To make the guest feel at home is Rosewood Hotel’s main concern. Since it was first opened in Ramadan 2007, the hotel has been noticeable on Jeddah’s Corniche — a tall beige blue-glassed building topped with torches, reflecting the Red Sea. “At Rosewood Hotel, we are concerned with providing our clients high levels of privacy and security,” said Shamil Droubi, director of sales and marketing.
Hotel employees welcome you with smiles into the comfortable atmosphere. The lobby is bright in the morning and has a glamorous oriental style. It is centered on a fountain surrounded by pillars. If you look up to the ceiling when standing next to the fountain, you will see colored transparent hand-painted glass with light pouring in. The glass completes a piece of art engraved in the ceiling. The ceiling is the bottom of the rooftop swimming pool. The swimming pool is on the roof surrounded by torches lit at night. It is only for men at present.
The fitness club is also only for men and is called Take Off 15 — which refers to the SR15,000 annual membership fee. People rarely come here. All the rooms have sea views as do the steam room and sauna.
“We make people feel like home by offering personal services. Staff members remember guests’ names and present them with personalized stationery,” Droubi said. Each guest receives a business card with his name, room number and the phone and fax number of his room. Fax paper and notepads in the rooms also have the guest’s name at the top. The hotel prepares these extra touches when the reservation is made — it takes about an hour to do and is not a problem since most guests reserve a day or two before arrival. “We do not treat our guests as a room number. We want them to feel special and be remembered by hotel staff,” Droubi explained.
The wakeup call in the hotel is not the normal tinkling phone or music. Since each room has its own butler, he comes in the morning at the designated time and prepares either tea or coffee for the guest, serving it to him and providing him with his requested newspaper or magazine.
The butler is expected to notice what the guest likes and dislikes and enter the information into the database, not only keeping it in the local system but also sharing it with other Rosewood properties all over the world. “What makes us special is the relationship we have with the guest in order to make him feel as comfortable as possible. That is why we have been leading the market at the Al-Faisaliah Hotel for eight years now,” said Droubi. For safety and security, every room is equipped with a camera that automatically turns on when the doorbell rings.
The hotel has a fleet of 10 BMW 7 series 2008 cars for guests to hire if they wish. The fleet is renewed every year.
The food and beverage department operates two restaurants on the second floor. Chinese Noodles features a live cooking show kitchen for both lunch and dinner. The chef makes the noodles by hand and then cooks them. The restaurant overlooks the sea. There is also a Japanese restaurant, Ginza, which is open only for dinner. Guests may choose to sit at the counter and watch the food being prepared or at a table. The waiters provide samples and the guests choose what they like. Ginza also has a section in which food can be ordered a la carte. In addition, there is also a dinner open buffet from 6 to 11 in the evening.
The hotel has eight conference rooms with each one having a theme from a different part of Saudi Arabia. Until June 25, the hotel is offering two promotions which include a 50 percent discount on all suites.