DUBAI Shaped like a billowing Arabian dhow, the all-suite ultra-luxurious Burj Al Arab rising above the 280-metre man-made island on the Jumeirah coast, cuts a distinct figure against the city’s skyline. Considered as one of the most expensive hotels in the world with average rates of US$1,200 (low-season) and US$3,500 (high season), the hotel only gets the cream of the crop among group incentives.
“Because of our price points, we are placed in a different league. We get chosen when a company is looking for a really extraordinary experience that it is likely to book for one time,” said Heinrich Morio, general manager of Burj Al Arab, who added that incentive guests get to experience the property the way an individual client would.
With 202 luxury duplexes, the hotel has an occupancy rate of over 60 per cent.
“China has become increasingly important to us, accounting for about 26 per cent of the business,” said Morio. “In the last few years, we have seen a remarkable growth of incentive travel from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with companies booking between 40 to 60 suites per stay.”
He added: "So, we are now very focused on this market and we are looking into that with a lot of confidence.”
