Get To Know The Wedding Pro

Each week, we shine the spotlight on Bride Club ME vendor club members, allowing you, our reader, to get up close and personal with some of the best wedding vendors in town. Here, you can learn more about the people behind some of the businesses you may be using to make your wedding day perfect!

This week we have the privilege of showcasing Sami Ayshouh, Director of Events at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. Below, Sami provides us with an exclusive insight into the hotel, tells us all about why he works in this industry, and shares with us what he loves the most about his job.

Above: Sami Ayshouh, Director of Events at Dusit Thani, Abu Dhabi.

How long has Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi been established, and what makes your venue different when it comes to hosting weddings?

Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi opened in the last quarter of 2013. The hotel is unique because of its ‘Skydome’ structure. This one-of-a-kind pre-function area (3000+sqm) adorned with a glittering glass dome structure can easily accommodate over 2000 guests. Another exciting aspect of this space is an exclusive entrance for the wedding guests as well as for VIPs. VIP wedding guests even have their own private Majlis during the wedding.

What made you decide to work in the events and hospitality industry?

I have spent precisely 10 years in the UAE. I wasn’t prepared to choose the hospitality industry as my career until I graduated from my Business Management course in Lebanon. In 2000, I found a career niche for myself in Food and Beverage operations and climbed the ladder to embrace bigger roles.

My fascination with catering and events as a career field comes naturally to me, mainly because of my Food and Beverage background. Moreover, this also helps me to ensure the seamless execution of wedding events at the hotel in terms of planning, organising and implementation while coordinating with the hotel’s operational teams.

What do you love most about your job?

Every day is a different day! The excitement of innovating and customising every wedding request makes my job even more interesting.  

Do you have any excit­ing weddings happening at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi soon? What are you most looking forward to about 2017?

We have a significant number of upcoming weddings in the next couple of months. It is worth mentioning that we a have a local wedding event in March catering to over 1000 guests. We are also expecting some good wedding business right after the Ramadan period. However, this is still in the planning stages right now.

Describe the experience a bride-to-be will have when hiring Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi for her wedding…

We have a dedicated team here to deal with both local and international weddings at the hotel. From the initial discussion stage with the wedding organisers to the final event, our team always endeavours to go that extra mile.

How do you manage trust from your clients? After all it is the most important day of their lives…

It all starts from the moment a planner or a couple walks into the hotel with a wedding request. Our efficient team takes them through the different aspects required for a memorable wedding at the hotel’s unique ‘Dusit Wedding Shop’ (located at the lobby level). The customisation is reflected in the menus, lighting, floral arrangements, entertainment and other associated logistics.

This helps us to build trust at the initial stage itself. Subsequently, our team ensures that this trust is further strengthened by regular follow-ups and the diligence that our highly trained team displays throughout the entire process.

If you could give one piece of advice to our readers (brides-to-be) what would it be?

It’s simple. Think wedding, think Dusit!

What budgets do you cater for?

There is no fixed ballpark figure in terms of budget. This is discussed when we meet the potential wedding guests and decide on a mutually agreed budget, which varies from one wedding to another. It can even go up to half a million Dirhams on some occasions.

Lastly, why did you choose to list with www.brideclubme.com?

Bride Club is one of the leading wedding-centric websites in the region. It provides us an ideal platform to reach out to potential wedding planners and brides-to-be here in the Middle East. We are privileged to be featured on Bride Club and hope that we maximise our exposure through this online portal.

Thanks Sami! For more information about Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, click on their Bride Club ME vendor listing, or head straight to their website.