Jumeirah accelerates hotel renovations amid regional conflict, CEO reveals

At the Rise summit in Dubai, Jumeirah Group chief executive Thomas Meier said the company used the recent regional conflict to accelerate its renovation programme, completing two years of work in a single year.

Renovation acceleration

He added that the safety of colleagues and guests remained the first priority during the crisis, and once the initial wave passed the group reassessed its planned projects. Meier is quoted as saying, “We assessed what projects we had lined up for renovation, new restaurants, change of concept,” and continued, “And this summer we did the renovation, the scope that we had for two years within one year.” He noted that some hotels were temporarily closed to allow work to proceed faster, and that Jumeirah is now ramping up those properties, adding new restaurants and new rooms ahead of the coming season.

Burj Al Arab status

One of the group’s most iconic assets, the Burj Al Arab, was among the hotels closed for renovation and will stay shut until the third quarter of 2027. Meier remarked that despite the closure the building remains the most photographed object in Dubai. He said, “The Burj Al Arab is closed for renovation, as we have announced,” and added, “From the outside you can’t see this, and every day you have tourists who take pictures. We think that’s fantastic.” He also credited the landmark with helping to position Dubai as a global tourism destination, quoting, “If you look at the vision Sheikh Mohammed had when he started to conceptualize the Burj Al Arab, it helped really to position Dubai as a tourism destination.”

Personalisation and service

Meier observed that the biggest shift in luxury travel is how well informed guests are before arrival. He stated, “Across every sector, our travellers are much, much better informed about the destination, about the product and what we can offer,” and added, “In return, what we have to adapt ourselves to is a much, much higher level of personalisation.” He noted that some guests now contact the hotel two to three weeks before arrival to share itineraries and preferences, and recounted an anecdote: a regular guest forgot his glasses while travelling to the airport in Europe, contacted his butler from the plane with the prescription, and found a new pair waiting for him upon arrival in Dubai. Meier commented, “It sometimes feels like we know these guests forever.”

Human touch and AI

On the role of technology, Meier emphasised that the human touch is essential in hospitality and that artificial intelligence cannot replicate it, though it can assist with organisation. He said, “AI couldn’t do it, but AI could help us to organize it and to track it.” He explained that Jumeirah is collaborating with parent company Dubai Holding on AI in three areas: staff co‑pilot tools, institutional applications such as Oracle and Salesforce, and tailor‑made apps for operations. Meier believes AI should take over repetitive tasks like night audits and accounting, allowing staff to focus on guests, and stressed, “The importance of the human touch and the human connection is ever so important.” He also noted that the company provides an e‑butler service via the TV in every room for guests who prefer not to interact with personnel, saying, “We offer the guest choice,” and, “The guest has the opportunity to do the way they want.”