Meet Top 30 F&B All-Star Elie Saba

TOP 30 F&B ALL-STARS

One last applause to the men and women that led and transformed the Food & Beverage arena in 2022

18

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

LEWIS HAMILTON DRIVES CHANGE Hamilton’s plant-based Empire, Neat Burger, launches in Dubai

20

THE BUSINESS OF RESIDENTIAL HOSPITALITY

A SHOW UP AND LIVE HOSPITALITY APPROACH

Stella Stays explains how they provide a better way to stay

23

THE EXPERIENCED THE DIPLOMAT RADISSON BLU IN THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN CELEBRATES 40 YEARS

Petr Dubsky, General Manager, The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa, Kingdom of Bahrain

26

WHO’S COOKING CARNA BY DARIO CECCHINI

Carna is a contemporary steak house concept helmed by the legendary Butcher, Dario Cecchini from the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy

28

F&B FOCUS

WATERMELON MARKET

A UAE developed cloud-based POS system that supports sector operational efficiency

56

THE BUSINESS OF TOURISM MASTER PLANNING TIPS TO BUILD AND EFFICIENTLY MANAGE ATTRACTIVE DESTINATIONS

What is our current positioning? Where do we want to go, and how do we get there?

58

TECH AND INNOVATION HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE BRAND IN 2023

In today's era of digital distraction, consumers are bombarded with over 5,000 pieces of information daily. So, when brands publish content, its essential it breaks through the noise and reaches the right audience

60

TECH AND INNOVATION HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES

As global economies are recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the crisis has created some permanent side effects on the hospitality and food service industries

64

IN THE MIX GIN O'CLOCK

Ally Martin found his excitement and passion for spirits by working in bars in his hometown of Edinburgh and London

Hotel&Catering NEWS Middle East

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Wheels of flavours

French butter producers are known for their range of flavoured butters – smoked salt, Piment d’espelette, Roscoff onion, lemon olive oil, yuzu, sweet Madagascar vanilla, and seaweed.

With a team of professionals constantly developing new flavours, butter enthusiasts can

find a variety that can be used across cooking techniques and recipes, from sweet to savoury.

Indeed, butter is an amazing flavor enhancer that helps ingredient’s flavours shine, bringing more aroma to the dish.

PS - Would you believe the most popular flavoured butter in France is seaweed?

Piment d’espelette

The content of this media represents the author’s point of view only and is the sole responsibility of the author.

The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made from the information contained herein.

Seaweed

Buckwheat

Yuzu

Let's raise a toast one last time

Idon’t know if the residue from the collective chaos we faced in 2020 has dissipated, but it felt like I actually lived this year, like there were no restrictions or reservations about what I could explore and discover within and outside. In part, it’s the way I saw the hospitality industry operate too. There have been times that challenged us, and days that were harder than most. But overall, it's been a year full of surprises and new experiences that pushed many out of their comfort zones and into their potential. For me in this vivacious industry, I get to work and play 2022 has been an exceptional year. The culture in Dubai specifically has a way of surprising you - just when you think you’ve seen, done, and tasted all that you need to they put something you didn’t even know you wanted right in front of you, and then suddenly you hooked. Hospitality’s beating heart, the food and beverage sector, has had a glorious time on the playground this year.

We have seen many new openings, launches, expansions, collaborations, concepts, and ideas this year, not forgetting the introduction of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which has naturally earned the respect of many and raised the eyebrows of some, and all the newly curated World Cup fan zones at every corner. To say that people in hospitality have been busy is an understatement. However, before we bid farewell to 2022, we wanted to raise a toast one last time to the men and women that helped make this region’s F&B scene one of the most globally revered industries among them all. In this issue, we are thrilled to bring you the Top 30 F&B All-stars feature, profiling some of the biggest restauranteurs, F&B entrepreneurs, F&B C-suite level executives, and some new players with loads of promise. We also visit Lewis Hamilton’s new plant-based burger joint in Dubai, talk to a master butcher about his new restaurant, celebrate the 40th birthday of The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa in Bahrain, look into residential hospitality, and much more.

I hope you enjoy and have yourself a beautiful festive season. See you next year!

SEYMONE L MOODLEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF seymone@bncpublishing.net

Seymone Leigh Moodley seymonemoodley

BRUNCH & CAKE LANDS IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

After successful operations across 4 locations in the UAE, and announcing plans for global expansion in 2021, Brunch & Cake has now launched its first location in Riyadh’s Al Bujairi, Ad Diriyah. Brunch & Cake’s firstever location in Saudi Arabia has been brought to the kingdom in partnership with Janiya Investments. The much-anticipated outpost boasts an indoor and outdoor space of approximately 4198 square ft with a capacity to accommodate a total of 70 pax indoors and 36 pax outdoors at any given time. The location in Riyadh is now officially Brunch & Cake’s largest global location between Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Spain.

Staying true to its instantly recognisable brand identity across the Middle East, the outpost in Riyadh’s Al Bujairi Terrace has been

designed using Brunch & Cake’s signature boho-chic interior while taking inspiration from the heritage site of Diriyah. Views of the UNESCO Heritage Site At Turaif, combined with Brunch & Cake’s loved menu from the UAE make this location the perfect spot for a catch-up. Brunch & Cake is an echoing name across the UAE with a flagship location at Al Wasl 51, a sea-facing

location at The Pointe, a cosy lakeside location at Jumeirah Islands in Dubai, and Marsa Al Bateen in Abu Dhabi. Brunch & Cake Riyadh is the brand’s 11th location globally and the brand’s fifth location in the Middle East. 5 more locations will also be launched in Saudi Arabia in the coming years, plans for which are currently in the pipeline with some outlets already under construction.

Conceptual partners, Solutions Leisure Group and the Master Showman, Don Fuego, unlock the doors to Dubai’s newest South American social dining extravaganza. En Fuego, which translates to on fire in Spanish, promises diners an exhilarating and authentic South American experience, full of endless surprises, upon every visit.

Taking entertainment to new heights, the destination is an entity of energy, bringing the unexpected with fire performers, aerial hoop artists, an energetic tango duo and gravity-defying aerial acrobats. From musicians and dancers, to singing hosts and an enchanting family of characters, the team of performers emit the heartbeat of South American culture, captivating guests from arrival, through to their next visit.

Echoing the continent's renowned fervent enjoyment of life and penchant for a party, En Fuego delivers a multi-sensory-driven, allencompassing destination that breathes new life into the social dining definition. The new age dining concept captivates guests with bright colours, electrifying acts, ceilings featuring hundreds of objects and distinct pieces, transporting them to countries that they have never been before.

JW Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary hotel brands, announced its debut in Saudi Arabia with the opening of JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh. The highly anticipated luxury hotel welcomes guests for a transformative and elevated stay to nourish the mind, body, and spirit. Spanning 349-rooms, the property is the ideal choice for travellers seeking a refreshing stay in the heart of Riyadh’s new

commercial and residential district.

"We are excited to debut JW Marriott, an iconic legacy brand,in Saudi Arabia with the opening of JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh,” said Bruce Rohr, Global Brand Leader, JW Marriott Hotels. “JW Marriott combines personalized, luxury service with principles of mindfulness that are integral to today’s business and leisure traveler. Those seeking a retreat from the hustle and bustle of this dynamic city will find JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh the perfect place for a modern, wellnessfocused and balanced stay.

“The opening of JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh marks the brand’s long-awaited

debut in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Guests will be encouraged to experience every moment to the fullest at this luxurious new destination that follows the JW Marriott’s philosophy

to provide guests the ideal haven to recharge and reflect,” said Candice D’Cruz, Vice President –Luxury Brands, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International.

Located in the heart of Diriyah, north-west of the capital Riyadh, At-Turaif is the birthplace of the modern Saudi state founded in 1727 and is regarded as one of the country’s most important heritage sites and a symbol of Saudi identity. For over fifty years, this area served as the principal residence of House Al Saud and the administrative district of Diriyah, the centre of a state that spanned the Arabian Peninsula. Visitors will be able to walk through a vast heritage site of restored mudbrick palaces, mosques, former defensive towers, and curated galleries that tell the definitive story of Saudi Arabia’s formation and the rise of the Saudi dynasty. A beautiful example of the distinct Nadji-style architecture, At-Turaif is one of the most historically significant and architecturally impressive mudbrick settlements in the world.

Diriyah. The City of Earth. begins a new chapter in its history as At-Turaif, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the original home of the Al Saud family, and the seat of governance of the First Saudi State, opens its doors to the public for the first time. The opening season will include a vibrant public program of events, performances, and activities for all visitors to experience which will celebrate and bring the heritage site and birthplace of the Kingdom to life.

Open all year round and with no ticket required on weekdays until 4 pm, visitors will be able to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site across a variety of mediums to suit their own interests. From guided tours, offered every 30 minutes in Arabic and English; to Nuzul, an immersive theatre across an entire street of the district bringing to life the people and stories from At-Turaif and the surrounding areas; to watching an Al Ardah performance, a dance of vigor and victory of such traditional and historical importance that it is now recognized as a UNESCO intangible heritage asset - there is something for everyone.

“DIRIYAH. THE CITY OF EARTH.” OPENS AT-TURAIF AND BUJAIRI TERRACE TO THE PUBLIC

JW MARRIOTT DEBUTS IN SAUDI ARABIA WITH THE OPENING OF JW MARRIOTT HOTEL RIYADH

AARON KAUPP APPOINTED REGIONAL VP JUMEIRAH GROUP AND

Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hospitality company and member of Dubai Holding, has named Aaron Kaupp as Regional Vice President Jumeirah Group and General Manager of Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, its latest iconic destination that is set to be another incredible addition to the Dubai shore, located next to Jumeirah Beach Hotel. In his new role, Kaupp will oversee all aspects of the new lifestyle resort, which includes an avantgarde hotel, exclusive residences, a superyacht marina and a wealth of unique dining and lifestyle experiences. His appointment will build on a rich background in luxury hospitality and a three-year experience within the Group as Regional Vice President Northern Europe and Gen-

eral Manager of The Carlton Tower Jumeirah. During his time at the flagship London hotel, located in the heart of the fashionable Knightsbridge, he spearheaded its successful re-opening and repositioning as an iconic landmark and beacon of modern classic luxury, following the most extensive renovation in the hotel’s 60-year history. Taking place during the height of the pandemic, the 17-story building was entirely transformed to offer larger accommodations, a new state-of-the-art The Peak Fitness Club and Spa with London’s largest naturally lit swimming pool, Al Mare – a destination Italian restaurant, a signature lobby bar and lounge and beautiful event facilities with natural daylight overlooking the

Cadogan gardens. With an exceptional reputation in the industry, Kaupp has been recognised on numerous occasions for his incredible service delivery and expertise and holds

several prestigious accolades including the Luxury Travel Advisor Awards’ “Best General Manager of a Luxury Hotel / Resort Worldwide”. He is also a member of the European Hotel Managers Association.

GROENEWEG

Raffles The Palm Dubai welcomes Timothy Groeneweg as the new Director of Food and Beverage. Timothy is a young and dynamic F&B expert with a proven track record in managing large F&B operations, Timothy will curate and reinvent the food and beverage offerings at the resort to create exceptional guest experiences.

Timothy’s journey started almost 20 years ago when he enrolled at the well-known Hotel School Amsterdam. Here, he spent three years shaping his passion for the

industry, specialising in hospitality management. Born with an adventurous soul, Timothy embraced every occasion to fuel his desire to build a strong career in F&B, even opening his own business, ‘t Hert, a bar-brasserie in the heart of Amsterdam. With his entrepreneurial spirit and strong leadership, Timothy secured managerial positions in several well-known and high-end establishments between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha and looked after prestigious Michelin-rated restaurants.

GM OF JUMEIRAH MARSA AL ARAB

NEW DIRECTOR OF FOOD AND BEVERAGETIMOTHY

As the DoubleTree by Hilton Fujairah City prepares to open its doors, key roles are being filled at the hotel, and several top positions have been filled by women. Emirati’s will also play a key part in building the team with women leading in this area too. The roles of Director of Operations, Front Office Manager, Marketing Head, HR Diversity & Inclusion Officer, GC&E Sales Manager and Executive are all held by women, who are specialists in their respective positions. Additionally, visitors to the hotel will be welcomed by Doaa Mustafa, who has the distinction of

being responsible for the door to the hotel, making her the very few females to hold this position in the UAE.

“When recruiting the team for DoubleTree by Hilton Fujairah City we wanted to ensure that we had diversity in terms of nationality and gender,” said Vikram Jamwal, General Manager for the hotel. “We wanted a reflection of people in the UAE, and I feel we’ve achieved that; they’re building a new community with their teammates as we prepare to open our doors with warm hospitality of DoubleTree.”

Turkish national, Birsen Kan has been appointed as Director of Operations, and is well versed in transitioning a property from pre-opening to open and has worked in the Hilton family for 8 years. Christine Manoukian takes on the position of Front Office Manager and will be responsible for the guest welcome experience. Hailing from Armenia, Christine has always been a guest facing professional, and enjoys dealing with people.

Emirati Amnah Abdullah Alhefeiti leads the people component of the hotel, as the Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion Officer where she uses her sociology skills to manage the team at the hotel. When it comes to the marketing and events at the hotel, that role falls to Dina Haroon, as GC&E Manager who comes from the seasoned hospitality market of Egypt. Dina will be ably supported by her Emirati teammate Hend Suliaman Humaid, in her role as GC&E Executive. Rounding out the senior female leads is Priyanka Krishnamurthy as Assistant Marketing Manager who comes to the hotel from another International Brand to help promote the hotel to guests and visitors.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Fujairah City is set to open soon after the finishing touches have been completed.

FOODICS, the leading cloudbased restaurant technology and payments platform in the MENA region partnered with the International Centre for Culinary Arts Dubai (ICCA), a world-class culinary learning centre to foster food tech skills across the F&B sector.

The partnership comes at a time when the food service and restaurant industry is increasingly moving towards the adoption of new technology and end to end digitisation. Foodics, who

recently launched its very own Foodics Academy to up skill the F&B sector, will combine its tech know-how with the award-winning training capabilities of ICCA to help talents fast track their learning of tech enabled solutions and tools, from aspiring chefs to artisans and entrepreneurs. The challenges faced by the foodservice industry and the F&B sector are numerous, but Foodics Academy has the right suite of learning tools to tackle these obstacles.

THE UAE’S FIRST ‘DOOR LADY’

FOODICS AND THE ICCA DUBAI PARTNER

LEWIS HAMILTON Drives Change

Hamilton’s plant-based Empire, Neat Burger, launches in Dubai

When Neat Burger launched in 2019, it set its sights on becoming the largest plant-based chain in the world. A few years later, their global dominance continues as they partner with Baker Street Hospitality to bring the game-changing, award-winning 100 percent plant-based chain to the United Arab Emirates.

Founded by seven-time FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, Zach Bishti, and Stasi Nychas, the company announced an exciting new addition to the brand by welcoming onboard Hollywood star Leonardo Di Caprio as a strategic investor this year.

Born into a family of restaurateurs, Stasi had an incredible head start in his F&B career. He expanded his family restaurant all over the world before

landing in London and working with another popular burger brand. It was through this new venture that Stasi met, Zack and the other Neat Burger partners, and the rest as they say is history.

In November of this year, the pair sat down with us at Neat Burger’s first location in Dubai located in Dubai Mall’s food court to take us for a tour of their new spot.

Zack spent fifteen years building a hospitality brand with his brother that allowed him to understand the ins and outs of social engagement, which has played a big role towards his success. Zack commented, “If you don’t have the community, you don’t have a brand. You have to keep it exciting and fresh; everyone is fighting for attention. Yu also need to have a firm foundation; people make the mistake of going for short tern recognition, and yeah sure

“WE CREATED NEAT BURGER TO MAKE A PLANT-BASED OPTIONS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, WHETHER YOU EAT PLANT-BASED ALL THE TIME OR JUST WANT TO ADD IT TO YOUR DIET EVERY NOW AND AGAIN."

it feels good, but if you don’t build relationships with your customer, people lose interest.”

This kind of brand building has helped grow Neat Burger with Zack as the CEO and at the helm of this brand’s movements. Like many plant-based brands, Neat Burger isn’t focused on targeting vegans. Most of their customers are in fact meat eaters that want to reduce their meat in-take with a high-quality plant-based burger that satisfies the same way a traditional burger does.

Neat Burger – with its commitment to not compromise on taste – offers an extensive burger product range with meat, chicken and fish protein equivalents and has been described as the world’s first flexitarian burger brand. According to a recent report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), current forecast models indicate that protein alternatives will represent 11% of all protein consumption by 2035. Further, with some help from technology, investors, and regulators, protein alternatives could command 22% of the global market over this

time frame. Stasi adds, “We want to serve great burgers, plant-based is a benefit.”

Zack shares his admiration for fellow co-founder, Lewis Hamilton, saying that he has huge respect for Hamilton for using his impressive platform to advocate for a better future. The team is very aware that this is a huge task that requires a loud voice, and they certainty have one of the most influential voices out there.

Kieran Mallon, Managing Director of Baker Street Hospitality Group commented, “Very rarely do you come across a truly game changing concept like Neat Burger. Zack and the wider Neat Burger team have disrupted the F&B industry with their proprietary products and thanks to them the plantbased category has now become fully mainstream. With its mix of foodies, health fans and discerning tourists, Dubai is the perfect destination to launch Neat Burger and we are keen to be part of this new future focused on sustainable and climatefriendly food offerings.”

“We created Neat Burger to make a plant-based op-

tions more accessible to everyone, whether you eat plant-based all the time or just want to add it to your diet every now and again. The response to Neat Burger since we opened has been incredible. I’m really proud of the boundaries we have been able to push in this space and the plans for expansion are really exciting.” Said Lewis Hamilton, Founder of Neat Burger.

Coming to Dubai was an important decision for Neat Burger, they believe that being here is a meaningful way to expand the business long term. The highlight for Zack and Stasi during the

launch of Neat Burger was seeing people’s reaction to the plant-based menu, many of the customers in the store found it hard to believe that the items had no meat products, and this is the biggest compliment a plant-based brand can get.

Zack believes they are on track to becoming the world’s biggest quick service restaurants brand. He added that the team has very ambitious plans to own market share and dominate, and if Neat Burger’s track record is anything like World Champion Lewis Hamilton’s success inside the circuit, we better not blink.

LEWIS HAMILTON

Stasi Nichas COO and Co-Founder and Zack Bishti, CEO and Co-Founder of Neat Burger

HOSPITALITY APPROACH

Stella Stays is a prop-tech company that launched just 3 years ago offering a "show up and live" concept, with the aim of becoming the world’s mostloved residential hospitality brand. Stella Stays has achieved outstanding growth and is now present in five markets, UAE, KSA, Turkey, Bahrain and Canada with more than 1,000 contracted units, and with expansion plans to Egypt. We sit down with Mohannad Zikra, the Co-Founder and CEO of Stella Stays to better understand his business model and how it has disrupted the hospitality sector.

"Show up and live" vs “work from anywhere” approach

Stella Stays and hotels have completely different offerings. We don’t offer rooms; we offer fully furnished apartments

within our curated community for both short and long stays. In addition, all the friction of the traditional guest and resident journeys; such as waiting time in the lobby, paperwork, payment, etc., are handled by technology.

The first main difference is in the type of accommodation that we offer. Every Stella Stays building has various apartment types, ranging from studios to 4-bedroom penthouses. Each apartment, exceptionally designed by our in-house interior design team, has all the “living amenities” that guests and residents expect, from washing machines to full kitchens, whether they stay for a night, a month, a year, or more.

The second difference between Stella Stays and hotels is our well-curated community. A community-driven living experience is at the core of Stella Stays’ offerings, featuring whenever possible, co-working and communal spaces, as well as an event calendar exclusively for residents and guests.

We offer modern and well-thought-through amenities that allow our guests to work, connect, unwind, and create new experiences. For example, our newly signed building in Cairo, Egypt, will include a co-working space, cinema room, cafe lounge and a shared dining room with a chef kitchen.

Most importantly, we have digitalized the entire guest journey. Our guests and residents can access the Stella Stays mobile application to enjoy a seamless and personalised

experience; from booking a place, signing contracts, making payments, submitting an ID, to requesting services within 5 minutes. With Stella Stays, guests can complete their bookings and head directly to their apartment, which they can access through a smart door lock. They can also request a wide range of modern services, such as housekeeping, grocery shopping, laundry, car washing, booking a co-working meeting room or extending their stay.

At Stella Stays, we make the world everyone’s oyster, by

allowing them to show up and start living a full life in major cities within minutes, instead of wasting time and money on overpriced hotels and a painful rental experience. We call it residential hospitality.

Unique business model Finding and renting a place to live anywhere in the world is a painful experience. On top of everything, when you finally move in, you’re tied to the contract for at least one year, which limits your options to move with the opportunities life has to offer.

Our business model transforms that archaic process by simplifying the entire rental journey so residents can find a place to live and move in within minutes. And unlike Airbnbs, which consist of individually=managed furnished rentals with varying quality, we provide fully branded apartments within Stella Stays properties.

To reach a highly efficient and scalable business model, we focus on our fully managed buildings to ensure we can provide the safety, security, and consistency that our residents and guests deserve and expect. Our approach, in short, is to source great residential buildings, fit them out with our design standards, and use our technology to automate operations and manage short-term bookings and long-term rentals.

The inspiration behind this model

I have been to 25 countries, and I dreaded the hotel stay for every trip. The rooms were usually small and outdated. Don’t get me wrong, I have had great stays, but I’ve also had horrific ones. My worst stay was in San Francisco which was aa 1 BDR apartment that had no living room furniture. The host promised me that there would some my first night after coming back from dinner. I came back that night to a fuchsia-coloured sofa. At that stage, I knew there had to be a different, and better way to live short-term. That’s when we started Stella Stays.

MOHANNAD ZIKRA, the Co-Founder and CEO of STELLA STAYS

Focusing on long-term residents while offering short-term stays

The properties need to be well-utilised both in terms of revenue and occupancy. We’ve developed in-house property management software from day 1 to manage the entire lifecycle, including distribution. Today, our proprietary technology can apply dynamic pricing and length-of-stay to maximize revenue and occupancy by automatically configuring the optimal mix of short-term and long-term rentals. Our system can automatically reconfigure and respond

to market demand and economic conditions.

The key to success

We’ve worked hard to put together a team of highly-talented individuals passionate about challenging the status quo of traditional rentals and hospitality. They live, eat, and breathe innovation, which has been a massive factor in our success.

Millennials, GenZ and evolving consumer demand also play an essential role. The next generation of consumers is redefining the way we live and travel. If we look around, there are

already new standards of experience that exist across many industries. Whether it's transportation through Uber, consumer goods with Amazon or entertainment with Netflix and Spotify, consumers today expect services that are digital, easy to use and flexible. On the other hand. if we look at where we spend most of our time and money – it’s on home rentals and it takes weeks to rent an apartment, not to mention the complications and inflexibility of the entire process. Overall, it doesn’t make any sense when you really think about it.

COVID accelerated behavioural changes where flexibility in rentals has become more critical. As a result, there is an increase in acceptance and normalcy of furnished rentals.

There is also the rise of digital nomads. The UAE is now one of the progressive countries that offer freelancer visas to attract global talent to contribute to and grow its economy. One of the main obstacles for these talents to find a place to live is flexible, fairly priced, and well-furnished.

These are among some of the highly favourable macro tailwinds and evolving consumer demands that are driving our success and our out-performance versus traditional rentals and hospitality.

Who is Stella Stella is the Italian word for “Star”. We’ve created a play on that word by referring to our units as Stellas - they are our stars. The word “Stella” also refers to the five-star experience that we offer across our portfolio.

What’s next We’ve spent the last three years establishing the foundation of Stella Stays through the development of our technology platform and our initial launches in 5 countries: UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Turkiye, and Canada. Our residents and guests love staying with us because they can literally show up and start living. It’s smart, hasslefree, and socially alive.

We intend to dominate the MENA region, accelerate our global expansion, and focus on our vision of becoming the most loved residential hospitality brand in the world, where everyone belongs and thrives.

THE DIPLOMAT RADISSON BLU

in the Kingdom of Bahrain celebrates 40 years

PETR DUBSKY, GENERAL MANAGER, THE DIPLOMAT RADISSON BLU HOTEL, RESIDENCE & SPA, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Radisson Hotel Group & The Diplomat Radisson Hotel, Residence & Spa Bahrain opened its doors in 1982 and at the time what made the hotels significant was its location, design, and services offered. Forty years later the property still stands, while constantly making improvements and staying relevant, the hotel has not lost its Diplomat touch. We caught up with Petr to find out what makes this longstanding hotel so special to the region.

One of the key pillars of the hotel is to support local communities, and General Manager, Petr Dubsky has proactively taken major steps to do so despite his demanding hospitality career. Coming from the Czech Republic, a country well known for its ice hockey, he has been recently appointed as the Head Coach of Bahrain’s Ice Hockey Team, He is in charge of driving the development of enthusiastic kids and woman’s team, and strengthening the senior male team, preparing for upcoming international tournaments. His career as an ice hockey player kicked off at the age of five and today, he is a licensed ice hockey coach by the Czech Ice Hockey Association in addition to being the General Manager of The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa, Kingdom of Bahrain.

The hotel is suitable for leisure travellers with families and business guests, and for those seeking to hold a large conference, incentives, and sport groups. Petr states. “We have also always been supported by the authorities’ efforts to boost hospitality within the Kingdom. In addition, our hotel was and remains one of the prominent 5-star hotels on the island.”

Major changes took place back in 2011 when an additional 121 apartments were added to the hotel building, as well as the renovation of the Major Grand Ambassador Ballroom in November 2014. Since then, the venue has hosted a large number of big events. The hotel itself was also renovated- all guests’

rooms, corridors, lobby, royal lounge, and other areas were significantly modernised, while still retaining the Diplomat touch. Petr added, “Two of our most popular F&B outlets were completely revamped in 2021 to more modern, authentic, and vibrant spaces, Bo Sabi Asian Restaurant and flavorful Mondo Italian Restaurant. More is yet to come. We are working on further enhancements and improvements to services and venues.”

With the support of Bahrain Exhibition Tourism Authority, Bahrain has had exponential growth in the number of conferences, exhibitions, sport events and other entertainment activities entering the region, which has and continues to boost the hospitality sector. “Guests are always looking for what’s new and trendy. They are seeking various services and activities that they can enjoy and pamper themselves with.”

“One of our biggest challenges has been finding the right candidates for specific positions, however we are now diverting more focus to Bahraini talents in collaboration with local institutions. Other challenges remain with the increase in the number of hotels within the Kingdom. However, we will continue to develop the property and its facilities to attract travellers from all segments and deliver outstanding levels of service and products.”

According to Petr, “Bahraini people, culture and the Kingdom is one of the most welcoming amongst the GCC. The island is small but offers a vast number of activities. The country’s hospitality scene is growing and so is our offerings.

CARNA

by Dario Cecchini

Carna is a contemporary steak house concept helmed by the legendary Butcher, Dario Cecchini from the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy. The venue pays tribute to legendary butcher, Dario Cecchini by focusing on the exceptional meat selection and Dario's nose-to-tail approach to butchery. We caught up with the master butcher to learn more about his F&B concept.

Where did your love for butchery begin?

My family have been butchers for 250 years in Panzano, located in the heart of Tuscany. I became a butcher when I was 19 when sadly, my parents both passed away. This meant I had to abandon my veterinarian science studies at university and decided I would, with great pride, continue my family’s business. My main goal has always been to leave this world a little bit better than I found it.

Tell us about your nose-to-tail approach?

Butchers take responsibility for an animal's life to nourish the community. I feel it is only natural, that out of respect for the animal, I must be sure that every part of the animal is used well – from nose to tail. It is the butcher’s responsibility to explain that we must honour the sacrifice that the life of an animal gives us vital energy. It is up to the butcher to explain that every cut can be equally delicious if prepared well.

Where do your locally sourced ingredients come from?

At Carna and throughout the F&B venues at SLS, we source our local ingredients from farmers based across the UAE. Poultry farmers provide organic, cage-free, and free-range

chicken that ensures the freshness of every dish. Local seafood is sourced from 4 separate fisheries in Dubai. We are especially proud of the 30 farm partners who provide us with the freshest produce the UAE has to offer.

Tell us about the story behind the name, Carna?

Carna was the name of the ancient Roman goddess. In ancient Rome, people would make offerings of roasted meats in the temples dedicated to the goddess Carna. Our idea was to bring something traditional but ancient to the modern world.

What is Carna’s culinary ethos?

The culinary ethos and philosophy of Carna is to use every part of each ingredient thoroughly, not just the meats, such as the fillet and the porterhouse steak cuts but also the best quality of less noble cuts too. Our delicious Francesina, a beef, onion, and tomato stew, is a great example of this. Our beef heart skewers are incredibly delicious and can be attributed to us using only the best quality ingredients. When you are working with well-raised animals every part is delicious. This is our philosophy – to use every part of both animal and vegetable.

Describe the Carna experience?

Carna is a combination of wonderful food and convivial moments – the art of living together, being together, and dining together. It signifies a beautiful dining experiences in a splendid space – an inviting and elegant place surrounded by friendly staff. From the kitchen team all the way to the dining area, everyone has a smile on their faces. What I hope is that everyone, friends, and guests, experience a joyous occasion here at Carna and are thoroughly well taken care of.

DARIO CECCHINI, Founder of CARNA BY DARIO CECCHINI

Former Chief of Staff for the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Omar AlShamsi has had an illustrious career in the investment sector. Having started his career in Daman Securities, Omar played an instrumental role in establishing and developing the UAE’s security office in Abu Dhabi and managing government relations after the merger of First Abu Dhabi Bank. Coming from a multi-business family, Omar naturally gravitated towards entrepreneurship opening a café with his sister during his time in banking. The café had a strong focus on local food from local ingredients. Omar’s appetite for the

F&B sector grew, he found himself working as an F&B supplier along the way too. These experiences gave him first hand insight into the shortfalls that exist in the market, making him determined to find viable solutions.

In 2019 Omar established KPISOFT, an enterprise performance management software, in the UAE Within his first year with KPISOFT, he closed the largest deal for the company globally. He has also consistently helped KPISOFT establish a solid footing in the GCC and today the company competes actively with Oracle and SAP.

His collective experience in investment, software, and business coupled with his belief in making a difference in the F&B sector paved the way for Watermelon Market, a food tech company that Omar started with Cristobal De Nadai and Archya Sengupta in 2021.

Watermelon Market is a food and beverage ecosystem that helps all entities within that value chain manage and advance their business and has quickly establishing itself as a market leader and essential tool for anyone working within the F&B space.

OMAR MOHAMMED HAMDAN ALSHAMSI, Co-founder and CEO, WATERMELON MARKET

“We decided to build our own solution for the F&B market. We found that one solution was not enough, so we ended up with an ecosystem. In general, the industry has low transparency, it’s very difficult to navigate, order, and keep track of your orders. Other pain points we discovered was the ability to ensure that there is an adequate amount of products in supply, as well as cash flow management problems.”

Watermelon Market’s aim is to be become a one-stop e-procurement solution for the industry through its user-friendly web and mobile-based platform. Currently the platform has over 800 restaurants, 200 suppliers, and 30 000SKUs.

Offering full transparency to a traditionally rigid and painful process, Watermelon’s easy-to-use interface allows customers to access a proven inventory management system. The ability to track, manage and receive full insights into their finances all in one unified and integrated cloud-based platform. Further, spending patterns, notifications on when stock is low, forecasting, and more are also covered while suppliers can manage orders, inventory, and invoices with 24/7 customer support.

Watermelon Market has reduced purchase order time by 70% across more than 7,000 orders in the last 12 months.

The company plans to expand their business model from B2B to B2C, with the launch of Watermelon Home.

“We have suppliers that are very happy to extend their products in bulk to homes. And the introduction for Watermelon Home is for the person that needs to buy in bulk on a regular basis, products range from napkins all the way to niche products, like caviar.”

In a short timespan, Omar and his management team have managed to produce strong results, this he says is largely due to a collective team effort, and the way the business treats their customers. “If you are in the ecosystem, you’re in my home, and if you are in my home than I need to make sure that you are taken care of. This is very typical in Arab culture,” he adds.

It also doesn’t hurt to have a name that sparks joy. As Omar says, watermelon makes people happy. It’s a happy fruit that carries happy memories. More importantly the fruit’s own ecosystem was the inspiration behind the Watermelon Market name.

As a UAE national, Omar strongly believes that any business that doesn’t care about the local community in which it operates shouldn’t be in that market. He believes that his business has an opportunity to benefit the local producer. A task that he is determined to champion in a big way.

Omar’s plan is to keep building and growing the Watermelon Market ecosystem to ensure that it remains relevant and inclusive to everyone in the industry. His biggest goal within the F&B sector is to reduce food waste in the region and increase access to food around the world.

Omar graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio with a Bachelor of Science in accounting; he also holds an Executive MBA degree from INSEAD with a focus on the digital world.

His career started in Daman Securities where he helped establish and grow the UAE’s security office in Abu Dhabi. He then moved to Dubai Group, which was under Dubai Holding during that time, where he was stationed in Hong Kong. His role while in Hong Kong was part of the management team for North Asian Investment Books. He managed public and private equity investments for the group. He was later recruited to the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (First Abu Dhabi Bank today) to manage investments in the treasury division. After four years of working across various roles in the treasury department, he became the Chief of Staff for the bank. After the bank merged, Omar took care of the government relations division for the newly formed entity (First Abu Dhabi Bank) before venturing off to help establish KPISOFT in the Middle East.

As a member of a multi-business family, Omar has also been instrumental in assisting the organisations which his family are involved in. Most notable of which in the manufacturing world for Gulf Craft, where Omar has taken on a consultant role to manage their growth trajectory. The company is now one of the largest boat manufacturers globally garnishing accolades from across the globe for their manufacturing capability and quality.

Brought together by their shared appreciation for the F&B market and technology, Omar AlShamsi, Cristobal David De Nadai Albornoz and Archya Sengupta have over 70 years of experience combined.

Watermelon Market currently has a presence in the UAE, with expansion plans throughout the GCC.

Black Forest Mocha Ingredients:

Cherry Syrup

Peppermint Mocha

Gingerbread Latte

Ingredients:

Espresso shot made with Nescafé Espresso Blend Beans

Shortbread Cookie Syrup

Whipped Cream

Dispense a latte macchiato drink from Milano RnG machine

Top with Whipped cream

Garnish with gingerbread man cookie

ALL-STARS F&B TOP 30

One last applause to the men and women that led and transformed the Food & Beverage arena in 2022

As we prepare to wrap-up 2022, we’d like to give one last round of applause to the men and women that led and transformed the Food & Beverage industry. Hotel & Catering News Middle East is honoured to bring you the first edition of the region’s Top 30 F&B All-stars feature.

This feature covers Restauranteurs, F&B Entrepreneurs, and F&B C-suite level executives disrupting the sector with the best venues in the region, exemplary service, world-class dining experiences, innovative new concepts, and outstanding results. From F&B veterans to new players in the game, these All-Stars are all in, all the time.

Respected and admired by many, on par with a select few, these are your Top 30 F&B All-stars that scored big wins this year and aim to win bigger next year.

EMMA BANKS

VICE PRESIDENT F&B STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT HILTON EMEA

Emma Banks is responsible for F&B strategy and development across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a remit which spans seventy countries and supports Hilton’s trading and future pipeline of hotels. Over the course of Emma’s career, she has seamlessly transitioned from independents to large global hospitality companies. She joined Hilton in 2019 with a mission to make the company the clear leader in F&B. In a short time she has made a major impact, bringing a wealth of exceptional F&B talent into the business to build a strategic commercial platform, while being actively involved in Hilton’s various ESG initiatives.

Emma Banks’ leadership style is underpinned by

assertiveness and empathy –the sweet spot that will have a person not only marching up the figurative mountain, but most importantly with hundreds of people behind them.

Emma is renowned for being a dynamic changemaker who naturally gravitates towards challenging environments, preferring to view each hurdle as an opportunity. Her prerogative has always been to surround herself with top talent and let them shine. She sees her role very clearly: to have a clear plan, underpinned by a well thought out strategy then through creating a purpose-led culture of support, encouragement and recognition watch her team flourish and watch the results come in. Emma’s success has been determined by the

standards she has set for herself, walking the walk as a role model in all facets of life. A dynamic changemaker, Emma has always blazed a

trail for her people and the planet in equal measure –motivated by doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

NAIM MAADAD

& FOUNDER, GATES HOSPITALITY

With over 30 years in the hospitality world across Australia, Asia, & the Middle East in various senior management roles, Naim Maadad has launched and operated some of the world’s best hotels, resorts, s& restaurants. His philosophy and approach is to connect likeminded investors, operators and brands to define concepts, successful portfolios and continue on shaping the hospitality industry. He is instrumental in nurturing sound relationships with owners, securing the best possible locations,

negotiating, and formalising contractual agreements, and appointing teams to reflect the ethos of the brands. Today, Naim is the CEO and Founder of Gates Hospitality, owning a range of popular and award-winning homegrown brands in Dubai, London, and Oman.He has established the company from the ground up to the empire it represents today. These brands under the umbrella of Gates Hospitality include Michelin recognised and awarded folly, internationally acclaimed concept Reform Social & Grill, Dubai’s premier

apres ski chalet; Publique, an authentic French Bistro; Bistro Des Arts, homegrown healthy concept Ultra Brasserie, Red Farm London and award-winning resort and spa Six Senses in Zighy Bay.

Leading a team of 700 colleagues across Gates Hospitality, he is considered one of the industry’s most respected spokespeople, nurturing the careers of many new faces of the future.

CEO

RABIH FAKHREDDINE

A visionary at heart, with a passion for creating new experiences and concepts, Rabih stepped out of the corporate world in 2015 to follow his long-standing aspirations to achieve great things in the F&B and entertainment industry. Equipped with an unwavering vision of growth and development, he established 7 Management with its inaugural launch of Seven Sisters; a luxurious oasis of music and cuisine within the heart of Beirut. Seven Sisters acted as a catalyst for the development of the food, beverage and entertainment brands that followed shortly afterwards in Beirut, Dubai, Doha, Riyadh and Erbil. Antika, Sayf, The Theater, February 30, B018.DXB, Café Beirut, Black Flamingo and Lucia’s are just a few of the stellar homegrown creations of 7 Management with plans to expand into North America and Europe.

Winner of several awards, Rabih was named Best Nightlife Entrepreneur of the Year 2022, as well as being included in the Middle East F&B Power 50 List. He was also featured on the Hotel & Catering News, as one of the Top 30 Hospitality Heavyweights in the Middle East, being one of the region’s Top CEOs. He is a member of the Young President’s Organization UAE (YPO) - UAE Chapter and board member of the Global Smile Foundation.

ELIE SABA

MANAGING PARTNER, ADDMIND GROUP

When it comes to nightlife, Elie Saba, Managing Partner at ADDMIND knows what the people want.

Elie's experience from his early days within the company led him to manage the entire day life and nightlife portfolio of ADDMIND, including WHITE Dubai and Abu Dhabi, WHITE Beach at Atlantis The Palm, Pure WHITE in Dubai Harbour, La Mezcaleria in Downtown, JBR and Abu Dhabi, Babylon in DIFC, Ria at The Palm, Bazaar in Meydan and many more.

Elie's experience and understanding of all aspects of the operation coupled with his drive, dedication, and passion for the industry have led to the success of the group.

Elie, who has been with ADDMIND for over 15 years, has played a crucial role in the company's growth and development. With his keen business sense and innovative ideas, he has been instrumental in driving the company's growth and expansion. Elie’s contribution to business development within the group coupled with his impressive network of contacts has helped to increase the company's revenue and solidify ADDMIND's position as one of the top players in the industry.

As the Managing Partner at ADDMIND, he continues to drive the company forward to even greater success in the future. His dedication to excellence and commitment to making a positive impact have earned him the respect and admiration of his peers and colleagues.

ELIE'S DEDICATION TO EXCELLENCE AND COMMITMENT TO MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT HAVE EARNED HIM THE RESPECT AND ADMIRATION OF HIS PEERS AND COLLEAGUES.

NATASHA SIDERIS

RESTAURATEUR, FOUNDER & CEO, TASHAS GROUP

Natasha Sideris is the maverick of the dining scene in South Africa and the UAE. Beyond that, she is a restaurateur, passionate about creating a space that has beautiful food, stunning environments, and engaging service for every guest who walks through the door. Quality and perfection are at the heart of her brand and are the core pillars behind Natasha’s success as an entrepreneur and restaurateur. Seventeen years after opening the first tashas café, Natasha has created several formidable brands, expanded internationally, published two best-selling cookbooks, and changed the lives of thousands of team members along the way. Under her astute and passionate

UMUT ÖZKANCA

VICE CHAIRMAN, DOĞUŞ HOSPITALITY & RETAIL GROUP

As a second-generation restauranteur, Umut has the makings of a phenomenal restauranteur in his blood. Excelling from aculinary point-of-view from the tender age of 9 to becoming the Vice Chairman of d.ream Group (Doğuş Restaurant Entertainment and Management), the largest restaurant and retail group out of Turkey, Umut’s career trajectory is an achievement in itself.

His first restaurant at the age of 24 was awarded Best Restaurant in Turkey, and through hard work and determination, his ventures collated several global accolades. Of his most recent achievements, and one closest to his heart is launching his dream project, Rüya in London. For Umut, that journey was a start to making Rüya the intersection of culture, history, and rich Anatolian cuisine with polished modernity. A passionate and driven individual with an innate vision for the F&B scene on a global scale, Umut still has some tricks to spare to impress the audience of the region with his creative culinary concepts.

leadership, the group is growing from strength to strength with multiple international awardwinning restaurant concepts including tashas cafés, Flamingo Room by tashas, Avli by tashas, Galaxy Bar, and the soon to open Bungalo34.

Natasha’s vision of excellence, creativity and extreme attention to detail has won her public and professional recognition. With 16 restaurants in South Africa and 9 in the United Arab Emirates, Natasha Sideris is an undisputed leader in the F&B Industry. She has developed a household name that customers have come to know intimately, where friends and family gather regularly and where quality is constant.

WALID HAJJ

CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, LAVOYA GROUP

After more than two decades in the industry, restaurant pioneer Walid Hajj took on a new challenge and cofounded the new group Lavoya in 2021. His start has been something to behold.

In the past year alone, Walid has launched three hugely popular franchises: Joe & The Juice, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Barbar and has proved once more what a savvy operator he is, continuously seeking ways to innovate and cater to developing market demands.

Lavoya’s most recent launch, Joe & The Juice, has already cemented itself in the UAE dining scene, with the first two stores in Dubai rocketing to the top of the global locations, ahead of cities such as London, New York, and Paris.

Dave’s Hot Chicken, the LA-born street food sensation, backed by celebrities Drake and Samuel Jackson also broke a global sales record in the first week of operation in both Dubai and Qatar openings.

Barbar was already an icon in Lebanon when it launched in Dubai and Riyadh, with a 45-year history to draw upon.

Now, the Hessa Street flagship store and the outlet in Riyadh’s Tahlia Street, rank as the top two in the Barbar’s franchise, while the recently opened Doha branch is also making waves with the World Cup visitors.

Before establishing Lavoya, Hajj founded Cravia, one of the GCC’s leading food and hospitality groups that brought world-class franchises to the Middle East, including Zaatar

W Zeit, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Cinnabon, as well as Five Guys in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to his astute vision and leadership, Five Guys in Saudi Arabia currently outperforms all the brand’s global counterparts in sales and revenue. Today, the company’s portfolio includes over 100 franchised restaurants across the Arab-speaking world, employing more than 3,000 individuals.

From brand negotiation to achieving operational excellence, Hajj strategically directed the growth story of Cravia, from inception to its circa US$200 million acquisition in 2016.

The restaurateur possesses an intrinsic sense of the ingredients for success. He is selective about the projects he takes on and adopts a full-throttle approach in everything he does, reflected through his brands’ consistent and exponential growth. He’s able to build a loyal customer base with incredible ease, stemming from his acute understanding of what works, with a competent skill set comprising wise location identification, savvy price strategising and creative team management.

In 2023, Hajj plans to continue growing Lavoya Group. In three months, the group has grown from one store to 12 restaurants across three brands and three markets. Lavoya will end the year with 14 locations and will double that by the end of 2023. The company aims to be a 100-store operation by the end of 2024.

MANHAL NASER

AWJ INVESTMENTS

Arriving in Dubai in 1998, Manhal established his first office in Dubai specialising in retail, where he owned and operated many fashion outlets in key malls across the UAE. Three years later, he received a lucrative offer to sell the business which he accepted, and then moved into the FMCG industry. Manhal went on to become the senior business director head for the Middle East and North African region, where he led FMCG brands for prominent companies such as Reckkit Benkcizer, P&G, etc. With a passion for food and an entrepreneurial mindset, Manhal exploded onto the F&B sector full of creative, innovative ideas and thus Awj Investments was born. Established in 2014, Awj Investments is a fast-growing Food & Beverage Holding Group

headquartered in Dubai. Awj set out on its culinary journey with five unique concepts, all strategically located across popular tourist and dining destinations in Dubai. These home-grown concepts include Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and international flavours.

Armed with years of experience and a track record of proven performance, Manhal Naser is responsible for providing the overall leadership and strategic management for the company. He is a recognised expert and leader in the F&B industry with well-rounded experience covering concept creation, brand DNA, supply chain, adaptation, strategic management, market entry, regional and global expansions, partnerships, system integration, and driving performance change.

ANTONIO GONZALEZ

CEO, SUNSET HOSPITALITY GROUP

Antonio Gonzalez co-founded Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG) in 2011 with a vision to create unique experiences around the world through a diverse mix of hospitality concepts such as SushiSamba and Aura. Since then, he has played an integral role in the creation – from inception to launch – of more than 40 venues across nine countries. SHG has a further 20 new openings in the pipeline for before the end of 2023, including in Doha, Riyadh, Manama, and Abu Dhabi.

A Spanish national, Antonio has more than two decades of industry experience. His relationship with the Gulf and wider region started in 2006 when he was appointed general manager for Middle East and Africa at a FMCG/ healthcare multinational. By 2009, he had set up Kalys Management, a management investment firm focused on hospitality projects in the region; by 2011 it had grown and evolved into

Sunset Hospitality Group. Possessing extensive knowledge of global hospitality markets;particularly that of the United States, Europe, Middle East, and Africa – Antonio has spent the past 12 years successfully creating and expanding SHG’s impressive portfolio of brands.These include METT, Black Tap, and Azure. He oversees all company operations and resources and has launched an array of high-end, themed restaurants throughout the past decade.

Rattled but robust, Antonio successfully navigated SHG through the pandemic in 2020, emerging with renewed ambition. In 2021, the company set about launching 10 new brands in the UAE and for this year, it revealed plans for 20 local and international launches by end of 2023, expanding SHG’s existing portfolio to more than 60 venues, including expansion into Spain, Italy, Morocco among other new markets.

Antonio has played – and continues to play – a pivotal role in establishing SHG as a regional hospitality portfolio, making him an F$&B all-star.

DAVID LESCARRET

MANAGING DIRECTOR, INFINI CONCEPTS

Being a visionary hospitality professional, David impressive career in the hospitality industry, but globally and regionally, that has brought Infini Concepts to where it is.

Infini Concepts was founded in 2015 with a core team of less than ten members and has managed to successfully make an impact in Dubai with now almost two hundred dedicated members that share a mutual vision. The group have launched projects including Tabū Dubai, The Other Side, Miss Tess, Cé La Vi and their newest, Hayal Dubai. Each brand has distinctive characteristicsbold, charming, stylish, gracious, vibrant, all with David’s personal touches.

As Managing Director at Infini Concepts, David oversees 5 venues and leads all new projects. He continues to be the Director of Growth & Development for Europe and MENA regions. Apart from the above David is also involved in facilitating the introduction of few international brands into Dubai in 2023.

PAUL EVANS

CO-FOUNDER & CEO, SOLUTIONS LEISURE GROUP

The UAE’s most awarded F&B leader, Amazon best-selling Author and CEO & Founder of Solutions Leisure Group, Paul Evans, started Solutions Leisure Group in the early hours of the morning on the shores of Hurghada beach, Egypt, with his friend and business partner, Freek Teusink. Today, he has led the group to own and operate almost 50 venues of multi-award-winning bars, entertainment outlets and restaurants, internationally. Paul’s perseverance towards his vision, loyalty to his goals and objectives, outstanding leadership, and dedication to creating moments people live for have significantly set him apart from the fierce competition he faces daily.

His unparalleled commitment, skill and clarity has enabled him to continue to create moments people live for, from day to night. Operating a dynamic portfolio of 16 unique and diverse concepts, with several exciting additions in the pipeline.

ALOKI BATRA

As CEO, Aloki is a leading tour de force at FIVE Hospitality. His ethos at FIVE Hotels and Resorts reflects an ecosystem with high-quality property hardware and cutting-edge experiential software, which allows the brand to drive high performance (for both customer satisfaction scores and revenue records) and has, therefore, consistently outperformed competitors. He is the creative genius behind hugely successful homegrown concepts such as Dubai’s iconic rooftop destination, The Penthouse, FIVE’s signature Italian, Cinque, and MSGfree, gourmet Chinese, Maiden Shanghai at FIVE Palm Jumeirah along with immersive street-food dining experience, Soul St. and Jumeirah Village Circle’s first ever nightclub, The Mansion at FIVE Jumeirah Village. Aloki has been recognised as one of the Top 100 CEOs in the Middle East while his relentless efforts to integrate sustainability and technology into the business enabled FIVE to be recognised as one of the Most Innovative Companies of The Year in 2022.

PANCHALI MAHENDRA

PRESIDENT, ATELIER HOUSE HOSPITALITY

Panchali Mahendra has a rich background in hospitality having graduatedfrom some of the best hospitality schools, such as, IHM Aurangabad, The Oberoi Center of Learning & Development and University of Huddersfield, UK (here she was a gold medalist in Hospitality).

Mahendra is extremely passionate about the F&B industry, with almost two decades of experience in the field. Her expertise in concept developing, feasibility, food & beverage, business planning, operations management, and turnkey, has been a strong force behind over 60 successful restaurants all over the world.

Mahendra co-founded Atelier House Hospitality with Mr. Ahmass Fakahany, Owner and CEO of Altamarea Group in

2017. After 5 successful years, Atelier House Hospitality has established a firm foothold in the region as a high-quality boutique player in the market under Mahendra’s leadership. She has brought in brands from overseas, developed and conceptualised locally grown brands, and provided consulting and operational support for the local market. AHH now has a presence in UAE, KSA, and soon India. Plans are in force to broaden their reach and capability in the Middle East.

Brands owned, managed and/or conceptualised include Marea (Michelin selected), 11 Woodfire (1 Michelin Star), Morini, Mohalla, RSVP, Host, Asma, Tides Bar. 2023 is set to unveil more concepts withMantra, Inja and more in the pipeline.

CEO, FIVE HOSPITALITY

SREEJITH PURUSHAN

Sreejith Purushan has over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Beginning his hospitality career in 2005, Sreejith started out as a guest service agent in Starwood Hotels and worked various Food & Beverage positions in 5* Hotels & Resorts in Starwood, Taj, & Rotana around Middle East and India until 2011.

Sreejith has been with the Radisson Hotel Group for over 11 years and in 2017 became the F&B Manager at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, the first 5* hotel in Dubai. The hotel includes 15 food & B=beverage outlets and banqueting facilities which includes 2 ballrooms, 18 meeting rooms and an external catering operation that serves up to 4000 people.

Most recently, Sreejith was promoted to Director of Food and Beverage at Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek in 2019, taking over meeting & events sales and the hygiene & stewarding departments in addition to his food and beverage responsibilities. He is in charge of the financial performance and operations of the food and beverage for 15 outlets, 2 ballrooms, 18

meetings rooms and the external catering of 6 units. Sreejith has been driving new revenue streams such as tour operators, government loyalty programs, partners and deliveries for the outlets as well as spearheading the re-launch of the multi-award-winning restaurant, Fish Market.

He pro-actively managed 2021 Ramadan with flexible pricing strategy resulting to a 36% increase in revenues YoY. In addition, Festive Season and New Year Gala dinner resulted in a 14.68% increase in revenue & 8.74% increase in Covers vs YoY. Sreejith was able to secure an exclusive catering contract with Expo 2020. Due to high demand for catering services at EXPO, the team was able to establish a permanent team on site.

He was also able to lead responsible business initiatives as part of Radisson Hotel Group’s commitment to net zero by 2050. And worked on the vertical farm project with GreeenTech Vertical Farm, who now produces the greens that supply the Hotel’s Fish Market restaurant.

DIRECTOR OF F&B, RADISSON BLU HOTEL, DUBAI DEIRA CREEK

SREEJITH HAS BEEN WITH THE RADISSON HOTEL GROUP FOR OVER 11 YEARS AND IN 2017 BECAME THE F&B MANAGER AT RADISSON BLU HOTEL, DUBAI DEIRA CREEK, THE FIRST 5* HOTEL IN DUBAI.

The impressive culinary options reflect the cosmopolitan nature of the city and stunning restaurant interiors are complemented by exciting al fresco terrace and balcony dining opportunities.

Armani Hotel Dubai features seven restaurants and bars offering an exciting collection of world cuisine, from Japan and India to flavours of the Mediterranean and authentic regional Italian.

OWNER, RIKAS HOSPITALITY GROUP

Rizwan Kassim has launched some of the city’s most popular brands, such as, La Cantine du Faubourg, Ninive, Mimi Kakushi and Twigg yby La Cantine. Fast-forward another three years, and in 2020 the group launched Lana Lusa, a Portuguese restaurant and cafe at Wasl 51. Now, as homegrown concepts are being recognised more readily in Dubai, Rizwan is even more determined to expand Rikas Group in the UAE and abroad.

RIZWAN KASSIM MANSOUR MEMARIAN

HOTEL MANAGER, PALAZZO VERSACE DUBAI

Mansour Memarian, an Iranian chef with German origins who has 25 years industry experience, has had stints at some of the world’s best restaurants. He has held executive positions at many luxury brands including the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, as well as the award-winning Chedi Andermatt in Switzerland. Before this, he was the Chef de Cuisine at the Burj Al Arab’s signature restaurant, Al Mahara.

Chef Mansour Memarian has brought extensive experience and a wealth of talent to Palazzo Versace Dubai, where he oversees the five-star hotel’s culinary and F&B operations including its six restaurants and two bars, as well as their catering services. In his role as Hotel Manager, Memarian heads all the operations, leading the culinary team in enhancing Palazzo Versace Dubai’s reputation for world-class, curated dining.

DIRECTOR OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE, SOFITEL DUBAI THE PALM

Andrew is a seasoned F&B Director, bringing over 20 years of hospitality experience to the table. He spent years working his way across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East plus a few years on cruise ships to get to where he is today.

Andrew leads with a passion for food & beverage and people. With a background in Psychology, combined with the years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry, Andrew is well placed to be running a large-scale, highend food & beverage operation. In his time in the Middle East, Andrew has a proven track record with a ranger of 5 Star Hotels, from Corporate City Hotels, boutique hotels and now a luxury beach resort. Andrews’ key philosophy is to ensure high quality produce combined with warm and welcoming service. Passing this simple message to the team has been a key driver of his success.

ANDREW CLARK SPENCER AYERS

MANAGING DIRECTOR, JUMEIRAH RESTAURANTS

Spencer leads Jumeirah Restaurants, a Dubai-based full-service hospitality provider, with an iconic portfolio of acclaimed homegrown brands, ranging from premiumcasual to quick-service restaurants, casual dining venues and food trucks.

Spencer Ayers drove the seamless integration of Meraas into Sarood Hospitality and then again into Jumeirah Restaurants, the dedicated F&B brand established to absorb the companies and consolidate Dubai Holding’s array of culinary offerings under a single banner. Spencer also created the framework for Jumeirah Group’s dining strategy globally including the inception of a dedicated F&B Committee which he chairs.

F&B MANAGER, ANANTARA AL JABAL AL AKHDAR RESORT

Since the pre-opening of Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, Mehdi has been = instrumental in the resort’s F&B operations. He introduced new food and beverage concepts such as the In-Villa Cinema, Breakfast By design to create unique experiences for the guests as well as generated more F&B revenue.

“Mehdi is known for his flexibility and admitted level of innovations and creativity, making him one of the superstars at our mountain resort. Mehdi is always looking for ways to create the most memorable dining experiences for all guests as well as ensuring a great work environment for his dedicated team.”

Commented Maren Kuehl, General Manager, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort.

MEHDI DEBBICHE GUILLAUME FERRAZ

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DAY LIFE, SUNSET HOSPITALITY GROUP

Guillaume Ferraz is the Managing Director for the Sunset Hospitality Group Day Life division, where he oversees all the group’s beachfront and pool experiences. He brings 20 years of experience to the role, spanning beach club and restaurant operations, overall team management and leadership, as well as strategic and commercial execution.

Guillaume’s wealth of experience has made him a well-rounded leader, where his passion brings pioneering ideas that drive long-term brand building and commercial success. His operational, leadership and commercial skills have led him to become a specialist in day life hospitality venues.

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ROBERTO’S

Andrea works tirelessly to ensure Roberto’s stays relevant through the years. Being a renowned DIFC institution for the past 10 years, the Italian venue has made its mark as an icon with its heritage and presence in the market as an original trendsetter. A true leader in fine dining, Roberto’s started its brand expansion plan in the GCC region with Andrea at the helm.

Clear and unique leadership skills make his management style inspirational, and since joining Roberto’s DIFC, Andrea has been able to make a great positive impact on the business. His focus is on the people, where guest satisfaction is at an all-time high and a staggering improvement in his team’s performance.

ANDREA ZAMPOLINI YANNIS STANISIERE

COO, COYA RESTAURANTS

Chief Operating Officer of COYA Restaurant & Pisco Bar, Yannis Stanisiere, is the guiding light of the COYA brand. He is responsible for enhancing COYA’s already exceptional service and special events across all nine of its global branches, and he is the key driver behind the luxury lifestyle brand’s expansion.

With over 28 years of experience, Yannis brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with him. Joining COYA in 2021, he formulated an impressive strategy to unify and expand the brand and ensure its bright future.

Moving forward, the highly ambitious Yannis is excited to open another venue in Oman, Barcelona, Marbella and Istanbul. Through extensive market research, he is keen to introduce as many key countries and cities to the magic of COYA as possible.

NICOLAS BUDZYNSKI

French-born Nicolas Budzynski describes himself as “a dynamic and self-driven restaurant professional with a passion for delivering unique experiences to my guests.” As a goal-oriented individual, he handles challenges with finesse with a forte in project and change management as alongside creating new concepts.

Since joining LPM Restaurant & Bar as Global Operations Director in 2019, Nicolas has achieved significant milestones with a humble approach. One of these was putting LPM Restaurant & Bar Middle East on the map and being officially recognised in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Middle East and Africa debut list in 2022, ranking Dubai and Riyadh in 8th and 42nd place respectively.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LPM RESTAURANT & BAR FOUNDER, NARA

STEPHANIE REICHENBACH

She founded Nara Desert Escape in 2018 with a lounge and a table in the middle of the desert with the aim to create a bespoke, eco-friendly, and sustainable a la carte

Nara

Stephanie Reichenbach is a celebrated entrepreneur and founder of Nara Desert Escape, Nara Desert Oasis, Nara in the City, Sonara Camp, Sonara Camp Al Wadi, The Nest by Sonara, Nara Nomad Secret City Tours, Nara on the Sea and Hike of Happiness. The mother of four children previously worked as Head Private Banker East Africa for Citibank and Barclays for 18 years.

desert camp experience. Rapidly,

grew to become the most unique desert escape in Dubai. It has been recognised by high luxury brands as their preferred venue to host the most celebrated events in the UAE.

CHRIS WRIGHT

CEO, THE WRIGHT GROUP

Chris Wright is a Dubai-based entrepreneur specialising in the events and hospitality industries. A creative in every sense of the word, Chris Wright is the owner and CEO of The Wright Group, a creative consultancy and hospitality group founded in Dubai, UAE. His growing portfolio of businesses includes Secret Parties, Inside Lifestyle, SIN events, FamilyFest Brunches, Bash Events and Ladies Day Dubai.He also recently launched New York themed bar, in Bla Bla a healthy eating café and a gym. Across his companies, Chris’ executes over 1600 seamless events annually from party brunches to ladies’ days to large scale festivals. Chris holds records for organising the most events in one city and is often referred to as the world’s biggest promoter by nightlife publications, and with 3 more new ventures in the pipeline, there is no sign of him slowing down.

GABRIELLE F. MATHER

FOUNDER AND CEO, RESTAURANT SECRETS INC.

Gabrielle F. Mather has been a leading business incubator in the F&B world, helping new and seasoned entrepreneurs with 360 degrees turn-key consultancy and tailor-made services to open, operate and market their restaurants in UAE & GCC.

Moving into 2023, Gabrielle has plans to launch the region’s first F&B focused design studio that works on design with production layout expertise, functionality, operational work-flow and budgets.

VARUN KHEMANEY

CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER, VKD HOSPITALITY

Always looking for value in locations, concepts, and cuisines, Khemaney was a co-owner of Tribeca Canvas NYC, where he worked alongside Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to create a specialised restaurant focused on Japanese comfort food. This project fuelled him to turn his entrepreneurial attention to something closer to home, cofounding VKD alongside business partner and best friend Khalil Dahmash in 2016. Varun and his team have been able to keep Miss Lily's ontop of its game for the past 6 yearsOne of Varun’s greatest achievements in his career is the creation of his homegrown concept Honeycomb Hifi. Alongside his partners, Serge Becker and Khalil Dahmash, he was able to disrupt the F&B scene once again by introducing the region’s first listening bar.

HADIL AL

KHATIB

FOUNDER, THE BROTH LAB

The Broth Lab is a healthy homegrown F&B concept under the mother company, The Roost Rotisserie. Founder Hadil, is a certified holistic nutrition and a Gut Health specialist who is passionate about supporting and catering to busy mothers and fitness fanatics. Her passion is directed tp those that have no time to make bone broth from scratch and to provide them with easier and healthier cooking solutions.

In less than a year, The Broth Lab has successfully catered to different segments of customers through its efficient automated B2C business and marketing model.

It’s B2B strategy as since the brand hit the shelves of all major hypermarkets and e-platforms around the UAE like Carrefour, Choithrams, Biobox, ripe organic, QualityFood, FarmBox and soon at Kibsons.

Hadil Al Khatib has managed to create a beautiful community offering help to women in the industry and support by collaborating instead of competing.

RISING STARS

FOUNDER, SLAW

Founder Ali Yazdi launched homegrown indie burger joint SLAW in Jumeirah 1just over 18 months ago in March 2021. Beginning with only seven staff members, the brand has grown to a team of 45 people who stand behind SLAW’s mission to deliver only the best to its customers.

In just under 2 years since its first opening, SLAW has recently expanded to Hessa Street, Barsha 1 and Last Exit, Al Khawaneej. Ali has established a whole new brand that endeavours to become one of the best burger joints amidst well-established names.

ALI YAZDI HERSH SURI

FOUNDER, ROOBARU

As the founder of homegrown Indian restaurant Roobaru, Hersh Suri always had the dream of starting his own restaurant. Now, at the age of 26, Hersh can proudly say that he has become that successful young businessman he once dreamt of. Since his inception into the world of F&B a short 3 years ago, Roobaru is his most successful achievement to date.

Can you give us a glimpse of your career journey so far?

Born in Colombia, I studied culinary in Argentina and worked in many restaurants and Hotels including, Intercontinental Hotel.

I later moved to Miami to work for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Miami and then worked on cruise ships and travelled the world. When I moved to Dubai I worked in Jumeirah Beach Hotel and then moved to the Airline

Business with EKFC, currently I am the Executive Chef working on First Class products for Emirates Airline.

What’s your favourite dish to eat and why?

Very hard question to answer, as there are many things and it depends on the moment for me, but if I could choose my last meal it would be, wagyu striploin with creamy mashed potatoes.

What are you cooking up today?

Tell us more about the dish. Wagyu Striploin, pommes Paolo, braised carrots, and morel mushrooms sauce.

As a chef, what are the top ingredients and products you’re using these days?

Anything fresh, in season and sustainability is very important, we also like to play with textures and Sosa products. The so-called molecular cuisine.

What are some of the most recent important food trends you can tell us about?

We have recently introduced a brand-new Vegan Menu on Emirates flights, people are now more conscious about what they eat and how it affects their health. So, we have to adapt our menus to that trend as well.

What would you advise suppliers and foodservice professionals who are looking to offer their best to the market and meet demand?

Focus on quality, sustainability, and consistency.

“BORN IN COLOMBIA, I STUDIED CULINARY IN ARGENTINA AND WORKED IN MANY RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS INCLUDING, INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL."

anything, and I try everything. The best food will always be the simplest ones that focus on one flavour profile.

What are you cooking up today? Tell us more about the dish. I am cooking sustainable wild caught scallops on top of a smoked black potato espuma made from mashed potato powder and smoked squid ink, finished with a white truffle “sea foam” made from the scallop trimmings, Maggi master stock, French butter, and fresh white alba truffle. The dish is completed with a dollop of oscietra caviar to compliment the delicate overall flavour and texture profile of the dish.

As a chef, what are the top ingredients and products you’re using these days?

JOHN BUENAVENTURA

Can you give us a glimpse of your career journey so far?

I started off as a culinary student in the Philippines a few years back and worked my way up the ranks, I left my home country at a young age and jumped into different kitchens from 5-star hotels in different countries to remote luxury resorts and Michelin star restaurants before opening my own restaurant here in Dubai back in 2016. I have received a lot of prestigious local and international awards, represented the country at the world chefs congress as a speaker, opened multiple properties of hotels from different chains, consulted for big brands both high

end and casual dining places yet I still think and feel that there is a lot more to learn and experience. It’s been a long hard journey but it is very rewarding and it makes me very happy. Currently I hold the title of the first Filipino and youngest Executive Chef for Emirates Flight Catering responsible for the VIP flights including presidential planes, Dubai Airwing (Royal family) and private jets.

What’s your favourite dish to eat and why?

I have a lot of favorite dishes it really depends on the time of day and the mood. For me food is life. I can eat

White alba truffles, Oscietra caviar, Patagonian Toothfish, Dried Morita Chilies, Chulpe Corn, Fresh Scallops, Asian Mud Crabs, Hokkaido Sea Urchin, Philippine Adlay Grain (Job’s Tears), Yuzu Extract, Kaffir Limes, Crab Fat, Morel Mushrooms, and a whole lot more.

What are some of the most recent important food trends you can tell us about?

I think people are more aware and informed about sustainability which is very important. These days it is all about wellness and living a healthy lifestyle and the major factor that contributes to this is food.

What would you advise suppliers and foodservice professionals who are looking to offer their best to the market and meet demand?

Focus on the core products, find solutions to make the operation smoother and more efficient without sacrificing the quality of the food or ingredients. Focus on the chefs, listen to what they really need and work with them.

TIPS TO BUILD AND EFFICIENTLY MANAGE ATTRACTIVE DESTINATIONS

BY TATIANA VELLER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF STIRLING HOSPITALITY ADVISORS

What is our current positioning? Where do we want to go, and how do we get there?

Those are three of the crucial questions to ask when setting up a tourism masterplan.

A roadmap for destination success, tourism master planning includes defining an overarching vision,plus creating a holistic strategy to ] envision both current and future positioning of the destination. Destination development planning aims to transform an area into a holistic tourism destination, contributing to attracting investment, improving profitability, creating jobs, boosting visitor numbers, enabling engagement between public and private sectors.

According to a recent study published

in August 2022, hospitality revenues from the GCC are forecasted to grow at a pace of 6.6% of CAGR between 2022 and 2026, exceeding US$ 34 billion. Consequently, the demand for holistic travel destinations has notably increased with tourism masterplans becoming the first step to developing pristine destinations. Here comes the role of advisory firms to create a masterplan that will define the project’s main components, study the feasibility of the project, identify areas of opportunities, and provide the ability to track results and adapt.

Stirling Hospitality Advisors (SHA), a subsidiary of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Hospitality Holding, is playing an active role in developing tourism destinations across the region, including Ras Al

Khaimah, Oman and beyond. They have also unveiled actionable key indicators to consider when developing a strategic masterplan.

Evaluate the components of the site Stemming from a shared vision of governmental and private stakeholders alike, the desired outlook of the destination in the long-term, usually up to 15 years is set. This lays the foundation for a seamless strategy to be created by an advisory firm that in turn must articulate the project’s vision then share feedback directly from and into it.

The subject matter experts need to consider are the fundamental components of the site: first running through the financial KPIs, creating a SWOT analysis of the destination to understand the macroeconomic data, assess, and then evaluating. In addition, a background study on the visitor influx and tourism indicators of the last five years, alongside a benchmark study of local, regional, and international standards, will contribute to a comprehensive assessment of the destination and impact brand positioning.

Consultants will run critical studies of the infrastructure of the site, including the geology, topography, and the site’s connectivity. These will ensure the site contain the right size, atmosphere, traffic movement and network groundworks to complement the development. Most importantly, experts need to assess the ease of accessibility, and the possibility of providing public transport.

Adopt a holistic sustainable approach

In line with the global vision to achieve Net Zero emissions, experts should implement sustainable solutions right from the start of the design phase up to the onground operations. Projects need to ensure the implementation of sustainable efforts in waste, water and energy efficiency, to minimise the carbon footprint. It remains imperative for master planners, engineers and parties involved to work collaboratively to provide sound calculations of the site’s capacity, water supply, energy, and sewage systems.

In RAK’s Jebel Jais, SHA worked with renowned energy consultants to accurately calculate the energy needs of the site and ensured on-site solutions across traditional generators, hydroelectric stations, solar panels wind turbines and hydroponics.

Preserve the site’s heritage and culture

Tourism plays a prominent role in preserving a site’s culture and raising awareness of its heritage. As part of the masterplan development, destinations should maintain authentic experiences by including them as highlights in the destination to boost visitor knowledge and enhance genuine experiences.

Assess and build on the legislative framework

As part of the collaborative efforts between advisory firms and public bodies, identifying and suggesting ideas for better legislative frameworks is essential. An advisory firm may be able to suggest groundbreaking initiatives that support the overall growth of the destination, such as incentives to encourage tourism, implementation of a tourism tax, designation of tourism areas, etc. These initiatives will increase the destination’s competitive edge and attract further investment.

In Ras Al Khaimah, SHA was able to give recommendations on how to frame concepts to attract investors and visitors and has successfully implemented the concept of Airbnb in the Emirate as well as RAK’s first integrated time-sharing resort that is expected to open by 2026.

Identify and develop the right asset mix

Once the strategy of a destination is set, there comes a time to identify the right asset mix. As experience suggests, it is the real estate

and retail developments that drive footfall to the destination, which are then complemented by the creation of hospitality assets and other tourism-related experiences such as public parks and recreational facilities.

Develop an attractive investor value proposition

It is essential to stay pragmatic and understand that the expected returns may take longer than usual; however, once a destination starts to attract visitors, the ROI begins to be acknowledged from a macro perspective.

Ongoing destination management

After the planning phase comes an ongoing holistic approach to ensure the development is increasing awareness, driving sales, and capturing target markets. For this, some stakeholders hire destination managers who consistently ensure the project is on track and offers the highest level of quality reassurance and customer service, working with travel agents and hotel groups.

Reflect and reassess

Destination development is a long-term project that can last over a decade. It is thus essential for stakeholders to stay alert to the latest political and socio-economic changes, to monitor, evaluate and align the project accordingly.

Tatiana Veller, Managing Director of Stirling Hospitality Advisors

STEMMING FROM A SHARED VISION OF GOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE STAKEHOLDERS ALIKE, THE DESIRED OUTLOOK OF THE DESTINATION IN THE LONG-TERM, USUALLY UP TO 15 YEARS IS SET.

HARNESSING IN 2023 OF THE BRAND THE POWER

BY OLIVER CORRIN, GLOBAL HEAD OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LATITUDE

In today's era of digital distraction, consumers are bombarded with over 5,000 pieces of information daily. So, when brands publish content, its essential it breaks through the noise and reaches the right audience.

One thing is for sure, staycations, Instagram-worthy food/ drink offers, and 'shoot from the hip' social content is no longer enough.

On top of this, we must consider the pandemic's impact and current global political and financial issues. These unprecedented situations have some of the world's most powerful brands striving for the answer to the question, "How do we stay relevant and grow in this unpredictable and ever-changing global climate?"

We must never forget, branding is all about consumer perception. So brands must go further than their makeup to begin to be able to resonate with their current and future consumers.

Modern consumers want to build relationships with brands that align with their values, views and beliefs in life; they want purpose and substance. Therefore the aesthetics of a brand rea just the surface; like us as human beings, we must look beyond this and look within people to understand, just like a brand, if they are someone we can connect and build a long-lasting relationship with.

This challenges brands to communicate with their target audience, identify where their audience are, and the brand's tone of voice or 'personality' when speaking with them. Along with this, brands must consider the personalisation of their content and its delivery; both digitally and physically.

This development process can take many years to create, refine and then adapt. At Latitude, we see it as an ecosystem comprised of various key elements or pillars. These visual, digital, physical, philosophical, and emotional pillars must work harmoniously. This is key to defining a brand and setting it apart from its competitors.

With many of the globally successful brands we see today, we very rarely see the journey they’ve been on to get to where they are. As the saying goes - "a seed grows with no sound, but a tree falls with a loud thud. Destruction has noise, but creation is quiet. Grow silently." I believe this quote is powerful and holds true. We only hear about brands once they are in the spotlight; hospitality brands such as Marriott, Hilton, Accor or looking at other major brands, such as Nike, McDonald's, Tesla and Gymshark, didn't become instant successes upon launching. It took them years to figure out who they are as a brand, what they stand for, their voice, who they should and wanted to resonate with. When we are children and grow, we develop, mature, and figure these same principles out over time. These principles can and will evolve and change due to external influences like we've seen over the past two to three years.

A genuinely successful brand must always figure out a way to stay one step ahead of its competition and its customers in knowing anticipating needs. One proven and effective method for this is observing key market trends and their projections for the future. The more complicated part is knowing and trusting the source of information. Here are some key hospitality market trends shaping the industry in 2023.

Listening to Online Communities

The impact online communities have had on the hospitality industry over the last decade has fundamentally changed how brands interact and communicate with their customers. Social media networks, company websites, and travel websites allow brands to understand guests' positive and negative experiences. In addition, it provides transparency, resulting in hospitality brands learning and improving the quality of their experiences, services and offers.

One potent marketing tool is 'word-ofmouth' recommendations. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers worldwide said they trust 'word-of-mouth', or advice from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising. Due to this, reviews on the internet greatly impact a customer's booking decisions. When this is combined with the power and outreach of social media and digital platforms, guests can very easily share their experiences. For hospitality brands and owners, this presents a golden opportunity where they can identify unique selling points about their properties.

Further to this, the valuable information that can be taken from these online communities, from traditional demographic information (age, gender, job etc) but now we should also look at the psychographics of guests (personality, values, attitudes, interests, lifestyles). This allows brands to keep up to date on current trends within their competition to create and develop better offers and services.

The Sharing Economy

Within the hospitality industry, the 'sharing economy’ has gone beyond the experimental stage and is refining the sector, with exponential growth projected in the years ahead. PWC predicts that by 2025, the sharing economy sector will take up 50% of the revenue opportunity combined with the traditional industry sector. This is derived from the idea that mutual parties could share a new or low-vacancy property, with many applications supporting this. The sharing economy leverages technology from collaborative platforms, peer-to-peer applications, or shared marketplaces to facilitate value exchanges.

The opportunity for hospitality brands lies in allowing for more flexible management, and by listing accommodations and properties on these platforms. It allows brands to bypass the standard rules and regulations unlike traditional hotels. This gives them an

opportunity to provide improved customer guest experiences and a higher level of service compared to local properties/brands. It also allows new customers to have a chance to experience a brand, lifestyle, services, and experiences on offer, for example when using the property as a co-working space.

Personalised Guest Experience

Within the hospitality industry, there is always a continuous struggle to attract, convert and retain new guests. One huge and still neglected opportunity, is the personalisation of the guest experience and services that entails. This compelling and transformative trend is constantly evolving. This is largely made possible by capturing and using guest data to provide a higher and more appropriate level of engagement, but it can be a complicated and costly process.

By harnessing guest data, it can be used to provide a higher level of personalisation of the guest experience. It allows brands to anticipate guests' needs, send them relevant offers, and customise their stay in your property to exceed their expectations. By also using data analysis software such as IBM Business Analytics, Looker or Sisence, brands can analyse customer behaviour and trends across multiple hotel properties. When AI technology is also incorporated, this can further help develop targeted and relevant sales and marketing materials differentiated for specific individuals or groups.

Current studies show that the guest experience could soon overtake the product as a key brand differentiator. With this, hospitality brands and other related businesses within the various hospitality sectors must deliver satisfactory experiences and services.

Brand Authenticity

Edelman Trust Barometer reports that customer trust has hit an all-time low in the past couple of years and that only 34% of consumers trust the brands they buy from. This means that it is essential for brands to focus on creating and enhancing an authentic brand image moving into 2023.

A recent report on consumer content by Stackla revealed that 86% of customers view authenticity as a vital factor when purchasing. The same study also found that 90% of millennials say authenticity is essential in branding, noting that they prefer "real and organic" companies over those that are "perfect and packaged."

This data showed that heavily edited commercials, picture-perfect lifestyle imagery and photoshopped ads no longer appeal to modern hotel guests. Instead, the modernday traveller wishes to align themselves and do business with brands that are transparent and honest.

A great example of this is back in 2014 when, following controversies about their ingredients, McDonald's decided to create a 'transparency' campaign. This campaign consisted of behind-the-scenes videos showing how they make their food in the hopes of evoking transparency. It was called the "Our Food, Your Questions" campaign, where they addressed popular queries from the public about their company and posted the information or answers through webisodes. This resulted in the campaign allowing McDonald's to address any misconceptions customers might have about its brand and extinguish any negative rumours surrounding the source and quality of its products.

This provides opportunities for hospitality brands by allowing customers to see more about the brand, the lifestyle it offers and what matters to them. Whether this is behind-the-scenes footage on how signature dishes are prepared in key F&B outlets, if the brand has had any recent collaborations to showcase or a deep dive into key team members, from the head chefs, in-house wellness experts or even the designers of the hotels.

Oliver Corrin, Global Head of Interior Design, Latitude

HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES

BY ANTOINE MEDAWAR, CO-FOUNDER OF EXPLORETECH.IO

As global economies are recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the crisis has created some permanent side effects on the hospitality and food service industries. These were among the most devastated sectors. Accordingly, adopting new ways of working and delivering a more personalized, seamless, and sustainable guest experience is more crucial than ever before.

Businesses unable to adapt quickly to new technologies face the risk of falling behind their competition. For this reason, it is essential for management teams within the industry to keep up to date with the latest hospitality technology trends.

By identifying and implementing the right technologies, hotels can gain a competitive advantage by delivering a premium service and exceeding guest expectations.

Of course, there are several benefits to embracing digital transformation within the hospitality and food service industry beyond customer service and elevated guest experience. Technology can also help hotels enhance operational accuracy while decreasing overhead expenses by automating labor-intensive processes, eliminating the possibility of human error.

However, the technological transition also brings several challenges that hoteliers and food service organizations must address.

Integration of Hospitality Technology Systems

Hospitality technology integration involves connecting all hotel systems, applications, and devices to ensure a better data flow and processes. For many hotels, the property management system (PMS) serves as a central hub to which core systems like the booking

Personalization is a significant part of the guest experience. Making sure that technology systems are integrated and communicating with one another makes it much easier to create a seamless, more personalized guest experience.

With rapid advancements in technology, it is particularly challenging to keep up with all of the changes that are taking place in any industry. Consequently, many hotels, even those connected to major brands, still run on legacy systems.

The trouble with these older systems is that they cannot communicate or sync well with newer systems and technologies. Thus, as new tech solutions are continually introduced, it becomes even harder and more complicated for hotel operators and staff to use the various technologies effectively.

Data Management

Collecting guest data is essential to the success of any modern hotel. Knowing and understanding guests is critical to predicting behavior, such as future visits, individual requirements, tastes, and demands, allowing hotels to deliver a unique experience to each guest.

engine, central reservations system (CRS), and point of sales (POS) system are connected.

New applications within the hospitality and food service industry gather data through various mediums, such as guest-facing systems, smart devices connected to top hotel networks, and satisfaction surveys.

To succeed, modern hotels must invest in technologies capable of profiling guests through smart devices and collecting and analyzing data from multiple sources to ensure personalized customer service.

As data grows within databases, concerns over data management, such as authorization for data access and network security, will arise. Hotel management can only address these concerns through cutting-edge backoffice technology infrastructures.

Security & Privacy

Hotels need to track guest preferences, location information, and activity when delivering highly personalized services, leading to guest data storage and protection problems.

For this reason, hospitality technology and software must ensure that all digital interactions with guests are reinforced through robust security tech and privacy rules.

Hotel networks and databases should also be equipped with the solutions necessary to secure in-room technology, guest devices, and all smart devices that have access to the network.

Most hotels are limited in their knowledge and expertise on data

security and privacy. For this reason, it is a good idea to consult with hospitality technology specialists that can offer suggestions, insights, and security framework designs.

Service digitization & response

Effective and efficient technology for the hospitality industry must be responsive and instantly accommodate guest requests. The responsiveness of service delivery has been enhanced significantly by the digitization of services like housekeeping, room service, and laundry.

By encouraging the use of guest-facing systems and mobility software, time wasted is significantly reduced, and the need for human interaction is eliminated.

In addition, technology systems that are optimized and synchronized leave few gaps when carrying out guest requests. Many technological innovations available to the hospitality and food service industry can fulfill guest requests quicker than hotel staff, ensuring a seamless guest experience.

Enhanced responsiveness in hospitality software is also necessary for renovations and maintenance tasks. Delayed repairs, faulty room technology, and slow maintenance activities can lead to revenue losses.

Hotel properties under professional technology management care and those with Artificial Intelligence- (A.I.) powered reporting systems can quickly respond to repair and maintenance tasks.

Automation technology, including sensors and mini computers, is being actively implemented to identify issues as they occur.

A responsive hotel tech infrastructure demands more substantial resources, more straightforward network mapping, and seamless synchronization with hotel back-office systems.

Conclusion

Digital transformation may be amongst the most significant and rewarding transitions revolutionizing the hospitality and food service industries. However, this comes with numerous challenges that often lead to uncertainty, lack of confidence, and reluctance to adopt new technologies.

Adopting new and disruptive technologies is crucial for businesses to prosper, to promote healthy competition within the industry, and further drive innovation. Still, hoteliers must be prepared to face and overcome technology implementation challenges within their assets and properties.

Antoine Medawar, Co-founder of ExploreTECH.io

BY ENCOURAGING THE USE OF GUEST-FACING SYSTEMS AND MOBILITY SOFTWARE, TIME WASTED IS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED, AND THE NEED FOR HUMAN INTERACTION IS ELIMINATED.

Iwill be honest: Despite writing about and engaging with a lot of social and digital media, even I did not have “the world’s richest man buying Twitter for $44 billion and then running it into the ground during his first month” on my bingo card.

Whether you are on Twitter, just left Twitter, use other social media, or (gasp!) do not socialise much digitally, you will have the seen the headlines, comments, and ripples Elon Musk’s purchase of one of the oldest and biggest social media platforms has caused in the past few weeks.

people are shifting to instant messaging apps

WHAT'S NEXT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

BY MARTIN KUBLER, CHIEF SLOTH AT THE GLUTTONOUS SLOTH, HORECA CONSULTING WITH ATTITUDE

Twitter ownership changing hands and its steady descent into chaos is not an isolated social media trend. Over at Facebook and Instagram, thousands of employees have been let go and Zuckerberg’s metaverse dream seems to be going up in a (very expensive) cloud of smoke. Things are certainly changing and, after years of ‘social media this and social media that’ there seems to be a gradual decay around the main social networking stalwarts. Sure, Tik Tok is still growing, but one can question if that is truly “social” media in the sense that it facilitates both one to one and one to many conversations. Or is it just about watching viral dance or cooking content?

There is a clear shift gaining momentum that started a few years ago when Generation Z first hit the Internet and social networks: people are shifting to instant messaging apps and hiding away in smaller groups of likeminded people. The boom in discords is a sign of that, but also the popularity of Slack and, more recently, Mastodon, the decentralised, Twitter-like app that is spread across a multi-

tude of different servers, each representing a group of likeminded users.

In short, things are becoming more tribal and partisan and that is a problem for brands looking to engage with their (potential) customers. We are not talking about paid advertising – that is still going strong, although I personally against paying for ads on Twitter right now, because the network is a (hopefully temporary) dumpster fire. You might have to stretch your budget multiple more platforms, but it is doable. What I am talking about is customer insights and direct customer engagement. Twitter was a great platform for social media listening, particularly for service-critical businesses like hotels and restaurants. You cannot listen to closed chat groups or conversations on Discord and comments plus posts on Reddit are rarely ‘in real time.’

Where does this leave us? Fewer insights, even more (but smaller) channels, platforms, and communities, and a far more partisan climate on the remaining mainstream social networks. These make for a heady mix for brands and businesses going social into 2023.

It is important to understand that social media is not dying. What is happening is the extinction of text-based social media. Nobody's worrying about the future of TikTok or YouTube, but the decline of text-centric social media should worry us a little. Firstly, creating video content takes up time and money, so smaller businesses and brands will struggle to have their voices heard, or seen. Secondly, because video content is often just consumed rather than being actively engaged with, which transports us back to the age of billboard advertising and other mediums you could not have a two-way conversation with.

Lastly, it also shows our over-reliance and, perhaps, laissez-faire attitude towards third-party platforms. Much like many small restaurants are in big trouble now that Zomato has stopped food deliveries and many

hotels still get far too much business from Booking.com, most of us also adapted to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media giants as primary communication channels and connections to our networks. I recently left Twitter, because it became too much of a burden, and I lost a relatively miserly number of followers and connections. Yet, I am not a hotel. Some hotels carry several hundred thousand social “connections,” which they rely on for advertising and insights – take away the platforms (or have them go through changes that make them unrecognisable) and what are you left with?

What is the socially savvy hotelier or restaurateur to do then? The answer is to start building your own communities. Nurture your email lists, build groups and communities on platforms like LinkedIn, Discord, or even

Mastodon (it is not inconceivable that a large hotel chain could provide its own “instance” or server), and make your website more user-friendly and interactive. Do not chase audiences across an increasingly splintered social network –instead create your own tribe and offer them a reason to come and hang out with you.

I WILL BE HONEST: DESPITE WRITING ABOUT AND ENGAGING WITH A LOT OF SOCIAL AND DIGITAL MEDIA, EVEN I DID NOT HAVE “THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN BUYING TWITTER FOR $44 BILLION AND THEN RUNNING IT INTO THE GROUND DURING HIS FIRST MONTH” ON MY BINGO CARD.

GIN O'CLOCK

Ally Martin found his excitement and passion for spirits by working in bars in his hometown of Edinburgh and London. “I captivated by the world of spirits and the creativity he found in the bartending industry. After many years behind the bar, I had the fortune of becoming the UK Ambassador for Hendrick’s which was a great way to explore my home country. From there I landed my current job where I get to travel to every corner of the world, working with some of the finest bartenders and bringing the joy of Hendrick’s gin to as many places as I can.”

As the Global Ambassa-

dor for Hendrick’s Gin his responsibilities are everything from organising tastings, masterclasses, developing, hosting events and supporting the brand’s Master Distiller with developing new drinks. “It’s a massive privilege since I never thought I’d be able to do a job where I get to travel the world and work with so many inspiring bartenders, bars and restaurants.”

“Working for a large beverage brand is a great thing. I have the fortune to work for a beverage brand that cares deeply for the production process and is passionate for the on-trade which is where we have always built our brands.”

Gin has become a popular choice these days, because of its versatility in cocktails and the varied flavour profiles that can be found within the category. The global cocktail culture has advanced and so has the popularity of gin across the world.

Ally’s objective is to get as many people excited about Hendrick’s Gin and gin as a whole. He further inspires bartenders around the world through what he calls, ‘a series of different techniques’. Ally stated, “we like to create events that are truly unique and unusual and we also like to highlight the skill and craftsmanship within our production process.”

“Right now, the quality of mixology is on a fantastic level, there are some great bars in the region really pushing boundaries and I think that’s reflected by places like Galaxy Bar, Ergo, Mimi Kakushi and many others. I think the biggest trends we’re seeing globally are two-fold - firstly a focus on provenance and sustainability remains a key principle in many of the top bars around the world. Secondly, we’re seeing a big increase in simplicity in look and

feel of drinks, there’s a lot of complex processes that go on behind the scenes but the presentation of the drink to the customer is much more refined and classic compared to a few years ago.

One of the core values of Hendrick’s Gin parent company, William Grant and Sons, is to move towards more sustainable practices. Keeping in line with those values, the brand decided to adapt their cucumber redemption mechanic for Cucumber Day, switching from a physical cucumber to a digital one – to promote a waste not, want not philosophy. This was following their realization over the years, that many venues are left with vast quantities of cucumbers post the campaign that were eventually discarded.

Ally says, “The region is a an exciting one. We see large events being hosted here and the natural draw to the region is so powerful at the moment. We want to be sure we continue to surprise and delight our audience through inspiring activations, along with new innovations in the drinks industry from our Cabinet of Curiosity line.

ALLY MARTIN, HENDRICK’S GIN Global Ambassador