I went there a couple of weeks ago for the kick-off meeting with a client. After a long flight I enjoyed the fact that there was complimentary limousine service (Emirates Business Class offer) to the hotel and that the check-in process was fast and efficient. The room was of an excellent standard with high quality amenities and a daily fresh fruit plate. Absolutely perfect for just spending a relaxing evening at the hotel before my full day of meetings the next day.

That evening, after having a drink at the bar on the 44th floor and chatting to the very interesting Tibetan bartender, I decided to just order some food from room service and then get a good night's rest. The menu was extensive and I enjoyed some wonderful Arabian delicacies, which I was not afraid to choose as it also had extensive allergy information. The only problem is that as a nut allergy sufferer, I got a dessert which contained nuts - even though the menu did not state that the dessert contained nuts. My lips immediately started swelling up and my throat started constricting so I had to call the nurse to get an anti-histamine tablet and spent the rest of the night being sick or sleeping fitfully. Not exactly what I had hoped for before a full day of meetings that were starting at 5:30 a.m. on my body clock...

The next morning, as I was waiting to be picked up I just mentioned the issue briefly to the front desk, assuring them that I was feeling fine, but that I would recommend they changed the menu description to ensure that somebody who suffers more than I do does not go into anaphylactic shock at a future date. They said that they were very sorry and would definitely convey this to the food and beverage manager. I thanked them and left for my day of meetings. Upon my return I contacted the concierge to confirm my limousine booking for the trip back to the airport in the morning. I was then told that he needed my flight reference number and I told him it was in my room. He then followed me up to the room and got the number and also offered to do the online check-in for me. He promised me that he would personally take care of it and asked if I would be in my room and I told him that I was planning to go upstairs to the bar again in a few minutes and he said he would come up with the boarding pass and confirmation of departure time.

As I sat down to relax for a second, I noticed that there was a letter on the bed along with the amenities from the turn-down service. This was a letter from the hotel nurse asking me to phone if I was feeling any discomfort. When I turned on the TV I saw that there was also a message from the nurse there and there was a message for me at reception. I dialled up and was immediately patched through to the Duty Manager who enquired about my health and conveyed his sincerest apology. He then asked how long I was staying for and when I was planning on coming back because he would like to offer me an upgrade for my next stay when he heard I was leaving in the morning. I thanked him and said that this was more than I had expected, but, naturally, I'd be happy to accept :-). He asked me what my plans were for the evening and I told him that I intended to visit the Buddha Bar (Dubai outpost of the famous Parisian restaurant and bar - and much better than the original in terms of food) and that I had to leave early in the morning. He wished me a good evening and would contact the nurse on my behalf to say that I was feeling fine.

I then went upstairs to the bar, where the bartender (and the manager) greeted me by name - they obviously endeavour to learn the names of the guests and pass the info on to the manager who greets people by the door. We had a short conversation about Russia, the Middle East, oil and gas before I decided to go to my booked table at Buddha Bar. When I returned from my meal and an evening of chatting to a couple of English girls seated at the table next to me, I found a bottle of red wine and some small nibbles with a personal note from the duty manager. As it was getting late, I decided to skip those and headed straight to bed. In the morning, as I checked out I asked the front desk staff to convey my thanks to the night duty manager and saying that I hoped the bottle of wine could be kept over until my next visit. As I was finalising the check out the day duty manager arrived (he had been called by staff without me noticing) and personally wanted to thank me for bringing the issue to their attention and offered his sincerest apologies. He also mentioned that they were really looking forward to welcoming me back so they could be allowed to show off the hotel from its best side. I told him that I was very impressed with the way they had handled everything (this was while he was walking me to the limousine and he had even offered to carry my shoulder suit bag). I was told that the owner of the hotel had put his complete faith and trust in the staff and that this empowered them and filled them with a sense of pride to ensure that they made both their guests and the owner happy, but also that the owner very much was the embodiment of the customer service ideal that he wanted the hotel to follow. It has to be noted here that the owner of the hotel is also the Chairman of Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

I cannot think of a single time in all of my years of travelling that I have been as blown away as I was with my stay at the Grosvenor House Dubai. I can't wait to go back and would like to use this public forum to once again thank them for exceeding my expectations and to recommend it to all business travellers who want to stay in a high class hotel with all amenities and facilities and where everything runs like clockwork to allow you to focus on what you came there for: the business.

I can't vouch for the facilities available to leisure travellers and what is available at the "sister property" at Le Meridien where the beach is by the Marina, but I can guarantee you that the service will be fantastic no matter what.

Grosvenor House Dubai gets two thumbs up from me - and a big and heartfelt thank you. It is the ideal business hotel and next time I hope to be able to stay for an extra day to take advantage of some of the services available - especially the spa.