Construction industry labour shortages are biting into Dubai’s upcoming room supply, with many projects falling months behind schedule.
Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts regional manager Dubai Thomas Tapken said the company’s new openings in the city were delayed by a year.
“I think everybody is affected; there is a shortage of manpower, a shortage of companies doing the right job, and a shortage of materials, whether it is steel, concrete or whatever you need,” he said.
“We are a management company, so we have to wait for the day when somebody hands us the property and says it is ready for us. Due to the market situation, we wait until it is ready, and at this present stage it will take us another year.”
Mövenpick’s next hotel to open will be the Mövenpick Jumeirah Beach Residence, which was scheduled to open at the end of 2007 but will now open in July or August next year.
Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Spa and Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Spa general manager complex Michael Scully said the opening of the Westin property had been delayed by four months.
“[It’s] not bad, and to be honest it is in line with what we were expecting from the beginning, so we are actually pleased that we haven’t been delayed any more than that,” he said.
“We were very lucky that the building had already been built, and 90% of the stuff has been done.”
Scully said the amnesty on workers’ visas, where some workers who had overstayed their visas or had incorrect permits were allowed to return home, had created a problem for some companies with a lack of labourers.
But the property had not lost bookings as a result of the delay, he said.
“We have been very open about it, and we are very fortunate we have the Meridien, so any bookings we did have we have moved them to the Meridien, so we have been well protected in that regard,” he added.
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