InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has appointed a new Chief Concierge to lead the front office team including expert Concierges at the three new properties to open later this year at Dubai Festival City. ADAM KEAST has joined IHG in Dubai Festival City to further challenge his career after spending six years as a Chief Concierge for various luxury hotels and resorts in Australia, including working for three properties belonging to the ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ group. Adam welcomes the new cultural way-of-life Dubai has to offer and looks forward to exploring an environment from which he wishes to gain fresh experiences. Adam has twelve years of hospitality experience, starting as a Porter in 1995 on the Sunshine coast in Queensland after teaching English in Japan. His most recent position was as Chief Concierge at Australia’s most exclusive private resort, Hayman Island. Adam was presented with the highly coveted ‘Les Clefs d’Or’ (Golden Keys) in 2003 after gaining membership to the elite organisation of the same name. For a Concierge this is an esteemed honour as it is the highest award of proficiency for their craft.

Adam will oversee his team throughout the three lavish and luxurious IHG properties, consisting of the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental Residence Suites, which are at the heart of one of the country’s most ambitious and iconic mixed-use development projects, Dubai Festival City. The hotels are connected to the world-class Festival Waterfront Centre boasting 550 shops, and 90 restaurants and cafés, and the luxury 100-berth marina, via a waterfront promenade.

Adam’s responsibilities will be vast and varied. In the course of the pre-opening stage, his primary focus is to take charge of hiring and implementing members of the front office team comprising of twenty seven colleagues. Once the hotel is running he will supervise the front office team of concierge, doormen, valets, bellmen and airport representatives and ensure the coordination of guests’ needs both pre and post arrival to the InterContinental. Pinpointing these exact duties is impossible, as Adam puts it, “The role of the concierge is dynamic and challenging at all times. We are here to turn dreams into reality at all hours of the day and night. To the concierge, nothing is impossible. Impossible just takes a few more phone calls.” Adam may be organising a private jet one minute, and finding tickets for a sold-out concert the next, the role of a concierge is to anticipate the unpredictable.

Always eager for new challenges, Adam joins the IHG team with perfect timing as InterContinental Dubai Festival City will be focusing on offering guests a unique ‘In the Know’ experience of their local surroundings whilst staying with the hotel. The aim is to go beyond customer expectations to allow the guest to sample a true taste of Dubai. InterContinental already stands out from the rest of the 5-star market due to their focus on quality and customer service, but will now go even further enabling the guest an insight into the local customs and cultures of the area of their stay. InterContinental believe luxury and comfort alone are simply not enough for guests to have a truly memorable experience. Exploring the lifestyle of a destination and bringing back knowledge from a foreign culture allows guests to encounter their surroundings on a much more personal and memorable level. Going out of their way to deliver authentic and enriching experiences, IHG colleagues and especially concierges, will provide guests with the opportunity to make the most of their stay by sharing their local knowledge and experience.

On behalf of IHG, Adam and his team will provide guests with unique and enriching experiences whilst staying at InterContinental Dubai Festival City. Once in place they will undergo training to enable them to understand InterContinental’s mission and gain valuable ‘In the Know’ insight on their surroundings. From then the process is continuously updated with morning meetings every day to ensure colleagues are up-to-date on all aspects of local happenings which guests may find interesting. As Chief Concierge it is Adam’s duty not only to make sure the front office of the InterContinental is smoothly managed, but that the level of service the hotel group stands for is maintained. With ‘In the Know’ training, Adam and the Concierge team will be able to deliver guests an almost ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at Dubai. They will be able to point out the places that tourists would usually over-look. They will be able to advise where to go for a traditional meal, or scenic vantage point not available in guide books. InterContinental Dubai Festival City aims to provide guests with experiences to take home and amaze family and friends, not just to visit Dubai, but to have an encounter with it.