Abu Dhabi talks home-towns, hairdressing and hoteliers with Abu Dhabi entrepreneur Lisa Steel
As with many buildings around Abu Dhabi, the One to One Hotel can be a little difficult to find when going by taxi. For the smart-thinking CEO of the hotel however, this wasn’t a problem.
“We’re known by the taxi drivers around Abu Dhabi as the biriyani hotel,” Lisa Steel laughs. “When we first opened a year ago we wanted to make sure our clients had no problems getting to and from the One to One. We sent out flyers offering a biriyani meal to taxi drivers who found their way here. We were soon known by all the drivers and no one tends to have any problems getting to the hotel now!”
It’s this type of initiative that has got Lisa Steel where she is today. Today, Lisa is a successful hotelier and partner in The One to One, one of Abu Dhabi’s few independent hotels; but she also has three hairdressing salons (Hair Works) under her belt as well as a partnership in a business consultancy (The Change Associates). It’s a far cry from the sleepy English county of Lincolnshire, her original home.
“I’ve always been in the hospitality and customer service trade. My first job was as a dish washer when I was just 12,” says Lisa.  “My mum is a chef and also owns a pub – it must run in the family!
“I originally started at Le Meridien over in Dubai. Within six months the hotel achieved the ISO 9000 quality standard for management services – a first in the Middle East. I’ve also worked with the Dubai Government department, and I helped write the Hotel Classification System for the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
“I like the diversity and change that this type of job brings – I’m never tied to the office, which is great!”
With all those different business venture under her belt, it’s a wonder Lisa has time to sleep, let alone run her 285-strong team of staff. “I sleep really rather well,” she laughs.  “In fact - that was another little idea of mine for the hotel. We know how important a good night’s sleep is, so before we ordered in the beds for the rooms, we made sure we tested each and every one. They’re really very comfy!”
The One to One hotel has been open for a year now, but Lisa has been living with it for a lot longer since the project’s foundations were laid. “It’s been so exciting seeing the hotel grow and become a familiar name around the capital.”
In those planning days the name wasn’t the one it has now. “The hotel actually started with a completely different name, but I really didn’t like it. Luckily we changed it,” she says.  “The whole idea for the hotel is to be unique and personal – hence the name. We didn’t want to be just another sterile five-star hotel that our clients won’t remember.”
Sterility is definitely something the hotel can’t be accused of. Sitting in the lobby cafe area you see colour and personality in every corner: from the ornate glass vase which Lisa brought back from one of her many travels around the world, to the clocks covering one of the walls.
“I love that wall!” smiles Lisa. “I didn’t just want a white wall or the standard landscape paintings that line some hotel rooms. It started with just one clock – and now I have dozens. It’s an interesting and quirky focal point – and I’m never late!”
The rest of the hotel follows a similar theme – contemporary and individual, intimate and personal, with a boutique feel.  “We wanted everything to be memorable –and for our clients to remember their time with us for the right reasons. We want them to come back to visit us again.”
It’s obvious that Lisa has created a market that separates her from the other hotels around the capital, and she always has her finger on the pulse.
“We actually made the decision not to be classed as a five-star hotel. There’s a good market for four-star hotels. With the credit crunch, it’s definitely turned out to be a good move. We aim at business travellers; and, recession or not, business people still need to travel. They might just be on a smaller budget. We fit that role nicely; we have 93 percent occupancy at present, and have plenty of regular customers.”
How about competition? Despite Lisa’s confidence that the current economic market hasn’t affected her bookings now, there’s no doubt that Abu Dhabi is about to see an influx of new hotels.
“We’re ready for them. We have lots of plans,” she grins, without giving away too many specifics. “We’re doing lots more here at The One to One Abu Dhabi. We also have plans to expand, including two new hotels in Lebanon.
“We’re catering to our clients – we’re all about adding value to the guest experience.  We have a great summer planned; a new health club, a huge tent for the garden so people can still enjoy barbeques and drinks outside, we’re going to be busy!”
It seems that with endless plans to progress, Lisa Steel has not only found her career niche but her home as well.
“There’s always a part of my heart that belongs to the little city of Lincoln in England, especially when you see its famous cathedral appear on the skyline, but my home is most definitely Abu Dhabi,” she says.
“It’s just such a wonderful city; Abu Dhabi has a real opportunity to shine, and for hoteliers the industry is well supported – perhaps more than anywhere else in the world.
“For me, Abu Dhabi is the perfect mix of business and pleasure.”

[Caption] Lisa Steel: live wire, Boutique hotel style comes to Abu Dhabi

[Originally published in Abu Dhabi Week vol 2 issue 21]