Off hours: Dubai hospitality chief spends weekends in his own hotels

Abdulla Bin Sulayem, CEO of Seven Tides, at the Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort and Spa. Sarah Dea / The National

Abdulla bin Sulayem is chief executive of the hospitality development company Seven Tides and of property company Asteco. After completing his degree in business at Middlesex University, the Emirati joined Dubai-based property developer Nakheel in 2005 as director of operations. Mr bin Sulayem, 31, spent six years with the company before joining Seven Tides as chief executive in 2011. In 2012, he was given the added responsibility of running Asteco.

What are your favourite things to do on the weekend?

People say you should never mix business with pleasure. However, the two are synonymous for me. At the weekend I like to take the opportunity to check out our hotels for myself and experience them as a regular guest would, visiting different restaurants and trying out the various leisure activities on offer. As someone who likes to be involved in all aspects of the business, visiting our hotels and seeing them from the perspective of our customers helps to generate ideas and develop better ways of working to enhance their stay.

What do you consider to be your favourite hobby?

I like nothing more than doing some stand-up paddle boarding early every morning. It’s the perfect time to gather my thoughts for the day ahead. I also enjoy cycling for the health and fitness benefits it brings. Although not a hobby as such, I’m intrigued by food from around the world. When travelling I’m always on the lookout for something new or unique and how it can be developed or used within one of our properties.

What can’t you live without?

I always have to keep busy. I’m definitely at my best when I’m on the go – moving around and getting results.

What do you consider the secret to your success?

Passion and enjoying what I do. Turning a problem into an advantage and achieving something really excites me, and this is what drives me. Generating revenue is the lifeblood of any company – without it, we simply cease to exist, so the sales and marketing teams are crucial in any successful hotel. Much has been made of high-profile tools like social media and the benefits of using revenue-generating platforms such as booking.com, which are truly international. For me, this is only half the story. Traditional sales, marketing and PR initiatives are still exceptionally effective, but only if you have invested in the process and it is managed properly.

What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?

As the saying goes, fail to plan and you plan to fail. If you don’t have the relevant expertise, then find it. It’s vital that you identify and put in place a management team that ticks all the boxes in terms of expertise, experience and passion. Most importantly, always remember that we live in a changing world, especially in the Middle East. So your plans should always be flexible and I would counsel always having a Plan B for every aspect; plus remember to always “over-budget” your finances, never under-budget. Before you start any business it is imperative that you’ve done your homework. Research the market and your competitive set, and carry out a Swot [strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats] analysis. It is also useful to look at how the market has reacted to other recent launches. Above all, never forget who the customer is and always recognise and understand your customer profile. Try to be on-trend and anticipate their demands. It is vital that any new business sets itself apart from its competitors. In such an aggressive industry it is extremely difficult to be truly unique. I do find that a lot of so-called USPs are subjective, and many hotels try to be everything to every market segment, which as we all know is impossible. A hotel has a much better chance of standing out from the crowd by having one unique proposition, rather than many bland and uninspiring ones. To succeed you have to listen, take ideas and direction from others and apply them to your business and learn from your experiences. To say someone who has failed will never succeed is wrong – failure is merely a sign that you must try again.

How do you achieve a work-life balance?

I enjoy focusing on work and achieving my goals so I really don’t think of it as a work-life balance. For me, working is a major part of my life and I thrive on the opportunities and successes work brings. As much as work is important, to sustain ideas and drive the business forward you have to remain healthy and have a sharp mind.

How do you relax after the working day?

My hobbies certainly help me relax. I’m also a bit of a techie and enjoy keeping up with the latest trends, particularly when it comes to the automotive industry.

If you weren’t chief executive of this company, what else would you be doing?

I would undoubtedly be running my own company, there’s no question of that. But most likely if I wasn’t in the hospitality business it would be within the real estate sector.

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