The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab is larger than life. More than a building, it has a personality, a pizzazz, a voice all its own. Cruising up its driveway, over the water with its architectural mainsail seemingly billowing out over you, there’s always a moment of frisson, the barest of goosebumps appearing as though you’re about to meet a real-life superstar. Such is the power of the Burj’s presence. Its reputation precedes it, and you know you’re in the presence of greatness.
As the GMT GCC team pulled up to its gleaming entrance, the sensation was the same as it’s ever been. A childlike glee fell over us, as though we were kids coming back to a favourite candy shop. Because the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab really is a distillation of all that’s good and sweet about Dubai itself – and it’s fitting that the majority of the world was introduced to our emirate through the medium of this visionary project.
As the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab closes in on 25 years as Dubai’s ambassador to the world, we met the man at its steady helm – and indeed, the helm of Jumeirah’s other regional properties – regional vice president of Jumeirah Group and general manager of Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, Giovanni Beretta. A man with a career almost as storied as the property he heads up, he’s gone from a small Italian city to one of Switzerland’s top hospitality schools, to working throughout the Americas and in Asia before ending up here in Dubai – and in one of its most important symbols.
GMT GCC’s publisher Deremi Ajidahun toured the Burj’s most exclusive spaces with Giovanni – including the exquisite two-storey Deluxe Marina Suite – to hear all about what life in this icon is really like.
GMT GCC: Giovanni, your reputation precedes you – everyone I’ve told that I’ll be interviewing you has acted like I’m about to meet a celebrity! So I’m very happy to finally make this happen. You’ve been in the industry for a long time – how did it start?
Giovanni Beretta: Plan B! Like everybody in my generation, I wanted to be a professional athlete – the will was there but the qualities unfortunately weren’t… My father wanted me to be a lawyer but I couldn’t see myself living in just one city. Even as a little kid all I wanted to study was geography and maps, so eventually I decided to try hotel school in Lausanne. By a miracle I passed the entrance exam, and from then on it was ‘love at first sight’. I loved hospitality and everything about it. It was my calling and everything I wanted to do.
It’s strange that we haven’t met before – I have a lot of friends who studied in Lausanne, and I myself went to school in Leysin, where there’s another hotel school. Fun times! So where were you born and where did you grow up before moving to Lausanne?
My family is from a small northern Italian city called Brescia, and when I turned six we moved to Rome, where I stayed until I was 19. I suppose I’m more Roman, in a way, because of my upbringing. But I never really fit in – always too Roman for the north Italians, and too northern for the Romans!
So after your studies, where did your career take you?
I did all my apprenticeships in Switzerland, knowing that I’d have the chance to travel later. My first full-time hotel job after graduating was in Medellin, Colombia. This was the early 90s, so it’s not the Medellin you can visit today – it was a little more dangerous! I was young, alone and happy to travel the world so I was ok, but I would not do that with a family!
Which hotel or experience do you think shaped you into the hotelier you are today?
I don’t think there’s just one. It’s the sum of a lot of little parts that makes you who you are. If there was a place that was particularly meaningful, it was Venezuela. I spent very fun times there and the timing was right for the place and for me. I remember it all so vividly.
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab needs no introduction – its sail-shaped form imprinted on the global consciousness as a symbol of Dubai. But the property’s grounds are a less-well-known string to its bow, with the Burj Al Arab Terrace forming 10,000 square metres of outdoor luxury leisure right at the foot of this unforgettable building. A family-friendly freshwater pool, an adult-only saltwater infinity pool and the renowned SAL Restaurant make this the perfect option whether vacationing or staycationing.
This is a property that has it all – serene Mediterranean vibes at Bab Al Yam restaurant and Arabian opulence at Al Iwan, a soaring lobby and magnificence in the tiniest of details, this is the Dubai the world first got to know and lust after. With rich gold and sumptuous royal blues in no short supply, it’s a regal blend of bombastic proportions.
Have you really been to Dubai until you’ve had afternoon tea at the Burj? Skyview Lounge is the one and only destination if you want to partake in a Dubai institution, nibbling on an elegant selection of pastries and savouries including king crab tartelette, vanilla caramel chouquette and – of course – the classic scones, custard and jam while taking in the unmissable sea and city scenes.
Talise Spa is a triumph of Jumeirah’s creation, and its Burj Al Arab branch is arguably the most spectacular. A dip in the gloriously colonnaded pool is enough to tick anyone’s ‘wow’ box, but when combined with an opulent Golden Journey spa ritual – a combination of a 75-minute facial and 75-minute body massage using colloidal gold and plant stem cells – it becomes unforgettable.
Have you had a mentor in the industry, someone you looked up to and admired?
There’s definitely one person – Jack Miller, he lives in Phoenix, Arizona – who was instrumental and a special general manager for me when I was director of Food and Beverage. Going even further back, there was an Italian gentleman who was director of Food and Beverage and I was his assistant – Lorenzo Michini – I had the chance to work with him in Colombia. And there are many more.
My mentor is also from the hospitality industry. Marc Devroye, from Belgium, who’s now retired but was the Food and Beverage manager at the Le Méridien in Lagos, Nigeria. I was just a young boy who’d just come back to Nigeria in 1985 after studying abroad, working designing his menus, and he gave me so many chances. That’s how I started my career, so I’m very fond of the hospitality industry! How does the career impact on family time, hobbies and passions?
It is an adventurous life. But from the outside it can look much more glamorous than the life of a hotelier really is – there are long hours and a lot of hard work. Now I’m in a bit more of a privileged position and can organise my days differently. I try to balance it out and spend a lot of my free time with my family and two young children, which I enjoy very much. But the hotel industry does take a toll, particularly when it comes to time.
How does your family feel about the UAE?
Well, in this I include myself – it’s been one of the biggest surprises! What a fantastic place to live. I never thought the quality of life would be so good and the people so warm – it really caught us all by surprise. The kids have adapted so quickly and so well, they are the happiest and don’t want to live anywhere else. The safety and security is so good and everything here is so well organised. Things here are done in a snap of the fingers, which is an amazing luxury.
You must have a fantastic team, which allows you that time too. Which brings us to the amazing property where we are today. How did you reach Jumeirah Burj Al Arab – you’ve landed on one of the most iconic pieces of property in the world!
You’ve said it all, I can’t correct you on that! When it comes to icons, I think this is the most iconic because looking back – now that we are turning 25 – if there was one building, institution and icon that put Dubai on the map it was the Burj Al Arab. It’s funny how for the longest time the first image that would come up if you Googled ‘Dubai’ was this hotel. It’s incredible that I’m one of the lucky few to have the chance to work here.
Jumeirah Emirates Towers
Standing sentinel over the iconic Sheikh Zayed Road skyline since April 2000, Emirates Towers is an unmistakeable part of Dubai’s character. Emulating the energy of a married couple – the taller and smaller towers seemingly facing each other, in a surprisingly tender way for two buildings – Emirates Towers is as romantic as it is impressive.
Having undergone numerous refurbishments and refreshments over the years, Emirates Towers has always kept pace with the hyper-speed city that surrounds it. Undeniably chic and with architecture that holds surprises at every turn, its latest look by renowned interior design studio La Bottega was unveiled at the end of last year and is bang up to date. The lobby, the heart and hub of the property, is now resplendent in creams, greys and blues, with a triangle motif that recalls the building’s construction.
There’s nowhere with views like Emirates Towers, thanks to its unique placement at the centre of Dubai. From the timelessly elegant guest rooms to the whisper-quiet club lounge and the unmissable two-storey Royal Suite, take the time to revel in Dubai’s past, present and future – you can see it all through the property’s generous floor-to-ceiling windows.
A visit to the cosy confines The Agency is an absolute necessity for an indulgently Dubai experience. Cigars, crafted drinks and live jazz are all part of this achingly hip venue, a total vibe for those seeking some louche luxe.
What were your thoughts and feelings when you found out you’d be coming to this property, and when you first arrived?
Fortunately I’d seen the Burj before on my travels, but only as a tourist, snapping a picture from the outside! When we arrived here to live, it was at night, and the architecture really took my breath away. The warm welcome really showed me that this hotel still has the best service in Dubai. I wish I could take credit for it, but I can’t – it goes to all of my predecessors who since day one gave everything to make this the number one hotel in Dubai. The best thing we can do is keep the legacy alive and maintain the hotel at the level all my predecessors kept it – the top. It’s my burden and my honour.
As the VP of the region, are you involved with the new Marsa Al Arab property? What’s the style and the expectation?
It’s not my project per se, but it’s on the final stretch and should be opening at the beginning of next year. It’s a very luxurious and a very lively place. We will have 11 restaurants there, and a marina with 82 berths, one of which is 100m long so just imagine! We have a lot of people already docking at the marina, and when it’s open we think it will move a lot of the truly luxurious experiences into this area. We can’t wait for it to open.
You must have seen some big stars come through your doors – who’s the biggest sports star that’s stayed at the Burj?
We do our best to safeguard the privacy of all our guests, but one who everyone knows has stayed here – in fact, I know him personally and he’s one of my idols – Roger Federer.
My idol too! Which suite did he stay in?
He’s stayed in almost every suite in the hotel! He’s been coming here for almost 20 years. When I moved here, for the first month I lived in the hotel and Roger came to visit. We were in the elevator and we somehow pushed the wrong floor. He cancelled the entry, then pressed the right floor. I asked him – how did you do that? He said what, you don’t know how to do this? You have to double click fast! I had no idea, I was the general manager and he knew my own hotel better than me!
The idea of the seven stars of the Burj – perhaps you can help us to clarify! Was it ever official? Or was it all created by media hype?
Officially, no – the categories stop at five. But maybe we made it official! It was fortunate for us that a German journalist, who came to visit at the very beginning, was so blown away that instead of saying ‘it’s better than five star, it’s six star’, to show that it was so above everything else he defined it as seven star. That’s how the Burj Al Arab became ‘the seven star hotel’. A lot of others have tried, and with so many other incredible luxury hotels opening we might be worried because they use us as their benchmark, but it’s also a source of pride that everyone wants to reach us and beat us. They all want to be at the top and it’s a reason for us to fight and compete every day. The most difficult thing isn’t reaching the top, it’s staying at the top!
Jumeirah Saadiyat Island
Bringing a Maldivian energy to the UAE’s capital, this property makes the most of its prime position perched on Saadiyat Island’s sandy shores. Marking a protective u-shaped footprint around its central resort-feel outdoor space, it’s all white sand, blue seas and clear skies.
Brightness, lightness and airiness define this property, and while it launched almost six years ago it still feels as fresh as the day its doors first opened. Taking its resort vibe very seriously indeed, this is the place for linen shirts and flip-flops, a touch of seaside goodness on the outskirts of the city.
Prepare to have your mind blown by stepping from Jumeirah Saadiyat Island’s crystal-clear sunlight into the otherworldly calm of its Moroccan-inspired Hammam. The Saadiyat Signature Hammam Ritual will leave you calm, purified and rejuvenated after 60 minutes of warming exfoliation, intense massage and invigorating stretching, all finished off with Moroccan mint tea and Arabian sweets. The ultimate in pampering.
Feel the sea breeze in your hair at The Lounge, an unbeatable spot for chic sundowners with the stunning Arabian Gulf as your backdrop. Light bites, curated drinks and an indulgent shisha are all waiting to be enjoyed, while you wave goodbye to yet another perfect day on Saadiyat Island.
