Gala 2026 Seat Allocation (Room Reservations)

WHAT / STEPS

HOW / DETAILS

Purpose

To provide in-house guests with the convenience of reserving gala dinner seats in advance by establishing a clear, coordinated process between the Room Reservations, Platinum team, and Gala Dinner team. This ensures seat requests are handled efficiently, tickets are issued or blocked in compliance with the booking’s terms and conditions, and guest experience is enhanced through seamless communication and service delivery.

Overview

For Gala 2026, in-house guests will also have the opportunity to reserve their seats in advance.
 

If a guest or travel agent contacts the Room Reservations or Platinum team to block seats, the request will be forwarded to the Gala Team. The Gala Team will then assist with blocking or issuing tickets in line with the applicable terms and conditions, including the cancellation and payment policy of the room booking.
 

Each booking request should be treated as an opportunity to upsell by offering upgraded seating options or higher packages, based on seat availability as shown on the seating map.
 

This will let the guests block seats in advance for bookings confirmed on flexible promotions too. The guests will be contacted once the booking enters the cancellation period for full room payment and Gala payment and only then will tickets be issued, and seats will be confirmed.

Process

Internal Process for Seating & Availability

Gala 2026 – Seat Selection Request Handling
 

A) If the request is received via Call or Chat

Room Reservations Agent:

1. Assist with the room booking if it is not yet completed.
2. Inform the guest/TA: “Our Gala Team will handle your seating allocation. They’ll contact you within 48 hours to review your preferences and block you a seat based on the availability.”
3. Email roomreservationnye@atlantisdubai.com with the details. 

Gala Team (NYE Specialists):

• Contact the guest/TA within 48 hours to check the seating preference. 
• Allocate and block seats according to preferences and availability.
• Update the live sheet (Mentioned in detail below)

B) If the request is received via Email

Room Reservations Agent:

1. Assist with room booking if needed.
2. Reply to the guest/TA acknowledging their request “I’ve shared your request with our Gala Team, who will contact you within 48 hours to confirm seating options.”
3. Forward the email thread to roomreservationnye@atlantisdubai.com
    

Gala Team (NYE Specialists):

• Reply directly to the guest/TA on the same email thread.
• Confirm seating preferences and offer available options.
• Allocate and block seats based on the seating map and booking’s terms and conditions.

C) If the request is received from Sales Team:

• Email must be sent to roomreservationnye@atlantisdubai.com with all the relevant details 
• Gala Team will contact Sales team to help with the allocation based on guest reference.
  
  
  
  
  
   

Verbiage for Gala Team (NYE Specialists):

Calls/Chats/Emails - Thank you for your interest in choosing to book XXXXX package. I understand that you would prefer to select your seats in advance. To make sure you get the best seats, may I please ask you a few questions:

Example of Probing Questions to Ask:
 

• “Would you prefer seats closer to the stage for a more immersive experience?”
• “Would you like seats positioned further back for a better view of the fireworks?”
• “What matters most for you, a close-up view of the performance or a panoramic view of the event and fireworks?”
• “Do you prefer being in the centre of the action or in a quieter area?”
• “Would you like seating near the dance floor or in a more relaxed, private section?”

Communication With the Team: 

This initiative is taken to assist guests who would proactively contact Room Reservations team to block or reserve their seats in advance.
 

The team will be instructed that seat allocation for the Gala Dinner must not be advertised or proactively offered to guests. This process should only be initiated if the guest/TA specifically raises a request to reserve seats in advance. In such cases, the Room Reservations team will forward the request to the Gala Dinner Team for handling in accordance with the established procedure.

Quality checks will be conducted on both email and call requests to verify that seat reservation requests were initiated by the guest/TA and not proactively offered by the Room Reservations team. Any deviations from this guideline will be addressed in line with departmental quality standards.

Booking Process:

Opera - The booking needs to be updated with the correct gala package depending on the number of occupants. Reservation comments need to be updated with the name of the person blocking or issuing the ticket on Platinumlist. The table number and seat numbers need to be updated under “Reservation comments”.
 

PlatinumList – The booking must be updated to include the guest’s name, hotel confirmation number, and market segment, ensuring the market segment matches the information recorded in Opera.

Tracking Sheet: 

Blocking Seats - Gala Team will update tracking sheet with the guest’s name, hotel confirmation, entry date, Platinumlist reference (if available), name of the person blocking the seats and Payment status of the gala, date to contact guest for payment to issue the tickets.
 

Issuing Tickets - Gala Team will update tracking sheet with the guest’s name, hotel confirmation, entry date, Platinumlist ticket number, name of the person blocking the seats, total payment, and payment status (Paid). 

Once bookings enter the cancellation policy period, the tracking sheet will be used by the Gala Team to generate both a list of bookings where seats have been blocked and a list of bookings where tickets have been issued. This process ensures clear visibility of the status of each booking and allows the team to take timely follow-up actions as required.