“Hosting thousands of travel professionals would not be possible without my team,” says Margaret Paul, GM of Madinat Jumeirah – the Arabian Resort, in Dubai, UAE.
“Last week, the annual Arabian Travel Market ATM, with over 2,800 exhibitors, coincided as always with the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference AHIC, with 700 delegates. AHIC was held here, in Madinat Jumeirah’s conference center. On the Tuesday, April 26th, 2016, we hosted simultaneously the AHIC main party in a ballroom and, outdoors, with entertainment flown specially in from London, an ATM party for about 1,400,” Margaret Paul recalled.
Her territory is a 78-acre beach-set resort that at the moment consists of the 292-key Jumeirah Mina A’Salam (Harbor of Peace), the 292-key Jumeirah Al Qasr (The Palace) and Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf (Arabian Summer Houses), which is 29 10-room standalone villas plus seven royal villas. Later this year a 430-key Jumeirah Al Naseem will be added to the portfolio. Transport between areas is by electric abra boats on the two miles of man-made inland canals, and by golf buggy.
“We always need to be evolving. This month, we are bringing in latest Danish buggies, as used by golf professional Annika Sörenstam, and they are being customized, with exterior designs by young local Emirati artists. I do like promoting local talent: Jumeirah Al Naseem Emirati ladies will wear gowns specially designed by couturier Maryam Al Selaich of Slouch’Z’,” she explained. When Jumeriah Al Naseem opens, she will be heading a total team of 3,600 from more than 60 countries.
Despite the scale of her responsibility, signs of thoughtful femininity show. Margaret Paul hand-writes both welcome notes and envelopes – in a rare handwriting that is easy to read – for the many VIPs, and she favors Western dresses, not pants, on business. Typically, she starts work at 7:30 a.m., six days a week. Rather than one daily morning meeting, she holds several, at different times, sometimes with her properties’ GMs, and the director of conferences and banqueting, sometimes looking at the eatertainment side – already, the complex has over 40 restaurants and bars and there are a further 10 in the integral Soukh Madinat Jumeirah shopping mall, which is outside her territory. She herself reports to Jumeirah COO Robert Swade, and to its recently appointed CEO, Stefan Leser.
The still noticeably Scottish Margaret Paul originally wanted to teach and graduated from Dundee University in languages, especially German. Sadly, her first teaching experience was considerably underwhelming, and, having long had part-time hospitality jobs, she went on to do a hotel management course at Glasgow’s Caledonian University, after which she joined Le Méridien. “Jumeirah’s previous COO, Guy Crawford, who will always be a mentor, knew me from his own Le Méridien days, and in 2002 he wanted help transitioning Carlton Tower, London, from Hyatt to Jumeirah, and after two years he brought me back to Dubai and I was appointed to my present role in 2012,” she recalled.
She had worked in Dubai earlier, when she was replacement for a man who had pulled out of a role at Le Méridien Mina Seyahi. “It was made quite clear when I arrived that they had wanted a man and when they had to put up with me, I was determined to show them,” she said with a confident smile, adding that she has always found the locals very respectful and open to dealing with a woman.