‘If it doesn't exist, create it,' Josef Kleindienst on real estate innovation and AI-powered hospitality

Gulf Business

12-06-2025

Image: Supplied
The Kleindienst Group prepares to mark 40 years in 2025. Spearheaded by a belief in building what doesn't yet exist, the company has reimagined what experiential tourism and climate-conscious living can look like through its flagship $6bn project, The Heart of Europe.
In this interview, the group's founder and chairman, Josef Kleindienst, reflects on the concept of underwater living, launching AI-powered hospitality, regenerating coral ecosystems — and shaping a legacy that is enduring.
As Kleindienst Group celebrates 40 years this year, how would you describe the company's evolution?
We started with just two desks and one mindset: if it doesn't exist, create it.
Four decades later, Kleindienst Group is Dubai's largest European real estate developer, with a team of more than 1,500 people working across hospitality, tourism, marine engineering, and real estate. From day one, our mission has been to deliver impact – through innovation, sustainability, and long-term vision.
The Heart of Europe is the clearest expression of that ambition: a six-island destination built from the sea up to redefine what luxury hospitality tourism can look like. We were the first developer to successfully deliver a complex, multi-island destination on The World, Dubai – something that has never been done before. That meant solving unprecedented regulatory, engineering, and environmental challenges, often with no blueprint to follow. But we stayed the course. We engineered the seemingly impossible and brought it to life.
Today, we've launched voco Monaco Dubai into a thriving destination attracting guests from around the world. We've delivered the luxurious Sweden Beach Palace and completed construction on the Nice Hotel. These aren't just milestones, they're a living expression of the Kleindienst vision: to create bold, experiential, innovative, and climate-positive communities that deliver world-class experiences.
We didn't just develop a resort: we delivered a vision, and helped shape a future-forward model for experiential tourism in Dubai.
The Heart of Europe is widely recognised for pioneering concepts like underwater living, climate-controlled streets, and car-free islands. How do you approach innovation, and what's next in redefining real estate and hospitality in Dubai?
Innovation isn't just part of our process — it is the foundation of the process. We are driven by a single goal: to create world-class, immersive, and experiential destinations the world hasn't seen before, and make them real.
That mindset has shaped The Heart of Europe into a $6bn destination defined by firsts; from underwater bedrooms to climate-controlled streets, soon to be launched Snow Plaza, and zero-car islands powered entirely by solar energy. These are not design flourishes; they are engineered experiences, built to challenge the limits of hospitality and fully immerse guests in something extraordinary.
What's coming next is the region's first Buddha-Bar Hotel & Floating Villas, a flagship $817m luxury wellness destination that forms part of Honeymoon Island — a concept built around floating villas, coral-rich diving zones, and marine-inspired architecture. It's a key step in our strategy to lead the next era of restorative, experience-led tourism, aligned with Dubai's vision for innovation and sustainability.
Sustainability is a core pillar of your development, from solar power to coral regeneration. How are you integrating environmental resilience into your business model, and what does sustainable premium living look like for the next decade?
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But our most ambitious work is happening below the surface.
Through the Coral Institute, we've restored over 100,000 coral fragments and built thriving artificial reefs around our islands — creating a self-sustaining marine ecosystem that protects biodiversity and enhances the underwater environment. These reefs are not just conservation tools — they're destinations in their own right.
Guests can dive straight from their villas into living coral habitats, explore curated dive zones off Honeymoon Island, and witness marine life returning to areas that were once barren. It's a rare convergence of tourism and restoration, where guests don't just experience nature, they contribute to it.
This is our model for the future: sustainable, high-performing destinations that offer unforgettable experiences while actively healing the environment.
With AI rapidly transforming the real estate sector, how is the group leveraging technology to enhance operations and the customer journey – including the launch of Olivia, your AI-powered concierge?
We're not just building real estate. We're building responsive, intelligent ecosystems.
Olivia, our AI concierge, provides guests, brokers, media and investors with 24/7 real-time access to updates, insights, and on-demand support. But AI's role goes much deeper. Currently, it enables seamless customer engagement — ensuring every interaction is frictionless and personalised.
Driven by steadfast commitment to innovation, we are advancing towards a future where AI is deeply integrated into our core processes. Moving forward, we plan to leverage AI to enhance project planning and the guest hospitality experience.
What's your long-term vision for The Heart of Europe – and what advice would you offer to developers looking to balance ambition, impact, and innovation in today's market?
Dubai's future is bold, and our job as developers is to help shape it.
The long-term vision for The Heart of Europe is to become a destination in its own right: not just a place to stay, but the reason people travel. A hub of culture, innovation, and hospitality that brings the best of Europe to Dubai.
Every phase is aligned with national strategy, including UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, Dubai's
To other developers: don't build for now, build for what's next. The most successful projects won't be the biggest, but the ones that deliver legacy environmentally, economically, and culturally. If it doesn't contribute to the future, it's just construction.