Mohammed Khalaf Al Habtoor

Work hard, stay focussed and follow your dreams. Nothing comes easily in life.

Could you please tell us about yourself? 

Mohammed Khalaf Al Habtoor is the Vice-Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Al Habtoor Group, one of the leading conglomerates in the United Arab Emirates. The Group was founded in 1970 and has grown with the UAE. It is globally recognised for its involvement in the hotel, automotive, real estate, education, insurance and publishing sectors. It operates both in the UAE and on international level and has a reputation for excellence in every respect. In his position as Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Al Habtoor Group, Mohammed Al Habtoor is involved in all aspects of the business at the most senior level. In addition, he is an active board member in Dubai National Insurance and Reinsurance. Al Habtoor has a variety of university degrees, having studied Business Administration and Hotel and Catering Management at the University of Slough, and the University of Surrey, in the United Kingdom; and the University of Virginia, and Cornell University, New York, in the United States of America. A devoted family man, he is also a prominent and well respected member of his community. Known for his sporting prowess, he plays professional polo at international level and is the Patron of the Habtoor Polo team. “I am proud to represent one of the leading conglomerates in the UAE,” he comments. “It is my belief that the company will continue to grow in the coming years and will one day be known throughout the world. We have done much but we have more to do.”

What is your main motivation/factor behind your success?

First of all, don’t expect that things will change in a day or a night, or even a month or a year. You have to work hard. When I finished my education, I worked for my father. But I wasn’t put in a management position straight away. I had to earn my position and prove myself first. I had to do many jobs from the bottom up. Even though I didn’t like it at the time. I now understand the importance of why I had to do it. I have gained a broad understanding of all aspects of hospitality because of it. I worked in the kitchen as a waiter, I carried luggage as a porter, I worked on reception and became the night manager. I did this for a few years and I learned a lot. My father was hard on me. He fired me twice for not attending a couple of meetings. I was treated like everyone else. I appreciate this now.

How did you start working/meet with AHK?

We awarded AHK with Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah, all ID & FF&E Works. We were very satisfied on the outcome of thier workmanship, since then, we entrusted our projects with AHK.

Which projects did you awarded with AHK?

Waldorf Astoria in Palm Jumeirah / Dubai / UAE

Westin Hotel Dubai / UAE

W Hotel Dubai / UAE

St. Regis Polo Club Hotel / Dubai / UAE

You worked on 4 projects Hotel with AHK, which one is your favor as design?

I am proud of all our projects. It is difficult to choose one! Design-wise they are all unique. Al Habtoor City standsout in the fact that it blends many design aspects together whereas the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club is based on an Andalusian-style which is reflected throughout the entire project.   

Can you please tell us a little about your last project The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club?

The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club is very different to what we have done before. We have created vast green spaces in the desert. This was not an easy task. It is a six million square foot development completely devoted to the equestrian world. The St. Regis is the centrepiece of the Andalusian-style resort. Despite being associated with polo for many years, it marks the brand’s first-ever equestrian resort world-wide. The resort features 151 guest rooms including 30 suites and 25 villas. The hotel is also surrounded by luxury residential villas available for rent, and four international-standard polo fields. In creating this resort, we have managed to reinforce Dubai’s standing within the global polo circuit. It has enabled us to host some of the world’s top polo tournaments. The stables, for more than 500 horses, are bright and airy. We cater to all types of horse riding from traditional horseback riding, dressage, show jumping and polo. 

You always prefer to interfere and to follow the projects from design step to construction step and you are very famous of your inspections and comments at sites...where does this experience and knowledge come from? 

I wouldn’t say I interfere. It is my job to be involved across all aspects of our projects. The is nothing worse than an owner who is disjointed from a project. A successful investor has to be involved from the ground up. We are not the type of owners that stand back and let others get on with the job. What you refer to as ‘interference’ I call my job and my duty. Our Chairman, my father, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor is the same. He started the business from scratch. I learned from him. He is the most experienced within the Group.  

As we know; the properties either belonging to you but you are directly operating some of them by yourself or / and you are giving some of them directly to other operators... what is your criteria when you are taking such decisions and what makes you to decide this two options?
We own all the hotels in our local and international hospitality portfolio. We now have 14 hotels around the world; seven in Dubai and seven internationally (Lebanon, Austria, Budapest, London and the United States). We are still actively involved either way whether we are operating the hotels or if Hilton, Marriott International of InterContinental are running them. When deciding on who will run the day-to-day operations of the hotels we take into consideration what is best for the property itself so that we can maximise its full potential. All our hotels are running as they should as we have hired the right people for the job and selected the best names in the business. In Dubai, there is a lot of competition in the luxury sector. This is why we have the superior brands like the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, The St. Regis Dubai (Al Habtoor City, and Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club), W Dubai – Al Habtoor City and The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City.

For the hotels which are directly under Habtoor Hospitality where do you get the inspiration from; as design wise, service style etc... For what do you pay more attention for your own operated hotels? 

The most important thing for any hotel, whether we are operating it or not, is the customer experience. Being in the hospitality sector is all out ‘the customer’. We want to ensure our customers come back or tell their friends about our properties. Whatever we do is with the end user in mind. We have really strong brands and excellent teams. We put in a lot of upfront work in before we embark on any project. We ensure that we have conducted feasibility studies first. We spend a lot time selecting the right contractors for the job, and we make sure that no two projects are the same. You have to offer diversity. I will use Al Habtoor City as an example. We have three five-star hotels that complement each other. They are all in the five-star category yet each one caters to a different clientele. They are not in direct competition with each other despite sharing the same location. They enhance the customer experience by offering so much. We have so many restaurant choices and the added benefit of La Perle, a world-class aqua show, directly on the property. 

What do you advise to young people as business hints for success who see you as their idol? 

Work hard, stay focussed and follow your dreams. Nothing comes easily in life. You have to be disciplined and determined to succeed. There is a lot competition out there, so it is important to keep on evolving and settling for nothing but the best. But most importantly you have to love what you do, and do what you like. 

Finally; how do you define your cooperation with the AHK?

The Al Habtoor Group has witnessed phenomenal growth in recent years, particularly in Dubai. To see the projects that we have created come to fruition after years of planning is extremely rewarding. We have created new landmarks in Dubai, particularly Al Habtoor City and the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. These are unique projects which provide multiple options for residents and visitors alike. With AHK, which provides high quality ID contracting services, products and related services on time and on budget as a solution partner to us.

AHK is the smoothest contractor we have worked with in implementing and executing the job correctly and on time especially the quality. MKH