Neil Shah
How important is the Indian market for Atlantis Hotels?
India sits within the top five markets, so you can imagine how important it is for us and the reason why I am here is to basically get in summer business that comes into us from India, so, yes it is one of the most important markets for us.
What were the numbers from India in the 2019 and from which parts of the country?
I would say, approximately about 40,000 plus room nights is what we got in 2019. We have been consistently getting good business from the metros. So, it is Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata that brings in the business. To add to it, it’s Ahmedabad which is also bringing us very good business from Gujarat.
To get back to pre-pandemic level, how long will you take?
I don’t think we are really that far from it. And give it a couple of months, I already see a great demand for Dubai as a destination. As well as it being a short-haul destination, it being safe, it taking all the possible precautions with flights opening up with 100 pc of capacity, I am very positive that within the next one year we should be back. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.
Which is that particular segment that you are targetting in India?
Did you know that we have 1548 rooms and suites in our hotel? So, having this large inventory, we consider each segment to be very important and we rely on all of these segments. And that’s how we get these 1548 rooms sold.
So basically you will be targetting all key segments?
And we specialise in all of them. It’s not like I target only, but we are doing amazingly well when it comes to weddings, Indian weddings, and planners. And when I talk about leisure that is a segment which of course consists almost over 80 pc of business coming to Atlantis from all the segments that we are talking about. In terms of MICE, we have just completely had a lot of investments done to have all of our ballrooms which were already very beautiful, but with completion of 10 years we have got them all refurbished and brand new.
Has Expo2020 helped you in any way?
Well, the Expo has definitely helped us to get the numbers in the current situation, when there is such a slowdown in the international travel. It is one of the attractions that encouraged people to come to Dubai. I can say that for sure.
As Indian markets are highly price sensitive and look for bargain deals, how do you deal with this?
We do offer and it is very much related to demand and supply as you know, and this is so for all the segments or all the hotels. For the upcoming summer break, there is a lot of demand mainly from short-haul markets of people planning to come in for short vacations for long weekends and we see great numbers coming from India. So, for them we have introduced kids stay free and dine free offers. Our child policies are up to 14 years old. This is how we encourage the markets to perform well. You talk about discounts, I would rather talk more about the value ads that our resort is offering. And having as much of you know when a customer stays at our Atlantis, is not only staying but is experiencing the world’s largest water park, is experiencing one of the best outlets with 30 restaurants and bars that we have in our hotel. So, all of these when you experience as a package, it might cost a little higher than the other hotels but the experience and the value adds and the offerings that you find within one resort is something unique, which commands its own price of course.
Is the Indian traffic to Dubai still seasonal?
If you ask me about the seasonality of when Indian market travels to Dubai, then it’s all the 12 months. There is no month when there is a slow down, especially from India, but if you ask me, on an average when is the best performing months then it is of course the Dubai Shopping Festival, which is supposed to be good and unfortunately this year with the flight restrictions, we have not had as much volume as expected. But then yes we have the summer holidays which start from April and it will go on until July. That’s another period when we get good family business coming in and then Diwali is next season. Due to Ganesh Chaturthi holidays, September also brings good business to us. And then lastly is December, because of the festivities that we have in our hotel, and of course not to forget the New Year period. One of the best New Year celebrations that you can have in Dubai is at Atlantis the Palm. So, we have quite a demand for the last five days of the year.
Leisure is a segment which consists almost over 80 pc of business coming to Atlantis from all the segments
With a wide offer of hospitality options in Dubai and across the GCC, what is the USP of Atlantis?
The USP of Atlantis is its uniqueness, it has the world’s largest park as I mentioned, it has a variety of room and categories that can suit one’s requirement. It has rooms which can actually have a family of six stay together. It has multiple food and beverage options which can cater to every individual staying here.
Besides India, which are your other key markets?
Europe fits in as the top market for us. When we talk about the top source markets at Atlantis, it is UK, Germany, France, it is lot of Indian business as well. This market would also be considered in our top five.
What is your strategy in India? Are you looking at a relaunch of sorts post pandemic?
We never stopped during the pandemic and stayed engaged with travel trade. We were probably one of the few hotels which were always there on webinars with the tourism board or directly with the travel associations, or with the wholesalers. So, we never stopped and when we talk about reaching out to the markets then we are using a 360° approach over here, using digital as well as traditional communications through mailers.
As Saudi Arabia targets the Indian market, can Dubai as a destination and Atlantis as a property keep pace with it?
So, they are targeting the Indian market but we have specialised in the Indian markets and I would definitely say that I hope that the Saudi Arabia market does amazing. And all those going into Saudi stop in Dubai as well!.
What is Atlantis Royal and the strategy behind it?
Atlantis’s The Royal, I would say is a five-star luxury resort. It is a property which will have about 44 of its suites with private pools. The best category rooms of Atlantis the Royal would be about 55 sqm along with a balcony, which is a very big space for any hotel. The Club rooms and bars will have butler services and we will have six penthouses. It will be a very beautiful experience and a dream come true.
Once it opens, the two properties, Atlantis The Palm and The Royal, which are within the same complex, will have the largest collection of celebrity chefs in it. It would have the best of experiences that you can imagine in any hotel. Best view, best restaurants or entertainment, spa experiences based on elements of nature- air, water, fire and earth. You can experience all of that when you stay in our hotel.
