Anticipating sun-lounger management is crucial, even for a business hotel, according to Stuart Deeson, opening GM of Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl.
“When I was a child, traveling extensively with my father (hotelier Alan Deeson) and mother, it always amazed me that as soon as we woke up someone in our family would be deputed to go out and reserve loungers nearest the pool,” Deeson said.
This is a worldwide phenomenon, but it is an ongoing assumption that some nationalities — no names given, of course — are more pushy than others. Tales abound in some resorts of guests literally getting into physical fights over who can bag a lounger in the best position.
Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl, in the central Ras Al Akhdar district close to luxury shopping malls, has 368 keys and 60 residences-to-let. In addition to a beach there are two outdoor swimming pools, one more family-friendly. In all, when the hotel opens later this year, Deeson anticipates needing 250 loungers.
“The key is to have different seating areas so that no loungers are seen as top-billing, and it is absolutely essential that honeymoon couples do not find themselves next to rowdy families,” he explained. “I always try to avoid having too many long, straight lines of loungers side-by-side.”
Deeson arrived in Dubai shortly after the 2005 opening of Park Hyatt Dubai and then moved on to open the 2011-vintage Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi. At both these hotels, the shapes of the main swimming pools — with lots of indentations — automatically led to the small seating groups that he prefers. At Grand Hyatt Dubai, Deeson expects nearly 80% of guests will be on government or other business, but there will also be lots of walk-in incremental spend from the many residential blocks near the hotel.
“All the more activity for our eight restaurants, and pools and beach,” Deeson predicted.
Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl is his third opening (he was number two, under Xavier Destribats, at Grand Hyatt Tokyo). “You either love openings or you don’t,” Deeson said with a big Scottish grin. But you must take lounger management seriously.