On a sunny afternoon in 1973, a group of people gathered on what had been an empty sandbank just a few years before.
They were waiting for Sheikh Zayed, who on May 23 was about to open a building that would change Abu Dhabi for ever.
At around 1.30pm, the late president cut the ribbon on Hilton Abu Dhabi using golden scissors.
On that day forty-five years ago, the late president toured the function halls, swimming pool and tennis courts along with the manager, Ahmed El Nahas.
Afterwards, hundreds attended a lavish state lunch at the hotel’s Liwa ballroom, the police band played while a model of the Maqta Bridge was placed on the centre table.
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Built at a cost of Dh38 million, it represented a new era of internationalism for the city.
Abu Dhabi had hotels before. The Beach Hotel had operated on the site of the modern-day Sheraton Corniche, the Al Ain Palace was open, while Al Ain already had its own Hilton.
But this was the first five-star brand in the city, redolent of a glamourous era when top hotels where the place to be seen. Abu Dhabi also desperately needed to cater for the surging number of visitors arriving on the back of the oil boom.
News of the 1973 opening was carried comprehensively in all the newspapers including Al Ittihad, Gulf Mirror and Abu Dhabi News, with Al Ittihad devoting an entire page inside to the opening.
Hilton Abu Dhabi had ten floors, about 180 rooms, five function halls, a bowling alley, arcade games, tennis courts, an outdoor pool with air-conditioned cabins and a view of the Arabian Gulf on one side and Al Bateen beach on the other.
“We drove in cavalcade down a tarmac road through flat desert towards the sea. There was a town there. A new town spreading over the sand. It was Abu Dhabi,” wrote Patricia Holton in her 1991 book, Mother Without a Mask, about the hotel in the 1970s.
“We drove along the seafront to a new Hilton hotel which stood on lonely splendour at one end of narrow road that would eventually become … the Corniche,” she wrote.
“The hotel looked like a fort, standing strong and tall in the desert night. Inside its lobby was cool and broad with a few white couches. The space seemed right for the white-robed Arab men and the long, full skirts of the European, Indian and Mediterranean women who dressed in the evening.”
Hilton Abu Dhabi not only dominated its surroundings, it introduced new foods, higher levels of service and a breakfast buffet of such variety that had never seen been in the city.
New foods included iceberg lettuce, artichokes, smoked salmon, avocado and foie gras. French food dominated the menus and everything had to be flown in from London once a week.
Selim El Zyr was Hilton Abu Dhabi’s first food and beverage manager.
“Smoked salmon – that was a big story,” recalls Mr El Zyr.
“And the vegetables that are today in every supermarket and back streets of Abu Dhabi were then were a novelty,” says Mr El Zyr, who went on to co-found Rotana.
Of course a night at the Hilton did not come cheap. Mr El Zyr recalls a one-night stay cost then cost about Dh450, which is more expensive than a stay today during Ramadan.
The day after the official opening a more informal cocktail party was held. Music was laid on by the Toni Rossi Group, who rocked out in safety helmets and overalls on a stage designed like a scaffold underline the epic effort to get the hotel built. In the middle of the ballroom was a huge model of the new Hilton.
"I must admit to thinking it was a real edible cake, so did a lot of other people," wrote Janet Godfrey in a lively account of the night for Abu Dhabi News.
“I was not the only one caught poking a sly finger through a 4th floor window to see if it came out coated with jam and cream."
In the years that followed, many new hotels sprung up and trends had begun to swing from business to tourism. By 1994, Hilton Abu Dhabi went through a renovation. The bowling alley became Hemingway’s, the Hiltonia beach club opened, while a new wing added sorely-needed rooms. But it also strove to maintain the spirit and sense of home as those early days. Twelve years ago, Hans Schiller used to walk the Corniche and tell his wife that one day he’d become manager there.
“It’s very seldom that a hotel is 45 years old and still has the spirit. Look at all the modernity around us and people still like to come here,” says Mr Schiller, a German hospitality veteran who has been manager since last August. Many guests come back again and again to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays and for Mr Schiller, it’s like coming home.
According to the most recent figures Abu Dhabi has at least 169 hotels and in 2017 welcomed more than five million guests. It now boasts a number of five-star hotels run by Jumeirah, St Regis, Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. But they all owe a debt to that May 23 day.
“The impact that it made was tremendous,” recalls Mr El Zyr. “For entertainment in the city, it was Hilton. If you wanted to eat a decent meal, you went to Hilton. That was the place to be.”
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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