The Iconic Jumeirah Emirates Towers is The Hotel of Past, Present and Future: Kirti Anchan, GM, Jumeirah Emirates Towers

Kirti Anchan, General Manager, Jumeirah Emirates Towers

NATIONAL, 1st OCTOBER, 2022 (GPN): At 22, Jumeirah Emirates Towers is one of Jumeirah’s longest-standing hotels. In fact, it’s one of the institutional business hotels in Dubai, with an invaluable amount of businesses closed within its walls. From bankers to CEOs and even state and government officials, Jumeirah Emirates Towers has an inexorable tie to the Dubai economy.

Kirti Anchan is the General Manager of Jumeirah Emirates Towers and brings to the hotel 15 years of experience at a leadership level and a broad skill set that includes expertise across all departments. Kirti handles day-to-day operations at the landmark luxury hotel, including management of the hotel’s executive team and more than 500 hotel employees, while providing strategic leadership with a focused, collaborative approach, fostering trust among employees. In a candid interview with Global Prime News, Kirti speaks about the Iconic hotel’s commitment to be the Hotel of Future and the efforts and role of it’s people in maintaining the Status.

Your Idea behind Putting people first and building team work for delivering Guest Satisfaction
Kirti said,“The hotel completed its 22nd anniversary in April 2022, while new technology forms a part of the hotel’s future, it is its people which have got the property to this point.

“It’s the people that really make a difference. We have 40 percent repeat business and our people are a big part of that achievement. It’s quite a simple formula really, if you take care of your colleagues, they will take care of your guests.

“We have a great culture of maintaining our staff. On the 15th of April, we celebrated 22 years of operations and actually, 15 percent of our staff have been here since day one with us and has added value to our daily business with their vast experience and 50 percent of staff have been here for more than five years.”

As one of the few business hotels within the Jumeirah stable, Emirates Towers gears its service towards an entirely different pool of clientele. Linking back to his commitment to people, the GM urged that personalisation and human touches are a vital part of business hotel operations.

“Our guests, especially corporate guests, they like coming back and seeing faces they recognise,” he explained. “They know the waiter in the restaurant, they know the doorman. Our business guests like having people around them who understand their needs.”

What made Jumeirah Emirates Towers iconic?
Two Dubai icons – old and new – Kirti went on to explain how his hotel became such a pivotal piece of the Dubai economy and history. “Jumeirah Emirates Towers makes Jumeirah relevant in the business segment. 20 years back, this hotel was at the centre of the business district, and two decades on, it still is. This hotel continuously adapts and takes on the latest technology to appeal to modern clients.
But the hotel is far from simply a bastion of Jumeirah Group’s history, it is also a representation of the brand’s progression and evolution. The hotel is directly connected to the Museum of The Future, one of the most modern buildings in the world and a standing monument to the ambitions of Dubai.”

“Jumeirah Emirates Towers already set its standards 22 years back. It has set the foundation for luxury in the city, it was one of the first few business hotels in the city. The key has been to maintain that reputation and that image, never to take it for granted. We make sure we deliver on all our promises and we’re very proud of that.”

The Standards of a business hotel
“Jumeirah Emirates Towers already set its standards 22 years back. It has set the foundation for luxury in the city, it was one of the first few business hotels in the city. The key has been to maintain that reputation and that image, never to take it for granted. We make sure we deliver on all our promises and we’re very proud of that.”

Being a business hotel and a place that deals with some very important people, the GM said the demand for exceptional service could not be higher at Jumeirah Emirates Towers. It is this very commitment to exceptional service that has been one of the keys to the hotel’s longevity in the market.

The GM explained: “For the hotel, we need to make sure their car is waiting outside and they’re not spending a single moment waiting. The moment they arrive, they want to be taken straight to the room, they want to crack on with business. Whereas with a leisure hotel, guests usually spend a few hours exploring the facilities when they arrive.

“One thing that has stayed the same at this hotel is its place as a business hub. People say, all the big business deals of Dubai happen in our hotel lobby. Whether it’s state affairs, big banks deals, CEO meetings, countless times it has all happened here.

“I don’t think this will ever change. Every day, there are important people passing through this lobby. When you’re dealing with guests such as these, you need a lot of pre-arrangement. We have a lot of security drills and a lot of advanced planning.

“If a CEO is checking in, we’ll know about it ahead of time, we want to know their arrival time and we have to nail it. We always get as much information as possible so their stay is as smooth as possible. With these ‘top end’ guests, you can’t ask them questions on arrival and take up their time, you need to plan well ahead of time.”

How has Jumeirah Emirates Towers emerged as a place to learn
For Kirti, there’s a sense he’s standing on the shoulders of giants at this hotel. A long-time Jumeirah member, he has seen some of the group’s finest hotel’s take the reins of Jumeirah Emirates Towers.

To successfully manage such a unique hotel, he says, is a privilege. He explained: “All the previous GMs of this hotel have gone on to achieve great things, I aspire to do the same.

“I don’t see it as pressure but more of a rush. This hotel really gives you energy, every day is different. We have to turn around a lot of situations last minute. As an example, just this week we were told we had to organise a dinner for 500 people and only had five hours’ notice to do so.

“We managed to do it of course. Behind the scenes, there’s so much action at this hotel, I think that’s why it creates fantastic hoteliers. It’s an important hotel globally. I think as Jumeirah hotels expand globally, if they move into business segments again, this hotel will be the global benchmark.”

According to the hotel’s general manager Kirti Anchan, he and his team want to learn from the museum and turn the Jumeirah icon into a “Hotel of the Future” one day.

Speaking with Global Prime News, Anchan said: “It’s amazing – a 22-year-old institution connected to the Museum of the Future. For us, the museum really represents Dubai’s ambition to always update itself. We want to be doing the same. It’s an amazing addition, for everyone staying in Jumeirah Emirates Towers, we want them to visit the museum.

“The shared value is actually the service, the hospitality. When you go to the museum, the way they meet the guest and how they curate the journey, it’s actually quite similar to us. I keep telling our team, to take notes on the Museum of The Future and consider, ‘How do we become the hotel of the future?’”

Jumeirah Emirates Towers
Looking to the hotel’s future, the GM added: “This hotel may have changed over the years, but there is one constant: It’s an icon. On my drive to work every day, I go past a lot of towers but for me, Emirates Towers stands out. If you enter the lobby today, you won’t think it’s 22 years old, we always look to update it while preserving its iconic status.

“One of the biggest innovation drivers at this hotel is digital transformation. Again, even more so with business travellers, they require the very best of technology.”

22 years and counting, Jumeirah Emirates Towers has stayed in the market through its combination of stellar service and ability to evolve. Connected to the Museum of the Future, Anchan and his team have found the impetus to consider technological innovations.

Is Jumeirah Emirates Towers headed to become a ‘Hotel of the Future’? Hearing from the man running the show, the Jumeirah icon is on a path to becoming a Hotel of the Past, Present and Future.Ends

About:

Kirti Anchan, General Manager, Jumeirah Emirates Towers:

A hospitality veteran who holds more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Kirti is the General Manager of Jumeirah Emirates Towers and brings to the hotel 15 years of experience at a leadership level and a broad skill set that includes expertise across all departments. Kirti handles day-to-day operations at the landmark luxury hotel, including management of the hotel’s executive team and more than 500 hotel employees, while providing strategic leadership with a focused, collaborative approach, fostering trust among employees. Despite the obstacles of the pandemic, Kirti continued to create initiatives and guest programs, resulting in outstanding 2021 and 2022 results. He also encouraged an “innovation platform” to engage team ideas and discover new methods of working to continually increase engagement for guests and employees.

Kirti also oversees Jumeirah Living World Trade Centre Residences. Prior to his current role, he was the Hotel Manager at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, where he was also awarded “Middle East Hospitality Entrepreneur of the Year” by Hotel News Middle East for showing positive outcomes by providing customized touch points to guests, ultimately boosting the hotel’s guest satisfaction score. Kirti has been with the Jumeirah group for almost 18 years.

 

About the Author

Sachin Murdeshwar
Sachin Murdeshwar is a Sr.Journalist and Columnist in several Mainline Newspapers and Portals.He is an ardent traveller and likes to explore destinations to the core.

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