{"id":2103,"date":"2025-10-01T09:56:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T09:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theme-dev.cmsmasters.net\/magazine-main\/the-best-vegan-beauty-brands-everyone-should-know-about\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T11:10:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T11:10:12","slug":"from-the-beginnings-of-uae-hospitality-stories-of-serving-the-royals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/01\/from-the-beginnings-of-uae-hospitality-stories-of-serving-the-royals\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Beginnings of UAE Hospitality: Stories of Serving the Royals"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In 1987, Emirati hotelier Nasser Al Nowais<\/strong>, then leading the Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH)<\/strong> group, faced a unique challenge \u2014 the company\u2019s five-star property lacked guests.<\/p>

\u201cAt that time, Abu Dhabi had virtually no tourists,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI told my team to attract visitors from Germany and Switzerland. They attended a travel fair in Berlin, and by 1988, we welcomed our first 1,000 tourists.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\r\n\t\t\tJump ahead to 2025, and Abu Dhabi recorded 1.4 million overnight guest in just the first quarter \u2014 a stunning transformation from its modest beginnings decades ago.\n<\/span>\r\n\t\t<\/span><\/h5>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Nasser recounted his experiences during the opening day of the 20th Future Hospitality Summit<\/strong>, held at Madinat Jumeirah on Monday (October 27)<\/strong>. The three-day gathering unites some of the world\u2019s leading hospitality investors and decision-makers to network, share insights, and explore future collaborations.<\/p>

Joining him on stage was Gerald Lawless<\/strong>, who first came to Dubai in the late 1970s and later played a key role in the launch of the iconic Burj Al Arab<\/strong> as part of the Jumeirah Group in 1997. Together, the two industry pioneers took the audience on a nostalgic journey, unveiling rarely seen photographs and anecdotes from the early days of the UAE\u2019s hospitality evolution.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Welcoming with open arms<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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They recalled that the first 1,000 tourists were personally welcomed at the airport, taken to their hotels, shown around the city\u2019s landmarks, and sent home with unforgettable memories. \u201cWe greeted them ourselves,\u201d Nasser said. \u201cOur goal was to let them feel true Emirati hospitality.\u201d<\/p>

For Nasser, hospitality went beyond running hotels \u2014 it was about helping build the nation. He credits much of his inspiration to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan<\/strong>, the UAE\u2019s Founding Father, whose guidance shaped his early vision.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cSheikh Zayed was delighted to see visitors arriving in the emirate,\u201d Nasser recalled. \u201cHe wanted people to experience our traditions, learn about our culture, and see how we live in this part of the world. He even encouraged us to open a restaurant serving genuine Emirati food \u2014 so we did, and he personally came to see it.\u201d<\/p>

Motivated by the late leader\u2019s vision, Nasser went on to help shape what would grow into one of the world\u2019s most dynamic tourism sectors. His journey later led him to co-found Rotana Hotels<\/strong>, a brand that now operates over 80 properties globally<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The 1am call<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Looking back on his years with the group, Gerald<\/strong> shared a memorable moment when, at 1 a.m.<\/strong>, he got an unexpected call telling him that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum<\/strong>, the UAE\u2019s Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, was heading to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel<\/strong>.<\/p>

Laughing as he recalled the memory, Gerald<\/strong> said, \u201cI threw on my jeans and rushed straight to the hotel. I even ended up getting three speeding tickets on the way. Soon, a white four-wheel drive with the number one plate pulled up. Sheikh Mohammed stepped out with a smile and a sparkle in his eye, saying, \u2018See, I gave you a full hour to get ready.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

He explained that Sheikh Mohammed<\/strong> had come to review the hotel\u2019s auditorium ahead of an executive meeting with his advisors the following day. \u201cHe wanted to check every detail \u2014 the layout, the lighting, everything,\u201d Gerald shared. \u201cThat moment truly reflected his commitment and eye for perfection.\u201d<\/p>

Gerald was also behind some of Dubai\u2019s most iconic marketing milestones<\/strong>, including the legendary tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi<\/strong> atop the Burj Al Arab helipad<\/strong>, and Tiger Woods hitting golf balls into the sky<\/strong>. \u201cThose moments put Dubai on global news networks like CNN,\u201d he said proudly. \u201cIt was an unforgettable time.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Veteran hoteliers reminisce about the early days of UAE hospitality, sharing heartfelt stories of serving the nation\u2019s royals and witnessing the transformation of the desert into a world-class luxury destination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,9],"tags":[33,18],"post_template":[59],"top_category":[],"class_list":["post-2103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-uae","tag-explore-dubai","tag-uae-hospitality","post_template-podcast-2","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2103"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35693,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103\/revisions\/35693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2103"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=2103"},{"taxonomy":"top_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/top_category?post=2103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}