INTERVIEW - RICHARD ALEXANDER, GENERAL MANAGER, THE LANA, DUBAI: "THE LANA HAS CREATED A UNIQUE NICHE IN THE DUBAI MARKET" (Émirats arabes unis)
The Lana welcomed its firsts guests on the 1st February 2024, marking the beginning of a new adventure for the Dorchester Collection in more than 10 years.
INTERVIEW - RICHARD ALEXANDER, GENERAL MANAGER, THE LANA, DUBAI: "THE LANA HAS CREATED A UNIQUE NICHE IN THE DUBAI MARKET" (Émirats arabes unis)
The Lana welcomed its firsts guests on the 1st February 2024, marking the beginning of a new adventure for the Dorchester Collection in more than 10 years.
The Lana was one of the most anticipated openings of 2024, and already established a strong reputation of elegance, calm and ultra-luxury in Dubai. The mark of the Dorchester Collection. At the helm of the impressive property, Richard Alexander, a seasoned general manager with experience in the Emirates, having previously managed the Jumeirah Al Naseem in Dubai. The British national is as multicultural as Dubai can be, having worked in many different countries and companies around the world. "The huge advantage of working with many brands striving to provide a similar luxury guest experience in so many different destinations is that it has expanded my professional and personal horizons. It has given me a diverse management style that I can adjust to any new situation or environment. The only challenge is that my poor family have lived in 16 different houses in the past 25 years in 8 different countries. They are true citizens of the world." A blessing more than a curse in these global times, one would argue.
Now back in Dubai after a couple of years in the Bahamas, Richard Alexander is finding his roots again, so to speak, to represent the iconic brand through what is set to become another iconic destination for the group. "We, at The Lana, are very proud to be part of the Dorchester Collection family, our sisters and brothers are legendary and have long histories. We are the newborn at Dorchester Collection, but still represent the golden thread of service excellence and personalised hospitality that Dorchester Collection is known for". Four months after welcoming the first guests, and task with leading the brand's flagship in the region, Richard Alexander shares, some insights on his career and what makes the Lana so special.
Journal des Palaces: What attracted you to luxury hospitality in the first place?
Richard Alexander: I must admit that initially, the attraction was the glamour of working in a luxury hotel. Whilst it is indeed often a glamorous experience, I found that I really enjoyed the excitement of working in such a dynamic environment with people of diverse cultures creating memorable and unique experiences for our discerning guests.
What are the key moments that shaped your career?
I think having had the opportunity to work in so many countries across the globe, alongside some really wonderful people, has made me the person I am today and given me a very outward looking broad perspective of our fantastic industry. There is no one key moment, every location and group of people I have worked with have shaped my career and led me to where I am today.
What have been the key milestones for the Lana since the opening?
Well I would say, one would be the soft opening on the 1st of February which was, when we had our first paying guests that was, when we began fine-tuning our levels of service, then the real Grand Opening on the 24th, 25th and 26th of April when we did our surrealist immersive dinners on the first two nights for 156 people on each night, and then we had the Gala open house for 700 people on the third night, this was massively well attended, and we got lots and lots of really fantastic comments from our guests, about the hotel, about the beauty of the hotel, the elegance, the atmosphere and the level of service. This milestone of being able to publicise our food and beverage offerings and our Dior Spa, which is extremely popular and well received. We have also staged some wonderful events in our meeting spaces, commercial events as well as government events. Overall, a lot of significant media attention and guest attention has been received, so it’s been a great opening. Dubai has now become a global crossroad, east to west, north to south, and is a global tourism hub. It is constantly evolving and lives in the future. This brings with it many great hotels, but no one does it like Dorchester Collection and The Lana with its elegant European feel has created a unique niche in the Dubai market.
What were your biggest challenges when recruiting?
When we initially started recruiting, the Dorchester Collection name enabled us to garner many applications. The challenge we faced was Dorchester Collection is not your average hospitality company, and we needed to hire people of great ability and talent. Ultimately, we hired for attitude, not aptitude. Yes, experience is good, technical ability is good, but far more important is someone’s character; personality and willingness to take care of our guests are essential. It’s got easier because we are known for taking care of our employees. Part of our "We Care philosophy" is providing above-market remuneration, the very best staff accommodation in Dubai, a brand-new building, large units, individual kitchens and laundry facilities, fantastic uniforms designed in Paris, incredible staff dining, to name a few advantages. All the amazing things the company does to look after its people have made it even easier to hire today.
With two French chefs at the helm of three of your F&B outlets, did you voluntarily try to bring more French talent to emulate a French atmosphere?
I’m very glad you asked me that because our celebrity Chefs are a big attraction to our guests, we have Jean Imbert in Riviera and High Society, the extremely talented young Parisian Chef from our sister property Plaza Athénée, and we have Angelo Musa World-class pastry champion. He's heading up our bakery pastry and bread program throughout the hotel, lead Bonbon Café, our beautiful little café just off the Marina boardwalk, and is overseeing our incredible afternoon tea. These two gentlemen have really brought another dimension to our culinary offering and yes, we have deliberately employed on the service side as well as on the culinary people who can represent French cuisine, the language and culture of that part of the world. It should be mentioned as well, though, that we have Martín Berasategui heading up JARA, our signature restaurant on the 18th floor with traditional Basque cuisine, heavily featured with fresh fish flown in from the coastal region of the Atlantic. We also have a large representation of Spanish chef, and service team members in that restaurant.
What would be your advice to someone pursuing a career in luxury hospitality?
I have benefited from working for some amazing companies in my career. So I would say to anyone coming into this industry, that if it’s the luxury market you want to work in, go for the very best company you can first. Start there, with the company and the brand rather than the position. It doesn’t matter what the position is as long as you get in with the right brand at any level, and then really apply yourself. What you put in is what you get out. Put the hours in from the get-go, and you will reap the rewards and have a great time as you do so.
A lover of human interactions, Sonia started her journalism career in various media outlets before moving to London and shifting to the digital industry. Listening to her calling, she's picking up her pen to share the passion and ambitions of luxury hospitality.
