Dubai Hospitality and the Making of a World-Class Hotel Scene

Welcome to episode two of a four-part Unpacked series on Dubai travel, this time focused on Dubai hospitality: how a city with more than 800 hotels and 150,000 rooms built a world-class hotel scene on one of the Arabian Peninsula’s oldest traditions: the welcome.

Guest host Nicola Chilton starts in the desert with Philippe Zuber, CEO of Kerzner International, who oversees eight Dubai hotels, including two Atlantis resorts and three One&Only resorts. Zuber shares his “secret spot” for first-time visitors, the calm kind of desert rather than dune bashing, and explains how the mix of desert, skyline, and sea shapes the travel experiences he recommends. He also talks about the role hotels play in the city’s social life and what it’s like to work alongside colleagues from 200 nationalities.

Then Nicola sits down with Mohammed Kazim, a Dubai-born cultural entrepreneur, who traces Dubai hospitality culture back to Al Wasl, the “connecting point” where trade routes met, and to a three-day welcome code that obliged hosts to shelter and feed any guest without asking questions. It’s why Arabic coffee and dates are still the first thing you’re offered, and why standards at Dubai’s hotels run so high, plus his travel tips for first-time visitors.

Two more episodes, on food and culture, are coming next, and every episode is filmed in the same Dubai studio, so you can watch as well as listen on YouTube. (Listen to the first episode here.)

This week's guests

Philippe Zuber is CEO of Kerzner International, which operates eight hotels in Dubai—including two Atlantis resorts and three One&Only properties—plus 23 more worldwide and 12 in development.

Mohammed Kazim is a Dubai-born cultural entrepreneur and co-founder of Tamashee, a brand reviving traditional Arabian Peninsula sandals through contemporary design, and of Tamashee Experience, a cultural travel business that takes visitors to tribal communities across the region.

Plan your own Dubai trip

First, begin with these essential Afar resources, including the best hotels to book (and why hotels are so much more than a place to stay), a guide to the evolving food scene, and how to spend four days in Dubai, according to locals.

Where to stay, what to do, and what to eat from this episode

Atlantis The Royal—Kerzner's ocean-themed integrated resort, home to a culinary lineup that includes Carbone, Milos, and a breakfast spot ranked among the world's best.

One&Only One Za'abeel—Kerzner's newest urban resort, pai