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Emaar to restore fire-ravaged Address hotel to its glory

Dubai - Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar praises the swift response by authorities to the incident.

The fire ravaged Address Downtown Dubai hotel will be restored to it all its glory, the Emaar chief has said.
In a lengthy statement issued late on Saturday evening, Chairman of Emaar Properties Mohamed Alabbar thanked the leaders, the authorities, and the people of Dubai, as well as the guests, residents and staff of the hotel for the way they responded to the fire on the New Years' Eve.
His statement buried speculations about the future of the hotel building.  He made it clear that the flagship project will be restored to surpass its splendid architectural standards.
"We develop our projects to the highest standards of quality and as per international best practices. The hotel is the flagship project of The Address Hotels + Resorts. It is a global landmark that has welcomed guests from all over the world," said Alabbar.
"It has set world-class benchmarks in the hospitality industry, and we are determined to restore it to all its glory, and even surpass the splendid architectural standards. Further timelines and plans will be shared as they are finalised."
Alabbar said Dubai has once again demonstrated its inherent strength and positivity with the swift, professional, calm and caring response to the fire incident.
"We are extremely thankful to the leadership and guidance of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for keeping our morale high, and for his prompt directives that enabled us to deal with a challenging situation with utmost professionalism. 
He praised the swift response to the fire by the authorities.
"Within minutes of the incident, Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Police, Dubai Ambulance Services, the RTA, Dubai Heath Authority and the all governmental authorities concerned, coordinated and responded with maximum efficiency.
Alabbar said the immediate priority was "ensuring the safety of our guests and colleagues, and we evacuated all of them safely in record time in a most orderly fashion. The authorities also ensured the safety of the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Downtown Dubai."
"All our guests and residents have been relocated across various Emaar and other hotels in the city. We have set up a dedicated team from different departments of Emaar to ensure that all requirements of our guests are being met immediately. We thank our guests for their understanding and patience. 
Dubai is one team
 The unconditional support from other hotel groups, who are competitors in the industry, showed Dubai is "one team", he opined.
"We also extend our gratitude to the management teams and staff of various hotels in Dubai, who stepped forward unconditionally to support us in relocating our guests. This is a true testament to how Dubai operates as 'one team.'
"We are thankful to Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police Chief; Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director General of Dubai Civil Defence and the heads, first officers and staff members of all the Dubai government entities who demonstrated their superb commitment and dedication. We especially thank the Dubai Civil Defence officials for their exceptional bravery and hard work.
"The teams across Dubai government entities are the true heroes. Their noble work gives Dubai's people and the business community the sense of security, comfort and confidence.
"Emaar is proud of them and we underline our commitment to do even more for these committed men and women. I believe that it is our responsibility to give back to them for being with us.
 Missions' helpful mission
 "We are also thankful to the various Embassy and Consulate officials in the UAE and Dubai for their support to us in facilitating the travel and documentation process for our guests. The authorities and staff at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, Dubai International Airport, Emirates Airline and other airline companies were quick to extend support to our guests, and we are grateful to them for their kind consideration and care in ensuring the well-being of our guests.
Alabbar also thanked his team at The Address Downtown Dubai and other Emaar hotels for their commitment and for putting the interests of the guests first and foremost. "The team at Emaar Hospitality Group and Emaar's various business divisions are working closely together and strive tirelessly to ensure that the concerns of our guests are efficiently addressed. We have set up a taskforce with a dedicated team and operations room to serve our guests," he said.
 Praise for people
 "We also extend our heartfelt appreciation and debt of gratitude to the people of Dubai, especially the visitors to Downtown Dubai, for their patience and trust in us. Their orderly conduct demonstrated their confidence in Dubai's officials to meeting any challenge calmly.
"We are thankful that all our guests are safe and secure, and that we have overcome the challenge with the support of all the government entities and the people of the UAE.
"We derive new learnings from such events, which reinforce our resilience to be a company that is committed to add to the prestige and reputation of Dubai and create long-term value to all our stakeholders," he concluded.
sajila@khaleejtimes.com