Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2013: Fresh flowers adorn the lobby at the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi on Sunday, March 4, 2013, at the hotel's location on Abu Dhabi Canal. The newest Abu Dhabi hotel, which officially opens on March 10, 2013, boasts 532 rooms. 110 trainers were flown in from other Ritz-Carlton hotels all over the world to supervise the preparations and training of 480 employees of the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi. Silvia Razgova / The National
Hotel credo cards are on display. “It’s a culture, a pledge,� says Ned Capeleris, 38, from Greece who is a hotel manager at the Ritz-Carlton in Bahrain. “We create a culture and keep it alive. For the opening of a new hotel we spend 10 days puttin???
Ganpat Ram Lalu Ram takes his time detailing the stairs at the Ritz-Carlton. The property, which sits opposite the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and is owned by Abu Dhabi National Hotels, was scheduled to open last year, but construction of the 57 acre estate???
The hotel boasts 10 food and drink outlets, each one designed specifically for this hotel. Even that, explains David Murphy, the corporate director for food and beverage for the Ritz-Carlton group, involves mathematical ratios and science.
Waiters line up at Mijana, a Lebanese restaurant. Ladies and Gentlemen have spent the last 10 days before opening day preparing every minute detail.
One of the creations at The Forge, a steak restaurant. “We do a ratio based on city versus the resort, based around room size. But we also use a lot of local analytics. Obviously in the Middle East there’s a desire to have a lot more restaurants with???
The success of the opening today is thanks to the help of more than 100 specially picked trainers, flown in from other Ritz-Carlton hotels to help teach the Abu Dhabi staff how they do things. Each one wears a long white lab coat which makes them easy to ???
Lukusa Memu from Congo and Anna Lopez from Spain, are Ritz-Carlton Hotel Guest Services employees.
A member of staff at Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi presents food from Al Fresco, a pool-side restaurant. The hotel has 480 employees, known as Ladies and Gentlemen, because calling employees staff is against company policy.
As well as being fun for the staff, it gives the management yet another chance to examine the small details.
A food show is included in the hotel's countdown programme, in which all 480 ladies and gentlemen – including maintenance and security – are shown every menu item available in the hotel.
One of the most special is one based on the bridesmaid dress worn by Pippa Middleton to her sister Kate’s wedding to Britain’s Prince William. “I love my dress,� laughs Victoria Gosudarska, 26, from Ukraine, modelling the uniform in this picture.
Last of all, a fashion show loud enough and elaborate enough to rival those of top designers.
Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Hotel staff cheer on their colleagues during an employee fashion show. All of the uniforms for the staff were designed in Turkey, and as with all the other details, took months of consultation.
125-year-old olive trees, brought from Spain, adorn the sunken garden at the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi. The newest five-star Abu Dhabi hotel, is the 3rd largest Ritz-Carlton in the world in terms of built area.
A view from the Club Lounge, a top-floor restaurant.
The countdown to their grand opening includes a “vision and philosophy� motivational speech by Bob Kharazmi, who is second in command across the entire Ritz-Carlton empire.
In all the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi has a total of 532 rooms, including 85 private villas. There are 102 separate buildings on the property and 143,328 individual items of furniture, fixtures and equipment used inside.
Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi employees look at sweet creations at Dolce, one of the hotel's restaurants.
When it comes to designing a restaurant, huge amounts of effort go into even the smallest of details, which even regular diners may never even notice.
