Dubai is the world’s second busiest airport, and it was on a mission to become the best, too. Limited within the existing walls of the airport with no room to grow, the only way to improve was to find efficiencies and enhancements with customer service. And it needed to suit myriad cultures. The solution was a customer-centric service design with frontline staff taking an important role. They created a zonal expert model, loaded the team with practical information, simplified signage and information and used work from local artists to create a sense of space. Branding the experience successfully married the various elements in the vision for ‘Modern hospitality and meaningful connections’. This holistic approach to improving customer experience had a widespread impact on more than the primary target audience. In addition to significant improvements in customer experience, the programme’s success is also rooted in improved staff motivation, the creation of a sense of place for both customers and staff, as well as an increase in sales at both airport food and retail providers.