During COVID, the time has not really been a factor for arrivals only because we are not running at full occupancy levels so we have room to play with in order to ensure that rooms are ready when guests arrive. Self check-in has been implemented however in Dubai and as per Dubai law, this cannot work as we have to scan the passports or ID’s in order to complete check-in and therefore we still do physical check-in.

The RED brand does allow for self-check-in, and in other countries, we’ve found some guests love it, and some still prefer to have that face to face interaction. At the moment, It’s not possible in Dubai due to legal requirements.

Our focus is always more on service rather than time, we aim to make the process as quick and smooth as possible for the guest, but it’s key to ensure the guest feels safe and informed and can see clear safety and sanitisation protocols being followed.

I don’t see the necessity for VIP or special check-in, this takes away from non VIP guests. Also, in the old days, we used to do welcome signs for VIP’s however today, this cannot work as guests don’t like their names out in public and also a security risk and violation of their privacy. VIP’s can be recognised during check-in, in their rooms or in other areas of the hotel. Within rooms, you could personalize their rooms with welcome notes or gifts. During check-in, the alerts function can also be used for birthdays or anniversaries for example and this can be highlighted during check-in and then again, can be highlighted in the rooms and in other areas of the hotel

The RED check-in is often the first introduction to our brand, what our guests will notice is our team are not wearing suits and using formal greetings, but rather it feels a lot more friendly. We’ll be focused on finding out what our guests hope for from their trip, and trying to share some local knowledge of the best-hidden spots of Dubai. The check-in experience is made personal for all our guests, if they are a VIP, we’ll make sure this is reflected throughout their stay, but we make sure that first interaction with RED is the same for everyone, and most importantly, memorable for all the right reasons

At RED, our focus is more on local knowledge. We like to keep our guest informed about what’s on, where’s cool to eat out etc. They can also keep informed using our interactive city guides wall in our lobby.