Get ready for a treat!

Food has always had the unique ability to bring people together and create connections between individuals. Food expresses love, builds relationships, both personal and professional, and it also unites cultures. We can learn about each other through food, and I have learned a lot about the people in Dubai. By experiencing their restaurants, tasting the food, taking in the atmosphere, and observing the service, I get to know them better before I get to know them. These last few weeks, I indulged. There were scallops with asparagus and Brazilian stingless bee honey, gnocco fritto served with stracchino cheese, green lip mussels with lemon confit, tender lamp chops, and sensational pizza – romagnola, to be precise. I salivate, reminiscing about these culinary excursions. Good food is worth sitting in traffic for. As delicious as this month has been, food wasn’t the only treat on the table.

I spent some time getting to know some incredible people, which I hope you get to know better in this special issue of HCNME and through our other digital platforms. As we get closer to International Women’s Day and in celebration of Women’s Month, we have put together a special feature highlighting some of the dynamic ladies taking the lead in hospitality, some less familiar faces with a rich, deep passion and love for the sector they work and play in. Thanks to our region’s strong vision and leadership, women have been given the freedom and the opportunity to do great things. Women are driving innovation in the hospitality industry, bringing new ideas and approaches to everything from menu design to hotel amenities. Women-owned businesses, in particular, are growing, and all we have to do to really see it is pay closer attention. In addition to phenomenal women, we also speak to MENA’S Best Female Chef of 2023, discuss major travel trends, explore the latest hotels on the block, take a trip to the Maldives to understand their sustainable practices, and answer the question - to guest shift or not to guest shift? March is supposed to be an extraordinary month and not just because it’s International Women’s Day but because of the stars. I refer to two types of stars when I say this, the first being astrology. If you believe in astrology, buckle up because, according to my favourite page, Moonomens, this is one of the most significant months of the year – a cosmic shift that happens once in a lifetime. The second is the annual Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2023 ceremony for the GCC region, where we acknowledge, celebrate, and award the stars of our hospitality industry. Get ready for a treat!

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

Seymone Leigh Moodley seymonemoodley

Millennium Hotels And Resorts Appoints

NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

New CEO of Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Fahad Abdulrahim Kazim brings more than twenty years of regional experience across the real estate and professional services industries. He has also worked in various leadership roles with prominent real estate developers in Dubai. Fahad has a deeper understanding of the brand from an ownership lens. With this wealth of knowledge aims to reinforce the Millennium Hotels & Resorts brand as a regional specialist with a strategic focus on communitydriven initiatives and introducing talent programmes to boost localization. Commenting on his appointment, Fahad says, “It is an honour to be appointed as CEO of Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Middle East & Africa. I have closely watched the brand establish and grow its position as a key contender in the regional hospitality space. I now look forward to supporting the growth and solidifying the brand’s vision as it enters a new phase of expansion and development. We will strengthen our position as a regional specialist in the industry through empowering our hotel teams to deliver exceptional guest experiences that build brand advocacy.”

LPM Restaurant & Bar welcomes their new Global Pastry Chef Benjamin Clement, a leading baking professional overseeing all of the brand’s growing number of outposts around the globe. Born and raised in France, Chef Benjamin has accumulated over 12 years of experience in his craft working at several prestigious establishments in his home country, Switzerland, the UK, and more.

In charge of the pastry department for all of LPM Restaurant & Bar’s venues, Benjamin Clement’s mission is to use a modern approach for French delicacies at the restaurants. Passing on his knowledge to his talented team members, Chef Benjamin will help to develop unique and indulgent treats for pastry aficionados to revel in.

Chef Benjamin earned his Professional Baccalaureate degree in Food, Baking, and Pastry at the Lycée Hôtelier Les Petites Bruyères in 2011. From there he continued to expand his knowledge through a certificate in Culinary Arts, and by training to become a Chocolatier in 2014 at the Centre de Formation d'Apprentis du Roannais. Throughout his studies, Chef Benjamin interned at reputable establishments such as Maison Demont in France and Vilnius' Radisson Blu Hotel, where he began perfecting his knowledge in the baking industry working alongside pastry teams of multiple Michelin Star restaurants.

DELIVEROO EDITIONS RECEIVES ‘GRADE A - GOLD’ RATING

Deliveroo Editions, the aggregator’s trusted solution for restaurants to chart out growth, has been awarded a ‘Grade A - Gold’ score across all locations by Dubai Municipality’s Food Safety Department for successfully implementing the highest standards for quality and hygiene.

Launched in the UAE in 2017, Deliveroo Editions is the delivery service’s revolutionary platform that facilitates the expansion and growth of both up-and-coming and established F&B brands. Through its strategically located off-site kitchens owned and operated by Deliveroo, restaurant partners gain the ability to reach new customers without having to invest in a brick-and-mortar location.

Fadel Belmahdi, Head of Editions

Middle East at Deliveroo said, ‘We are proud that all of our Deliveroo Editions sites qualified for ‘Grade A - Gold’ from Dubai Municipality’s Food Safety Department. Our model is based on offering restaurants the resources to grow their brand without having to invest in a brick and mortar location. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to implementing the highest standards in quality as well as the best food safety management processes.’ said: “The F&B sector is one of the most dynamic sectors, requiring the continuous introduction of innovative concepts, which can be complex to embrace at a restaurant/ café level. Thanks to our cooperation with SEA Ventures, we will be able to support Saudi chefs, entrepreneurs and emerging brands in the sector, by providing them with innovative digital and tech solutions. We will empower and enable them to focus on developing their projects in order to create new experiences for their customers. This strategic alliance will contribute to strengthening the Kingdom’s ambition of being the first destination for unique and rich tastes in the Middle East and the Arab world.”

FOODICS AND SEA VENTURES PARTNER TO EMPOWER ENTREPRENEURS IN THE F&B INDUSTRY

The new joint agreement aims to achieve digital empowerment and operations management automation to enhance the quality of emerging projects and provide numerous support services to upgrade the entrepreneurship landscape around the Kingdom. This will help increase the percentage of small and medium enterprises’ contribution to supporting local content in accordance with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Mr. Suhail Jaber, General Manager - Saudi Arabia, Foodics,

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Abdulsalam AlKuwaiti, CEO of SEA Ventures, said: “At SEA Ventures, we seek to achieve a sustainable impact on the entrepreneurial landscape in various sectors, especially restaurants and F&B. We launched several programs and initiatives, the most recent being “Takween Culinary Arts Studio,” which is about empowering chefs who are innovative entrepreneurs and passionate about creating different experiences and innovation in the Saudi and international culinary arts. We also seek to support them in identifying the needs in the sector and seizing potential opportunities, by developing their capabilities and leadership skills, and providing solutions to manage their projects and unleash their talents. This will contribute to raising standards in the culinary arts sector in the Kingdom, and launching promising start-ups that contribute to attracting investments."

OBSERVATORY BAR & GRILL LAUNCHES NEW AFTERNOON TEA EXPERIENCE IN THE SKY

Enjoy an afternoon sipping on tea and indulging in a selection of sumptuous treats complete with 360-degree panoramic views of Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina at the Observatory Bar &

Grill’s new Sky-High Tea. Available Sunday to Friday from 12.30pm – 5pm, guests can spend a leisurely afternoon with friends and family with the special menu at Observatory

Bar & Grill for only AED 120 per person. Treat yourself to a wide variety of savoury and sweet bites, starting with an afternoon tea classic; scones paired perfectly with lemon & honey jam, raspberry jam, mascarpone cream and Le Beurre Bordier butter. For the savoury part of the experience, Observatory Bar & Grill serves up an array of treats including, salmon tarter on black crostini topped with olive oil pearls; free range egg and truffle mayonnaise sando; cured veal ham, baby gherkin butter and mustard sandwiched between a soft Parisian bun, and more.

Emirates Palace Hotel has officially rebranded as Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, signalling a new golden era as part of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group portfolio. This exciting chapter will celebrate and build upon the hotel’s distinctive legacy while introducing unparalleled experiences for guests, further cementing its position as world’s most iconic beachfront resort.

A NEW GOLDEN ERA FOR EMIRATES PALACE MANDARIN ORIENTAL, ABU DHABI

Commenting on the occasion, H.E. Mohammed Al Junaibi said: “We are thrilled to see Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi enter a new golden era of hospitality. Guided by the legacy and expertise of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, the resort is set to become an icon of global luxury in line with our leadership’s quest to extend worldclass hospitality to anyone visiting or living in the UAE.”

COLLECTIVE RETREATS SELECTED TO OPEN SUSTAINABLE RETREAT IN TROJENA, THE MOUNTAINS OF NEOM

Collective Retreats, a pioneer in outdoor experiential hospitality, has announced a partnership with NEOM to open a next generation, ultra- sustainable retreat in Trojena, the snow-capped mountain destination located in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Slated to open at the start of 2026,

Collective Trojena will re-imagine the outdoor hospitality experience – offering guests unprecedented access to discover and explore the region’s spectacular and incomparable beauty located 50km from the Gulf of Aqaba. The retreat will feature approximately 60 open-air guest rooms and innovative meeting space concepts as well as dramatic water features, and communal campfires. The inspired culinary experiences evoke the intrepid spirit of the Collective Retreats brand while showcasing a masterstroke blend of natural and developed landscapes. Collective Trojena will also offer direct access to the destination’s full array of year-round and world-class outdoor activities including skiing and snowboarding. Additionally, there will be high altitude training, paragliding, mountain biking, hiking, and water sports as well as cultureforward programming around film, art, music, and food.

Located in the newly built multi-use complex Lotus Istanbul in the city centre, adjacent to world-renowned designer boutiques, the contemporary property boasts 150 intricately designed guestrooms and suites. These include Westin’s signature WestinWORKOUT® Rooms and interconnecting rooms with balcony or terrace options . The Westin Istanbul Nisantasi brings the brand focus on well-being to the city centre for guests looking to feel their best while travelling.

WESTIN HOTELS & RESORTS MAKES ITS TÜRKIYE

WITH THE OPENING OF THE WESTIN ISTANBUL NISANTASI

Westin Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary hotel brands, unveils The first Westin hotel in Türkiye -

The Westin Istanbul Nisantasi. The venue has officially opened its doors in Istanbul’s vibrant shopping and entertainment district Nisantasi.

Perfectly located in the heart of Nisantasi, the hotel is near a wide selection of eateries, bars, art galleries and concert halls with Istanbul’s famed attractions within easy reach. The hotel also offers direct access to Osmanbey Metro Station providing convenient transport link to many locations in the city, including New Istanbul Airport and the historical peninsula, as well as the Levent and Maslak business districts.

SALAM’S PLAN WAS SIMPLE: SHE WOULD COOK LIKE SHE ALWAYS DID FOR THOSE SHE LOVED.