.” In terms of performance, he concedes that there is room for improvement: “Obviously, this year has been about opening the hotel and getting the hotel settled, next year we will be a lot more aggressive in terms of expectations. We have a few new Vida properties com- ing on-line, so this also gives us a great chance to leverage off an increased presence in the market and really grow and develop the Vida brand.” In a marketplace flooded with inter- national operators, Kingston sees the value in a home-grown brand: “Dubai is in our DNA, it’s very dynamic with a focus on the young, entrepreneur mind- set and I really feel it’s a great repre- sentation of the emirate. This is further Sustainable dispensers are used for in-room amenities. Junipers is already a hit with the local residential market.F&B FOCUS 28 HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 Set in Sheikh Zayed Road’s Sheraton Grand, New York import Miss Lily’s led the way for Dubai’s Caribbean-inspired concepts when it opened in 2016. As it celebrates its third anniversary, we speak to general manager Stephen Allsop and head of marketing and guest relations Ian Riddick about being trend-proof in the emirate’s notoriously trend-focused dining and nightlife scene By Claudia de Brito Photogr aph y M ohammad Adel Rashid The art of AMBIANCEF&B FOCUS 29 HOTELIER MIDDLE EA ST | November 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 11 T When they brought Miss Lily’s to Dubai, partners Varun Khemaney and Khalil Dahmash knew that they were fi ling a gap in the market. Three years ago, Caribbean cuisine didn’t have a presence in Dubai and 300-cover concepts were the norm. Stephen Allsop explains: “Nothing had a vibe or any type of culture that the Carib- bean community was providing, along with the food. So, they thought there was something missing that people wanted.” Another point of differentiation is the laid-back approach to service. Allsop says: “For us it wasn’t really about hir- ing waiters and bartenders. It was more about personality than experience. They greet you like they’re your friends because they actually are your friends. I haven’t worked in a place like this in 15 years where I’ve had as many regular custom- ers as we do here. To a point where if I’m on vacation for a week, when I come back, the guests say ‘Welcome back! How was your holiday?’ For me that’s a special thing. We got to build that. Even to the point where we have guests that will come in by themselves because they’re not by themselves when they come here. They’ll come in three, four times a week. They come in they sit down and they know they can talk to the bartender, they can talk to the server they can talk to the manager or they talk to the DJ. “I think that’s what we've been able to give our guests. It’s that comfort level, you have people whenever they have friends in town they say ‘We've got to take our friends to this restaurant.’ Whenever they have family coming, they’ve got to bring their moms, their dads, their sisters their cousins and they have to come show them Miss Lily’s because of the environment and the expe- riences that they have here - they have to bring people to Miss Lily’s. I think that is the unique selling point that brings peo- ple back two, three times back a week. It’s important for us to cultivate per- sonal relationships with guests. It’s not supposed to be stiff and it’s offered at a decent value. Dubai is an expensive city in itself, already, so if you can come in and have a good time and not have to worry about how you’re going to pay rent, it’s a good thing.” Ian Riddick underlines why he thinks the concept has been so successful: “I think the product that we offer does have good value. I think our music is wonder- ful, I think our food is great and I think the ambience is amazing. More than any of that, people feel comfortable and when you feel comfortable you're always going to go back to that place.” The lifecycle of restaurants Dubai can be very short. Sometimes they’re hot, they’re not and they’re gone within six months. Three years in, it’s still hard to get in to Miss Lily’s on certain nights. Allsop explains: “The size of our venue is small. We can seat 100 at a time. But for dinner alone in the record room, it’s 40, with the PDR being another 16. Then you go into the yard, which is a bar area, you add another 50-60, with the lounge. But the total standing capacity I’m allowed to have at once is 170. So if you don’t make a reservation on a weekend, on a holiday, there’s a good chance you’re not coming in.” Riddick adds: “It makes the door hard but the fact is, we have the hotel security literally standing outside with clickers to make sure we don’t go over our capac- ity. So one of the great things about this place is, 50 people in, it already has a buzz, it already has a vibe. When we hit our capacity, we unfortunately have to turn people away. We always encourage people to make a reservation because we want them to come in and have that expe- rience. I think that defi nitely plays into why we’re so busy, there are still people who haven’t been able to get in. It’s fan- tastic to have that be one of the problems that we have.” Allsop explains: “You have to hit on a bunch of different points, when you’re running a restaurant, it’s not just about food, and it’s not just about the liquor and it has to be about the vibe, the ambi- ence. There has to be this feeling, there has to be a soul. I came one night, I was standing with Varun (Khemaney) and it was an insanely busy Friday night, the front door was packed, people just wait- ing to get in and he looks at me and he says ‘How long can we keep going like this?” This is past the six months where people in places in Dubai start to tail off because so many things open up and I looked at him and I just go ‘I don’t know, Stephen Allsop and Ian Riddick. The Record Room.Next >