Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Establishes Firm Foothold in the UAE

Six months after taking over the Mövenpick Hotel Bur Dubai, Thomas Tapken, General Manager, is confident that 2004 is going to be a banner year for this, the first Mövenpick Hotel in the UAE.

Says Tapken, “the hotel is booming. The energy and vibrancy you now feel when you walk in is exhilarating, and makes all the hard work worthwhile. Occupancy is up, the number of guests in the restaurants is up, use of the banquet and function facilities is up, and people are talking about us!”

The hotel is proud to claim one of the highest occupancies in town for several nights in December and January, and is looking forward to an even better February. Tapken has introduced several weekly theme nights in each of the hotel’s restaurants, which are aimed at tempting local residents back into the property. As an experienced chef himself, Tapken demands high standards from his kitchen staff, and guests benefit from his fanatical attention to detail. He is also starting the year with one of his pet interests – raising money for charity. 

The first of these major events is the building of the biggest heart in the UAE – entirely out of balloons, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and at the same time raise money for impoverished children in the region. Along with sponsors Swiss Air, who have donated two tickets for lucky winners on this day, and the Wafi City Mall who have donated 2,500 Wafi bears, there are many local companies contributing to help make this a success. To join in, all you have to do is buy a balloon for Dhs/- 2 each, pop it, and see if you have won a prize. 

Tapken estimates that it will take about 4000 balloons to build the heart, which will stand in front of the hotel on the 14th February.

The Group is also expanding, and construction is scheduled to start very shortly on the new Mövenpick Pearl Hotel Dubai – located between Knowledge Village and Media City, at the gateway to The Palm. Since 2002 alone, the group has added more than 1140 hotel rooms in the region.