Dubai is well known for its luxury hotels – it has over a 100 luxury hotels by some estimates. As travel to the UAE grows, what are some of the latest growth trends in the hotel industry?

As travel to the UAE continues to grow, hotel operators are increasingly adopting cutting-edge technology and innovations as well as a wide range of sustainable initiatives. The hospitality industry is actively listening to consumers and using data to give an insight into trends, characteristics and spending habits. Much of the innovation we have seen across the industry is focused on easing the passenger journey, with flexibility, personalisation and authenticity all key to enhancing a guest’s overall trip

Sustainability is another growing trend, with the industry recognising that today’s travellers, particularly those from Generation Y, are more environmentally focused and conscious of the carbon footprint they are leaving behind.

And it’s not just saving energy, hotels are readily applying a reduce, reuse and recycle principle to many aspects of their operation – food waste, grey water and so on.

Hydroponic planting is a huge focus for us. At present we have three hotels in Dubai, all of which consume a large amount of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis.

Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture, the method of growing plants without soil, using mineral solutions in a water solvent. This process allows you to grow almost any plant at virtually any time of the year; meaning climate and season no longer present any limitations.

We already have a large greenhouse located on the World Islands – but we are currently working to upgrade the facility, with the intention of supplying all of our hotels with the majority of the fruit and vegetables they require within the next few months. Not only is hydroponics cleaner and more efficient, it also produces better tasting produce with more nutritional value and can reduce water consumption by up to 90%.

Is there a change in customer expectations from the hospitality sector today, rather than say, a decade ago?

The hospitality industry, while innovative in many ways, is a service provider meeting the demands of travellers across the world.

Travellers are increasingly looking beyond conventional leisure programmes and itineraries to actively seek out atypical experiences that deliver a true taste of local culture. Experiential travel encompasses the adventure, culture, heritage, wellness & spa, and cruise tourism segments, which are currently trending globally.

Today more than ever before, we are seeing the hospitality industry offering their guests intangible and emotional experiences, immersing them in local culture, tradition and ways of life. It’s an appeal that can be successfully transferred to backpackers and billionaires alike.

What would you say are the USPs of the Seven Tides properties?

Every time we build a new hospitality property, we look for a unique feature that will make the hotel or resort stand out in what is a highly competitive market.

With Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort, guests have direct access from their rooms to the resort’s lagoons and private over water villas; Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel features a magnificent grand hall with 88 giant lanterns, not forgetting the stunning gateway arch, which is larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris; while DUKES Dubai offers a classic British hospitality experience, with the theme being carried through from the décor and design to dining concepts and that all-important British service delivery.

We launched SE7EN Residences The Palm and SE7EN CITY JLT, our first mixed-use development, earlier this year. The SE7EN brand marks a new direction for the extended space. With an emphasis on lifestyle and experience, it is positioned to appeal to young executives.

The digital space – mobile apps and online booking aggregators in particular – have revolutionised the way people do their bookings. As a hotel chain, how have you adapted to these changes?

With around 80% of holiday bookings made via mobile booking apps or online, there’s a magnitude of opportunities to be gained by hoteliers from embracing these technologies. The UAE is one of the fastest growing regional hospitality markets on a global scale and an innovative technology-reliant industry. Its impact on hotels and travel and tourism is multi-dimensional, ranging from mobile apps, online booking aggregators, voice and facial recognition and chatbots to beacon technology, virtual reality, blockchain and robot concierge.

Expo 2020 in Dubai is expected to be a prime growth driver for the economy. What is your view on how this will impact tourism to the UAE?

The hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the UAE. Dubai Tourism figures released earlier this year revealed that the number of hotel rooms in the emirate stood at 112,381, spread across 706 establishments in September 2018, an aggregated 6 per cent increase as compared to September-end 2017.

Dubai has the capacity to support many more hotels - with 160,000 hotel rooms expected in the emirate by 2020 and 25 million visitors expected annually by 2025.

Our ambition for the future is to increase the number of iconic and unique hospitality properties in our portfolio to further drive the continued evolution of luxury hospitality. We will continue to be very selective about where we invest. City hotels are not something we will be looking at in the short term. Instead our focus will be on Palm Jumeriah and World Island resorts that offer something different to the market.

With competition the biggest challenge facing the industry today, it is absolutely vital that we stand out from our competitors and this is our strategic focus. We do this by fundamentally offering a great product, great service and great value. Whether this is through our highly skilled and trained staff, our F&B offerings or the unique ambiance at each hotel, ensuring our guests have a memorable stay with us is of paramount importance.