Metropolitan Hotel: General Manager Rahim Abu Omar It is not every day someone asks you to provide them with a shower in mineral water. But then, life in the luxury hotel business does not always follow the script. As with any professional arena which involves working closely with the public, life in a hotel can be unpredictable. In "17 short years" with the Metropolitan Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, general manager Rahim Abu Omar has heard it all. Whether hosting movie stars politicians or business people, rock stars or families on the once in a life-time holiday, there is only one golden rule that applies. "As much as it may seem a cliche, the customer IS always right." "You see a lot of people from different nationalities, different backgrounds and in different moods. Our job is to make each guest as comfortable as possible and accommodate their wishes - even if it means providing a shower in mineral water," laughed Omar. While the type of guest staying at the hotel may vary widely, the personality of the staff cannot, he says. "You can never tell what is going on in the mind of a guest and for that reason we must employ staff who have an empathy for people. You can't afford to be aggressive or impatient in this line of work." "From the general manager to the most junior member of staff, one has to remain humble and have a keen eye for detail," he stressed. "There are times when you may disagree with a customer or even resent their attitude but you never know what is going on that person's life. They may be at our hotel because they are getting married or enjoying a honeymoon. But then, they could also be going through a difficult time - perhaps they are in Dubai to attend a funeral." "Because you never know, you can never justify being impolite or inattentive to the wishes." In fact, working in a hotel - by virtue of its round-the-clock hours and highly personal nature - is more of a way of life than it is an occupation. Most of the staff live 'on campus', in comfortable staff quarters behind the hotel. As part of a 400-plus team, the hotel becomes something of a surrogate family to employees. And the general manager stands as a father figure at the pinnacle of the family tree. "It certainly isn't like a normal nine to five job. If someone comes to my office to discuss their celebration arrangements ten minutes before I am about to go home, then I cannot say, 'Yes, come back tomorrow' This could be the biggest day of their life that they are talking about". Complacency looms as the probably the biggest threat to staff faced this fairly typical scenario, says Omar. "You have to remind yourself that just because you've done it a thousand times before, this is their special day and they might be nervous or pedantic about getting everything right. Once you realise that this job is a way of life and not just a job, that attitude takes care of a lot of things." Palestinian -born and the holder of a Jordanian passport, Omar has spent the past two decades as a resident of a rapidly changing Dubai. Travel and personal contact have always been a mainstay of his career. Before joining the Metropolitan hotel group in 1982 when it was under the umbrella of British hospitality industry giants Grand Metropolitan, Omar had worked as a travel agent in the city. "I saw an advertisement in the local Arabic press for a position at a local hotel but I didn't even know which one it was," he said. Soon after, he found himself working as a sales executive with the Grand Metropolitan and has never looked back. He has since seen the hotel evolve from a single main building with a couple of restaurants on the outskirts of Dubai, into a sprawling complex which houses taverns, a cinema complex, office blocks and a plethora of fine dining outlets. During his ascent within the organisation, Omar periodically left the grand-daddy of the Metropolitan chain to oversee the new kids on the block - namely the Metropolitan Beach Club and more recently the Metropolitan Palace Hotel. But it is at the helm of the original flagship premise where he has wielded the most influence - through the good times and the tougher ones. Dubai's burgeoning hotel market is only the latest in a brace of challenging times for the Metropolitan in particular and the industry as a whole. "At first we were a little way out of town but Dubai has grown quickly. Originally an airport was planned for this area but that never eventuated. But now we are in between the city centre and Jebel Ali, the popular beaches, golf courses and many of the tourist attractions in Dubai so our location is an advantage," he said. "In the beginning competition was tough and occupancy was low but since about 1985 things really took off. The challenge now stems from the number of hotel rooms available in Dubai. More and more hotels are competing for the tourists and business clients." Perceptions of the UAE being at the hub of the conflicts which have infrequently flared up in the north of the Gulf have also been the cause of some testing times. The Gulf War of 1991 and the Iran - Iraq War before that did little to disrupt everyday life in the UAE but overseas travellers largely avoided trips to the Middle East either as a precaution or because they perceived the entire region being engulfed in turmoil. But according to Omar, the latest incursion between Iraq and the US and UK has had no impact on business. "Thanks to the clear vision of the UAE's rulers the country has a stable economy and is largely immune from the latest troubles. At the moment the hotel industry is not as affluent as it was in perhaps the late 80s but we are still making money and Dubai is going to continue to thrive," he said optimistically. Since his arrival in 1982, the hotel has acquired a cinema, a tower hoist, Chinese and other restaurants, landscaped gardens, a new facade and a ballroom. The latest addition to the Metropolitan Hotel is the apartment complex which was completed last year. But any suggestion that the hotel was now complete are scoffed at. "A hotel can never be finished. I can hardly recognise today's hotel from the one I started at back in '82. If you have 100 per cent occupancy you do not just sit back and relax. you try to make a bigger hotel. There is always something new to strive for." And would he reveal the name of the guest who was insistent on having a mineral water shower? Or would confidentiality would prohibit such a disclosure? Well, you'll just have to leave the speculation to the gossips from the distant planet Hollywood and the writers of pulp fiction literature.