The Westin Resort Experience in Dubai

Anthony Ware, Director, Food and Beverage for Westin Dubai, talks about his company's 'worlds first' - a battery operated toaster! - Radio Podcasts

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Guests raise a toast to The Westin Dubai
Resort team invents new ‘Flexi-Toast’ unit to ensure fresh, hot toast time and time again

One of the most relished indulgences of staying in a five-star hotel is enjoying breakfast in bed, or on the terrace of your guest room overlooking the sea. Yet, all too often the most basic of breakfast commodities, toasted bread, fails to live up to expectations.

Either the toast arrives cold or soggy or, if the hotel supplies a toaster, there is a struggle to find a suitable power socket to ensure crisp, hot toast that the butter can just melt into.

The food and beverage team at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina have been working hard to solve the breakfast toast conundrum and have invented the ‘Flexi-Toast’ unit to ensure their guests can enjoy fresh, hot toast time and time again.

A world first, Flexi-Toast is a rechargeable battery operated unit that fits snugly onto the room service trolley. Offering a choice of light, medium and dark toast settings, Flexi-Toast is guaranteed to provide the perfect slice each morning. And, if that was not all, each slice pops up with the Westin logo to remind guests what the Westin Difference is all about.

“Toast is such a simple breakfast item, but all too often it falls short of guest expectations. With the Flexi-Toast we are confident that our in-room diners will enjoy a new dimension to their breakfast. Our inventiveness is yet a further example of the Westin Difference that we pride ourselves on,” said Anthony Ware, Director of Food & Beverage, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina.

Staff at the five-star hotel were encouraged to take the initiative and ownership to create the Flexi-Toast, a world first; just one of the many enterprising ideas that encapsulates the Westin Difference.

Embracing Westin’s characteristics of inspire, revitalise and refresh, Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina offers the whole gamut of Westin signature services, including the Heavenly Bed®, Westin Workout® Powered by Reebok® and Westin Service Express®.

All rooms and suites at Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina have Heavenly Beds®, luxurious bath amenities and hi-tech LCD TV screens, while the indulgent Spa and Westin Workout® Powered by Reebok® provide total relaxation and rejuvenation.

The property features 294 rooms, including 216 deluxe rooms, 52 Westin Executive rooms, and 24 suites, apart from a spa, a health club, and four bars and four themed restaurants. State-of-the-art conference and banqueting facilities include an 8,999 square feet ballroom, an Italian designed conference centre with 10 meeting rooms, an outdoor beachside amphitheatre, and a variety of lawn locations accommodating up to 5,000 guests. The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina is located on a stunning 1,200 metre private shoreline, and will feature a 238-berth marina, five swimming pools, a water sports centre, a sailing academy, and facilities for deep sea fishing and boat chartering. 

Posted by westin-dubai at 04:43 PM | Permalink

An evening with the delegation of Accademia Italiana della Cucina hosted by the Italian Ambassador to the UAE. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, 14th May 2008 – The Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina hosted a dinner in Bussola with Mr. Paolo Dionisi, the Italian Ambassador to the UAE to formally certify Bussola restaurant for ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DELLA CUCINA, the Italian Cuisine Academy last night.

See the Food Menu | See the Wine Menu

The process involved Chef Corrado producing a Menu using Italian produce and the menu was then to be assessed by the largely Italian audience at the Dinner with the Ambassador chairing the evening.

At the end of the assessment, Chef Corrado and Bussola achieved  the highest rating for a Accademia event in the UAE scoring in the range of 9-9.5/10. Therefore Bussola achieved the prestigious honor of being inducted into the Accademia.

The delegation of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (www.accademiaitalianacucina.it) led by its President, Mr. Paolo Dionisi, also the Italian Ambassador to the UAE. The exclusive event aimed to promote high quality Italian food as a symbol of lifestyle, culture and dialogue.

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina offers the full array of Westin's signature products, services and amenities including The Heavenly Bed®, WestinWORKOUT Gym®, Kids Club®, Express Checkout®, and the new Sensory Welcome®, comprising white tea scents, muted music, soft lighting and botanical products.  

The property features 294 rooms, including 216 deluxe rooms, 52 Westin Executive rooms, and 24 suites, apart from a spa, a health club, and four bars and four themed restaurants. State-of-the-art conference and banqueting facilities include an 8,999 square feet ballroom, an Italian designed conference centre with 10 meeting rooms, an outdoor beachside amphitheatre, and a variety of lawn locations accommodating up to 5,000 guests. The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina is located on a stunning 1,200 metre private shoreline, and will feature a 238-berth marina, five swimming pools, a water sports centre, a sailing academy, and facilities for deep sea fishing and boat chartering. 

Posted by westin-dubai at 04:16 PM | Permalink

The Westin Dubai opening party that was attended by over 2000 guests, dignitaries and celebrities! Watch the video collage with a peek at the entertainment, dining and people at The Westin on the night of 5th May 2008 (pre-ATM / Arabian Travel Market).

For a look at over 240 photos from the event, click here.

Westin ATM party draws over 2,000 - Pre-ATM bash declared ‘hottest’ party of the year

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 6, 2008 – It was Open House at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina last night as the five-star resort flung open its doors to welcome in the world’s travel industry and give them a glimpse of Dubai’s very latest beachfront resort.

Over 2,000 people attended the gala event, which celebrated The Westin’s official opening, as well as set the stage for a week of business at Arabian Travel Market (ATM).

The Westin treatment started as soon as guests arrived; welcomed by a red carpet at the main Porte Cochere of the hotel and greeted by local Arabic entertainers.

Inside the spacious main lobby, guests were treated to musical scores played by The UAE Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Mr Philipp Maier. The orchestra wowed guests with a light repertoire of musical classics, brought alive by the acoustics of the expansive lobby.

The lobby towers nine storeys high, and the musicians used this to good effect, as sights and sounds flooded the floor below as the orchestra provided vignettes of entertainment from the various balconies above.

Guests were encouraged to explore the hotel at leisure, with a champagne reception on floors two and three above the main lobby.

The hotel’s restaurants then took centre stage, as all 2,000 guests were welcomed at any of the bars or restaurants of their choice, all serving up a selection of specialities.

The hotel offers a unique selection of bars and restaurants, from a contemporary grill with open kitchen at Hunters Room & Grill to the lively atmosphere of Senyar, serving an international array of tapas with live entertainment. Oeno wine bar is set to become the place to unwind after work, while Spice Emporium will serve up flavours of Asia. The Atrium in the Grand Lobby will serve afternoon tea while Sin provides a chocolate-fuelled feast. Casual dining options include the Library, serving coffee and good books; all-day dining outlet Blue Orange, and a number of poolside bars.

All were open for last night’s gala event, with resident entertainment groups keeping guests’ toes tapping in each of the many eateries.

Following this sumptuous feast, guests moved on to the Serdall Ballroom, where Salha and her Million Dollar Band kept the party going well into the early hours with laid back tunes to soothe the soul. Resident DJ Martin Metcalf, from Dubai 92, kept guests dancing during band breaks.

“The idea of the party was to give each guest a true experience of the hotel. We effectively gave them the run of the hotel for one evening, encouraging guests to sample our many innovative dining options, explore our exquisite interiors, and relax in our verdant gardens and outside terraces,” said Michael Scully, Complex General Manager, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina and The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina.

“The highlight of the evening was the main reception at the Serdall Ballroom, which enabled us to showcase what Westin is all about. Westin properties are distinctive through their architecture, innovative interiors and exemplary services. I truly believe we delivered the hottest party of the year, with plenty of surprises, great food and creative cocktails,” Scully added.

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina opened this month marking the stylish brand’s entry into the United Arab Emirates.

Embracing Westin’s characteristics of inspire, revitalise and refresh, Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina offers the whole gamut of Westin signature services, including the Heavenly Bed®, Westin Workout® and Westin Service Express®.

All rooms and suites at Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina have Heavenly Beds®, luxurious bath amenities and hi-tech LCD TV screens, while the indulgent Spa and Westin Workout® provide total relaxation and rejuvenation.

The property features 294 rooms, including 216 deluxe rooms, 52 Westin Executive rooms, and 24 suites, apart from a spa, a health club, and four bars and four themed restaurants. State-of-the-art conference and banqueting facilities include an 8,999 square feet ballroom, an Italian designed conference centre with 10 meeting rooms, an outdoor beachside amphitheatre, and a variety of lawn locations accommodating up to 5,000 guests. The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina is located on a stunning 1,200 metre private shoreline, and will feature a 238-berth marina, five swimming pools, a water sports centre, a sailing academy, and facilities for deep sea fishing and boat chartering.

Posted by westin-dubai at 10:02 AM | Permalink

Posted by westin-dubai at 10:17 AM | Permalink