Simply Abu Dhabi XI

3 7 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I L uigi Romaniello is a consummate professional with more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. Following esteemed positions at renowned hotels across the United States, and well over a decade with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the company appointed Mr. Romaniello to the position of General Manager/Managing Director at the spectacular Rosewood Abu Dhabi. Jordana Lynch speaks to him about his important new role. When did you join Rosewood Abu Dhabi? I joined Rosewood Abu Dhabi on May 1, 2011 and we celebrated our opening date on May 1, 2013, exactly 2 years later! When did you first enter the hotel industry and what is your career background? My first hotel experience was at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado where I took a seasonal fine dining server assignment while in college. I was immediately hooked on luxury hospitality. My 25-year hotel career then progressed from management roles in Food & Beverage to senior positions such as Resident Manager at Peter Island Resort and Rosewood’s Caneel Bay in the Caribbean and Hotel Manager at the Rosewood Crescent Hotel inDallas. My most recent assignments have been two back-to-back new hotel openings as Managing Director at Rosewood Hotel in Atlanta and now at the pinnacle of my career – Rosewood Abu Dhabi. What was it about the hotel industry that captured your interests? Hospitality is a feeling, an emotion. I remember being immediately attracted by the idea of creating memories for our guests. It is so enjoyable and rewarding. What challenges have you previously experienced in working in the hospitality industry? Earlier in my career I thought that I had to be involved in every decision and aspect of the hotel operation, but being a 24/7 industry, I then realised that building a cohesive teamwith a passionate service culture is far more rewarding. At what point in your career did you join the Rosewood family? I joined Rosewood 13 years ago as a Resident Manager of the legendary Caribbean Resort, Caneel Bay. I have been with the Rosewood family ever since. How did Rosewood Abu Dhabi secure its first location in the Middle East? Rosewood has always had a very selective approach in choosing truly special properties that would best reflect our “sense of place” philosophy. At the same time, our ownership at Mubadala also had great expectations in selecting a world-class ultra-luxury hotel operator who was very quality oriented and authentic about their service delivery. Having also successfully managed important Middle Eastern properties such as Rosewood Al Faisaliyah, Rosewood Al Khozama and Rosewood Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Rosewood was the perfect fit. What do you hope to achieve in your first 12 months? During the first year it is all about establishing strong relationships, making many friends and standing out as a very intuitive and service- focused hotel, which is highly admired by our community. What are the key skills of being the Managing Director and how do you keep everyone happy? I learned through my Rosewood career that building a close family culture within our team is essential to fostering a happy environment, which translates into genuine and caring service. At Rosewood we refer to our employees as ”internal guests” and we cater to them accordingly. This, along with providing high quality training, is the best gift we can give to our team in helping them grow in their career. In your opinion what do you think guests expect from a property bearing the ´ Rosewood ´ name? We have so many loyal guests who appreciate Rosewood for our honest and intuitive approach to service. We are a one-of-a-kind, non- commercialised brand that truly believes in delivering service that comes from the heart. Our guests should expect to be delighted and surprised, and hopefully, fall in love with us. Howwould you describe the style of this particular Rosewood property? Rosewood Abu Dhabi has been designed in a timeless, contemporary style, which elegantly integrates subtle Arabic accents. The design theme is “desert meets the sea”, highlighting layers of stone and woods with soft brown and blue fabrics, all accented by exquisite furnishing and an impressive art collection. As you enter the hotel you will be taken into a journey of discovery, with each of the nine restaurants unique in concept, design and authentic cuisine. The hotel has been designed to accommodate both business and leisure guests, whether being a corporate traveller assisted by our very helpful butler, to a family enjoying a weekend or a corporate or social event for up to 1,000 guests. What is your approach to guest service? Rosewood’s strongest asset is our personalised service. It is in the very DNA of our company, which was founded from converting an old prestigious mansion into our very first property back in 1979 – The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. Since then, our approach in all our hotels is to extend service to our guests as if they are guests in our own private mansion. The approach is very genuine and intuitive, and it comes from the heart, and once executed well it does not require further improvement. What elements of the hotel are you most proud of? There is so much that I am so proud of and thankful for. Overall, it is the amazing spirit of our team. I am really happy about our service culture – everyone is so engaged and ready to go the extra mile to serve our guests. I am also proud of our Food & Beverage Team and howwell they executed our restaurant concepts. Our restaurants have been receiving impressive reviews and had a very successful start, particularly Catalan, our very special Spanish-Catalonian restaurant led by our two-Michelin stars Chef Antonio Saez. It has been sold out for the past two months! Also well received has been our butler service, with great feedback fromour guests who appreciate that extra, personalised and discreet attention. How will Rosewood Abu Dhabi compete in Abu Dhabi’s competitive Hotel sector? More than competing, our goal is to complement the growth of this very special city. Rosewood Abu Dhabi enjoys a very desirable location, being the first hotel in the heart of the newCentral Business District of Abu Dhabi on the impressive Al Maryah Island at Sowwah Square. In your opinion what do you thinkmakes Sowwah Square, Al Maryah Island the perfect location for the luxurious Rosewood Abu Dhabi? Mubadala has an impressive vision for Al Maryah Island having planned the highest quality, luxury projects such as the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the new Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and The Galleria – soon to be the new top-niche shopping destination. Rosewood Abu Dhabi is the natural hospitality infrastructure to all such prestigious neighbours, providing excellent product and service standards. What do you think the Rosewood Abu Dhabi will add to the Sowwah Square development? Being a world class, mixed-use development, Rosewood Abu Dhabi will provide a live-work luxury lifestyle on Al Maryah Island. All residents and visitors will enjoy Rosewood-quality accommodations and exceptional residences, a unique variety of well-executed restaurant concepts from Catalonian cuisine, to lifestyle-authentic Lebanese, to a lively Italian and a one-of a-kind Pan-Indian. The different lounges will provide a social heartbeat on the island starting with Glo, our vibrant pool terrace offering nightly entertainment; to Smoke, the waterfront shisha lounge; Hidden Bar, the elegant and cosy cocoon style lounge; The Majlis, our hotel “living room” offering specialty coffees, snacks and pastries; and finally La Cava, the largest tasting cellar in the UAE offering more than 1,000 labels, including a dedicated cigar library. The hotel will also feature a spectacular, full service Rosewood-branded Spa – Sense, opening this September, along with an impressive fitness membership. Also carefully designed meeting facilities, catering to up to 1,000 guests, are all enhanced with our Rosewood distinct services such as the personalised butler and “Rose Buds”, our very own kids centre. What can we expect from the Rosewood Abu Dhabi and will you expand in the region? Being our first hotel in the UAE, Rosewood Abu Dhabi will definitely further establish our brand in the region. Plans are in motion to announce a very exciting property to add to our collection: The Rosewood Dubai. Finally, our signature question, which we always ask all of our interview guests: What do you think of the Simply AbuDhabi publication? Simply Abu Dhabi is a luxury publication that I consistently enjoy reading to keep up to trend with latest news and novelties in the ultra- luxury segment. Luigi Romaniello

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