Fairmont The Palm Continues Its Busy Ritual After Drone Strike Incident

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Although remnants of the incident remain visible, guests strode in and out of the hotel lobby, without so much as a passing glance at the nearby scene.

By: Hind Aldah

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More than a week after debris from an Iranian attack on the UAE fell in the vicinity of Fairmont The Palm, causing a small fire in a nearby car park, the hotel has returned to normal operations, with visitors continuing to check in and out of the beachfront property.

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Khaleej Times visited the hotel on Tuesday and found it was business as usual, with guests striding in and out of the lobby.

Downstairs inside the buffet-style Flow Kitchen, loud chatter and laughter ensued from a group sitting at one of the dining tables.

A car park at Fairmont The Palm in Palm Jumeirah was struck by falling debris on February 28, the day the United States and Israel began their bombardment campaign against Iran. Iran has since retaliated with attacks it says are directed at US bases in the region.

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Four people sustained injuries and were quickly taken to a nearby medical facility, Fairmont The Palm confirmed in a statement to Khaleej Times on Tuesday. Emergency response teams arrived at the scene immediately and contained the blaze, Dubai authorities said.

The hotel said the incident caused limited exterior damage and did not impact guest areas or hotel operations.

The Accor Group, which manages Fairmont, has offered guests directly affected by the ongoing situation flexible cancellation and modification policies. Duncan O’Rourke, CEO of the Premium, Midscale and Economy Division for Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific at Accor, said the hotel remains fully operational and that the situation continues to be closely monitored.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and team members remain our top priority,” he said.

Business as usual

Inna Nosova regularly meets clients at Fairmont for her jewellery business. On the day the incident occurred, she was at the Mall of the Emirates with her family. The Russian expat said that by the time she returned to her home on Palm Jumeirah, authorities had already cleared away the debris.

She said she and her family did not feel any panic and the incident did not deter her from returning the very next morning for a work meeting.

“Here I’m feeling safe, and we stayed in this hotel many times even during Covid. We stayed here, my meetings are here, we have memberships here,” she said.

“Even after three days we came again with my family because we have breakfast every time here,” she added, joking that the breakfast buffet’s porridge keeps her coming back.

Alert at the salon

May, who asked not to use her full name, visited the hotel a few days after the incident for her usual salon appointment. An emergency alert went off on her phone while she was having her hair styled and although she felt worried initially, she went about her day.

A resident of Al Sufouh, about a 15-minute drive from The Palm, she said she heard a loud bang on the day the debris fell.

May said the hotel remained busy each time she visited over the past week.

“It was fine. I came back and it felt like normal. The hotel was busy,” she said.

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