Tell us about your career, what inspired you to get into hospitality?
Honestly, I never thought about being in the hotel industry. I was actually supposed to be a construction engineer and that was my plan until I got a job in a hotel back home. But here I am, 30-plus years later, as the GM of Al Habtoor Palace. This beautiful industry has taken me and my family all around the world and I have had the pleasure of enjoying all kinds of cultures. So with all due respect to engineers, I'm happy not to be one of them. Hospitality is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle where our goal is very simple: to put smiles on peoples’ faces.
My first hotel job was a summer job, in between the semesters. I started as what I would call a garbage man. I said to myself, ‘Okay, this is not the most glamorous job in the hotel, but I will be the best garbage man they will have ever had’. I took pride in the job that I was doing, even if it was just emptying garbage. My strategy was to build a genuine connection with the kitchen staff to create a supportive and collaborative environment. I went to the cold kitchen in the morning where the ladies would be chopping away [on the vegetables], I’d say out loud, ‘Good morning, ladies! What a beautiful day! Do you have garbage for me?’ And they looked at me like, ‘Who is this guy?’ But that did not go unnoticed and after two weeks, the Director of Food and Beverage came to me and said, ‘Mr. Radstrom, you seem to have a very good attitude. How about if you start working in the restaurant?’ And that's basically how it all started. But in terms of having that goal of being a GM? No, I think I was too young and innocent at that time to be thinking about that. We just enjoyed what we were doing.
Hospitality offers employees an opportunity to see the world; can you tell us about some of your journeys?
After six months of the summer job, I had an opportunity to move abroad to do the pre-opening the biggest landmark hotel in Scandinavia in Oslo. I stayed for six years before I continued my journey to open Russia's first five-star hotel in 1991, back when it was still the wild East. I had an opportunity to go there to do the pre-opening of Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Russia’s first five-star hotel. Soon after that, I moved to Moscow and opened the first golf resort – Moscow Country Club. I was there for three and a half years before I went to The Bristol in Warsaw followed by opening of Ritz Carlton Budapest. In 2010 we did the opening of the Grand Hyatt in Doha and I remember; I went to the Minister of Tourism and gave him our offer for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. From Doha, I went to India and opened Grand Hyatt Goa and was introduced not only to my wife but to “Incredible India”, hosting Bollywood stars, cricket players and huge Indian loud weddings. After India, we went to Istanbul, then Muscat, Dubai, Prague and now back to Dubai. So I tell everyone how great hospitality has been to us. We work hard but we also get an opportunity to live all around the world and experience different cultures.
Having worked all over the world, how does the UAE luxury traveller’s needs and expectations differ to those in Europe or other Middle East destinations?
Certain things will remain the same in luxury. I think what really makes things luxurious is personalisation. Real luxury comes in those things that you can't buy and the things that exceeds your expectations. You can't buy ambience, it has to be created by great service and by the people. You need to have excellent hardware, but it's the software that will bring it to life. For me, luxury is personal, because we work with people and people are all different. If you try to be something for everybody, you are nothing to nobody. We want to deliver personal experiences that will create memories and will be cherished in our guest’s heart; this will be an everlasting remembrance that will be part of their stories they will be sharing.
Sustainability is a major topic for all businesses around the globe. Can hotels still offer a luxurious experience while maintaining a drive to be sustainable?
Absolutely. Luxury can be sustainable. The hotel industry is not necessarily the fastest moving industry; the world moves much faster around us and we tend to be very traditional and conservative. It takes a little bit of time to educate people. A few years ago, in a five-star hotel you couldn't have soap dispensers but now it's acceptable because people understand why it's not very sustainable to have small bottles of shampoo and wrapped soaps that is used once only.
You joined Al Habtoor Palace very recently, what drew you to the property?
This is a stunning looking palace. Dubai has some amazing architecture, but Al Habtoor Palace stands out in Dubai because not that many places have the jaw dropping ‘wow’ when you walk into the lobby. It's amazing: the architectural style is Beaux Arts, which combines Renaissance and Baroque elements in a symmetrical and balanced way. When you walk in, you feel the warmth and the palatial sense. It is all credit to our owners to really have done something as special as this. That wow effect continues when you see our rooms and suites. These are some of the biggest rooms in Dubai, starting from 55 square metres. We can be proud of saying that our biggest suite, The Sir Winston Churchill Suite (900 square metres), is bigger than our ballroom— I never worked in a hotel where I could say that before. That is something that you don't come across every day. For the food lovers, our award-winning team and highly rated World Cut Steakhouse serves some of the finest steaks and sea food in Dubai with various weekly offers and a Saturday brunch that stands out.
Looking towards the rest of 2024 and beyond, are there any exciting plans for Al Habtoor Palace that you can tell us about?
We are very excited now to be on this new journey. The property is absolutely stunning and also with the other two hotels we have here, V Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton and Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City. Together with La Perle by Dragone and all the restaurants it's a destination in its own right. It is very easy to access, we also have the boulevard, with Neera - a luxury private members club. It is a must visit destination in Dubai.
When you’re not in the hotel, what do you like to get up to in Dubai?
I haven't rediscovered Dubai that much yet, but I enjoy having a round of golf. It’s like four or five hours of therapy for me. I go to the gym in the morning and of course, spend time with family and friends. Dubai has so much to offer as well. My family just arrived recently, so we will definitely do more exploring of Dubai and the UAE.
If you could travel to one place tomorrow, what destination would that be and why?
There are two answers to that question for me because we have worked all over the world. We're blessed to have friends all over, so sometimes you revisit places you have been to before, but then we also like to explore new things. The latest destination we are looking at is South Africa, because although I've been there, my wife has not been. South America is also on the list, as the furthest south we have been in the Americas is only Mexico. We were supposed to do Bora Bora for my 50th birthday but unfortunately Covid came along so hopefully one day we can make it there too!
