How resort operators can overcome nature's will and offer well-maintained beaches and gardens in order to maximise revenues from their outdoor spaces.
The Middle East coastline, surrounded as it is by waters such as the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden is a major lure for tourists.
Visitors expect four- and five-star resort hotels to feature attractive beaches as a bare minimum, so the appearance, size and facilities offered by a beach can play a key role in attracting guests to a particular hotel.
"The beach is a prime factor in peoples' decisions to stay in a hotel and so can impact the revenue from rooms," says Jumeirah Beach Hotel's director of sports and leisure Ian Phillips, who oversees 40,000m2 of beach plus seven swimming pools at the Dubai hotel.
It is therefore imperative that operators maximise their beach offer.
Bearing in mind the challenges posed by changes in weather, currents and tides, some fundamental issues need to be considered.
"In order to provide a nice beach environment, it is important to ensure we use the right products for cleaning the beach and for collecting and cleaning the sand as well as its debris," says Phillips.
"The other important factor is to provide high quality furniture for the beach, for example comfortable sun beds and good reliable beach umbrellas that can withstand high winds without rusting or breaking during the hot summers," he says.
Quality employees are also integral to the beach offer, as they are responsible for cleaning, meeting and greeting guests and taking food and drink orders, adds Phillips.
Safety issues are key and all Jumeirah Group's lifeguards are trained at its Wild Wadi Waterpark and qualified to Ellis Associates' international lifeguard standards.
However, according to PRM International training manager Heike Glassner, there are major differences in the training required for beach lifeguards compared to pool lifeguards, hence the distinct courses offered by the company.
These comprise the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) UK National Beach Lifeguard Qualification and the RLSS National Pool Lifeguard Qualification.
There are also, agrees Phillips, a number of differences in running a beach as opposed to a pool operation.
"The size of the beach, as well as the depth of the sea, shifting tides, hazards in the sea itself, water temperature, pollution control, access control to ensure the beach remains private, and night-time operations make beach operations more challenging to run," he says.
The incredibly hot and humid climate of many places in the Middle East brings another issue for operators, who have to be more flexible here than in other locations.
"During the hot summer months, we adapt several of the services we offer," says Phillips.
"For example, we lay mats on the sand to ensure guests can walk to the sea without burning their feet and we put jellyfish nets in the sea around our beach."
"Throughout the year, we provide guests with cold towels and welcome drinks on arrival and complimentary ice lollies are given to guests periodically throughout the day," he says.
The other challenge posed by beaches is the fact that changing currents and tides can physically change the shape of a beach, points out Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi health club and recreation manager Stewart Hodsoll.
Formerly based at Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort - a resort highlighted by Glassner as offering a great example of beach lifeguarding systems - Hodsoll joined the new Shangri-La last year.
Although not all the facilities are open yet, the hotel will soon offer eight swimming pools, four beaches, a health club, a CHI spa and a marina.
While many hotels are building their own beaches, the four Shangri-La bays, which are spread over 1km, are natural beaches that have simply undergone some cosmetic shaping.
Hodsoll plans to carry out full beach surveys every two months, reclaiming and shifting sand where necessary.
Changes in the shape of the beach are a particular problem at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea in Jordan.
"Our beach is not that large [150 metres], yet the maintenance cost of the beach is extremely high," says general manager and regional manager Jordan Bruno Huber.
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