Conrad Dubai has confirmed Michael Schmitt has been appointed general manager of the property.

He joins the hotel with a multi award-winning background and with much of his career spent working with Hilton and its luxury hotel portfolio.

Schmitt is an international hotelier with extensive experience in luxury hotels in a mix of countries where he played a leading role in shaping transformation, driving innovative guest experiences and strengthening brand positioning.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team of the iconic Conrad Dubai.

“The hotel is renowned for creating inspired guest experiences, and I look forward to working with the team to further refine these with my luxury experience,” said Schmitt.

He continued: “Dubai is a world-class city, and Conrad Dubai with its luxury accommodation, state-of-the-art meeting facilities, unique culinary concepts and an urban oasis pool deck, is perfectly positioned to provide luxury and innovative guest experiences to all UAE visitors and residents.”

Prior to joining Conrad Dubai, Schmitt was general manager at Waldorf Astoria Chengdu, China, where he positioned the hotel as one of the leading luxury hotels in the city.

During his time the property won a number of prizes, including recognition as Asia’s Leading Luxury Hotel by voters at the World Travel Awards. 

Schmitt was a board member of the European Chamber of Commerce in China.

Prior to his post at Waldorf Astoria Chengdu, Schmitt was general manager of Conrad Xiamen, China, where he was responsible for the pre-opening period and thereafter successfully positioning the hotel as Xiamen and Fujian Province’s leading luxury hotel, setting new benchmarks for luxury guest experiences.

On a more personal note, Schmitt goes by the motto of his late grandma ‘above the clouds is always sunshine’.

Schmitt added: “Challenges come and go, and it is your state of mind and how you choose to move forward that determines how happy you are in life.

“Do not worry about things you cannot control, and it is much easier to be happy knowing that the sun is always there – just sometimes covered for a while.”