Emirates Opens $8 Million Hospitality Training Centre to UAE Businesses

Emirates has opened its USD 8 million Centre of Hospitality Excellence in Dubai to external UAE businesses, selling tailored training programmes that run one to five days and cover fine dining, wine, gastronomy, leadership and guest experience.

The centre sits inside the Emirates Crew Training Centre and carries the infrastructure to match its price tag: a restaurant and lounge seating up to 170 guests, presentation kitchens and eight technology-enabled classrooms. Companies book through a dedicated email address and select the modules that fit their training objectives.

Since launching the external programmes, the facility has already trained government entities, leading universities and major regional companies, according to the airline.

Thomas Ney, Divisional Senior Vice President Service Delivery at Emirates, framed the move as a transfer of decades of operational practice. "At Emirates, we have spent decades refining our approach to hospitality through continuous learning and innovation, delivered to millions of global customers," he said. "By opening the Centre of Hospitality Excellence to organisations across the UAE, we are proud to share this expertise and help inspire the next generation of hospitality professionals."

What can UAE businesses actually book?

The external curriculum is modular and priced by bespoke arrangement rather than a published rate card. Options include:

• Hospitality Excellence — an introductory workshop built around Emirates' "House of Hospitality," starting with a training gap analysis and combining case studies with practical exercises.
• 7-Star Dining Experience — table settings, etiquette, presentation and guest interaction, with emphasis on anticipating guest needs.
• L'Art du Vin — wine theory, tasting technique and food pairing, taught by WSET Level 3-certified trainers.
• Gastronomy — a hands-on culinary workshop on advanced techniques, flavour profiling and plating, led by chefs with global kitchen experience.
• Team-building experiences — bespoke culinary challenges aimed at collaboration and communication.
• Leadership at Emirates — conference sessions featuring Emirates executives on operations and service strategy.
• Behind-the-scenes tours — access to aircraft simulators and culinary training hubs, with optional catering and professional photography.
• Bespoke programmes — combinations of training, demonstrations, assessments and immersive dining tailored to each organisation.

The internal training engine behind it

The centre is not a standalone commercial venture. It anchors Emirates' cabin crew training ecosystem, which serves more than 25,000 cabin crew from over 140 nationalities speaking more than 70 languages. All crew complete an intensive eight-week programme at the Dubai facility covering safety, security, medical response, hospitality, service delivery and uniform standards, with full-motion simulators representing the Emirates fleet.

Crew also train inside the centre itself. They take a curated four-course gastronomy lunch prepared by Emirates' master chefs, featuring First and Business Class dishes, to observe best-practice service from the guest's seat. A purpose-built Culinary Hub kitchen — a hybrid of professional restaurant kitchen and aircraft galley — teaches plating, colour balance and presentation under chef trainers.

The wine programme has its own structure. Launched in 2024, L'Art du Vin runs three progressive levels of wine education for cabin crew, taught by sommeliers and expert wine trainers.

What does this change for UAE operators?

The centre extends a 2020 partnership between Emirates and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, the Swiss hospitality management school, which shaped the airline's customer experience philosophy around four pillars: excellence, attentiveness, innovation and passion. UAE operators across sectors — not just food service — can now buy into that framework without building equivalent facilities themselves.

Emirates has not disclosed per-participant pricing; bookings run through direct contact with the centre. The airline positions the venture as a contribution to the UAE's standing as a global hospitality leader, and demand from government and academic clients in the first months suggests a market beyond aviation and restaurants.