Hotel & Catering News Middle East September 2022 Issue by Hotel & Catering

SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM IN HOSPITALITY EMIRATI WOMEN Celebrating the dreams and achievements of UAE women within the hospitality sector ةيتاراملاا ةأرملا يقدنفلا عاطقلا يف اهرودو

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8 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM IN THIS ISSUE

A BIG STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY Swissotel Al Ghurair introduces its in-house water filtration unit

A FAMILY OF FIVE Karim Bakhache, Vice President of Strategy at Radyes, sheds light on the company’s fully equipped social commerce platform that enables businesses to sell their products and services directly to customers on social media platforms

A GRAND SUPERMARKET AFFAIR

Hotel & Catering News Middle East is shining a spotlight on some of the top hospitality management software companies that provide key revenue management software and restaurant management software to the industry

A SPECIAL FEATURE TOP HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE COMPANIES

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Celebrating the dreams and achievements of UAE women within the hospitality sector

AMNA ALRAEESI, Assistant Sales Manager, DOUBLETREE by Hilton Sharjah Waterfront Hotel & Suites

F&B FOCUS

EMIRATI WOMEN IN HOSPITALITY

Why James Scott left his semi-retirement in Bali to join Grandiose supermarket

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haves, which are excellent hygiene and delicious food- I care a lot about how I feel in places. If the food is out of this world, but the place itself left me feeling unwelcome or uncomfortable, you will not catch me spending my time or money there. And let’s be fair, we live and work in a place where exceptional gastronomy is the standard, so maybe we should also start paying attention to the welcome and attention or lack thereof from the places we visit. It’s easy to go to an F&B venue during a launch and an event and get hyper-personalised service, but when there is no event, and all the influencers, stakeholders, and media have left, what’s your favourite?

lmost everywhere I go, the most common question I get asked is, which is your favourite restaurant? Which is the same as asking me what’s my favourite song!

Where no one knows who you are, and no one even cares, because they don't pamper you because you're special, they pamper you because they want you to feel special.

An impossible question that I simply cannot answer. It depends, are we talking Japanese? Indian? Arabic? Are we talking lunch, brunch, or drunch? Are we judging vibes, food, or just drinks? Yes, there are places I’ve been to and returned to because I either love the food or the environment or when it’s my lucky day, both! But does that mean you’re going to like it too? Maybe. You see at HCNME we have a certain metric that allows us to safely judge if something is good or not based on many things such as experience, insights, numbers, taste, preparation, quality, etc. It is objective this way, but for me personally, apart from the must-

In this issue of HCNME, we pay a special tribute to Emirati Women in Hospitality. We speak to some phenomenal UAE women about how they got into the industry and what the industry can do to attract more women to follow in their footsteps. From Chefs to Directors and aspiring General Managers, we celebrate the dreams and achievements of these leading ladies. We take a trip to a food hall that is actually a supermarket, dispel wine myths, and find out what it takes to operate a successful beach club in the city that revolutionised the phrase “chilling by the pool”. Hope you enjoy it.

What’s your favourite?

AgencyCreativeSpadesRedTercan,TahaCredit:Photo

12 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM EDITOR’S NOTEHCNME

Dargère, and the Michelin-recognised Nobu Park Lane.

Meet RSVP, The Brand-New Modern French ‘Fun’ Dining Concept By Atelier House Hospitality, Now Open In Boxpark

Chic Nonna is Now Open

Mine Lifestyle Dining by Mine & Yours Group, the leading Italian hospitality company in Dubai, announces the muchawaited opening of Chic Nonna, an all-new Italian concept located in the heart of DIFC. Comprising of a restaurant, bar, and lounge, featuring a state-of-the-art open-plan kitchen, Chef’s table, and what is known to be the largest wine cellar in the region, Chic Nonna is set to be more than just a charming Italian restaurant.

16 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

RSVP, Dubai’s newest modern French fine dining restaurant concept opens its doors to welcome diners in Boxpark, Al Wasl. Inspired by French traditions, RSVP combines the elegance of an old-world French eatery with a Mediterranean touch and subtle influences of Asian flavours, the new concept is set to surprise and delight guests with its wit, elegance, and fun.

Fully curated and managed by Atelier House Hospitality, the region’s leading F&B consultancy firm behind Michelin-starred 11 Woodfire, awardwinning DIFC restaurant Marea, and the popular homegrown concept Mohalla, RSVP is the latest and fifth opening this year by the visionary hospitality group.

Panchali Mahendra, Managing Director of Atelier House Hospitality, said: “The opening of RSVP marks AHH’s first leap into French cuisine and we are thrilled to be able to introduce such a unique culinary concept to the region. We aren’t ones to follow the conventional route and we wanted our foray into French dining to be different than existing, traditional concepts and we feel that RSVP is the perfect representation of contemporary French cuisine that diners would find in Paris today.”

OPENINGS & LAUNCHESHCNME

A one-of-a-kind venue where Italian heritage embraces Dubai’s cosmopolitan essence, the two-storey gourmet osteria, designed by LW Interiors Design and Eric Kuster, is set to deliver the ideal blend of timelessness merged with authentic Italian cuisine and hospitality.

RSVP is spearheaded by Aadel Ouaoua, a Chef De Cuisine with considerable Michelin-starred background and over 20 years of international gastronomic expertise, working at highly acclaimed restaurants under some of the world’s greatest culinary minds, including 1-Michelin-starred Le Quinzième Paris by Chef Cyril Lignac, the renowned Girafe Paris alongside Chef Benoît

Located in the city’s colourful and contemporary Boxpark area, RSVP welcomes guests to a beautiful, aesthetically designed space brought to life by Samar Zakhem, which has been conceived as a collector’s dining room decorated with the spoils of voyages over time. Grounded in the ‘joie de vivre’ of dining, RSVP is a place

for one and all, offering a refined yet approachable environment where visitors can take the time to connect over food and enjoy the company, they’re in.

17HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

conversation and the sound of glasses clinking are all part of NoLo’s atmosphere. As the social hour begins, with that comes the flow of drinks. NoLo offers the same experience with one big exception — the glasses are not filled with alcohol but with well-mixed and inventive craft 0% cocktail. NoLo is located on the 24th floor of Dusit Thani Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts further expands in the UAE with upscale Wyndham Residences in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah Island

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,000 hotels across over 95 countries, continues to strengthen its presence across the UAE with the opening of the 102-key Wyndham Residences The Palm. The opening marks Wynd ham’s first collaboration with IFA Hotels & Resorts, a leading real estate developer specialised in mixed-use

NoLo, the first nonalcoholic bar in Dubai, opens at Dusit Thani Dubai

OPENINGS & LAUNCHES

hotel and residential resort projects. Wyndham Residences The Palm boasts a mix of deluxe apartments ranging from modern studios to three-bedroom suites, a private white sand beach and other high-end amenities. With several connect ing lobbies conveniently located throughout, it can also accommo date groups requiring five-bedroom apartments. The new property is

A precursor to yet another new trend in Dubai, Dusit Thani Dubai introduces NoLo, the first non-alcoholic bar in Dubai. NoLo is a concoction of fun, flavours, and flair for all things good for you. Music, city views,

part of Balqis Residences, one of IFA Hotels and Resorts’ mixed-use developments and offers luxurious accommodation to both residents and travellers who can enjoy scenic views of the Arabian Gulf and the dazzling Marina. The property is the latest addition to Wyndham Hotels & Resorts portfolio in the UAE, reaching 22 hotels, of which 14 are in Dubai alone.

18 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM NEWS & APPOINTMENTSHCNME

Tonino Lamborghini Mare Nostrum Skypool Restaurant Dubai, the new lifestyle desti nation at Palm West Beach, has named its leadership team ahead of its mid-September Transportingopening. guests into the Tonino Lam borghini world, recognised as the epitome of high-end Italian design and craftsmanship, Dubai’s own Tonino Lamborghini skypool restaurant with music, dining, entertainment, and art as key elements will be managed by a team who will take things to a new level. Overseeing the branded Restaurant are founders Russell Treadwell sand Alex Blahyj. Treadwell brings 20 years of experience in Operations, Business Development and Procurement as CEO of Fendale Logistics. Co-Founder Blahyj has a solid entrepreneurial background and vast experience in manufac turing, retail, and logistics. Joining Treadwell and Blahyj are Sidney Visser and Alex Mcnally as General Manager.

TONINO LAMBORGHINI

Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Media City and Park Inn by Radisson Dubai Motor City, have announced the pro motion of Rushali Mahesh as the new Cluster Manager for Welfare, Training and Accommodation Manager in Dubai. Rushali’s new role continues the commit ment of Radisson Hotels to fostering internal growth and recognising the skills of team members within the group. Rushali holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administra tion, where she achieved the highest marks in the

PARK INN BY RADISSON DUBAI MOTOR CITY PROMOTES RUSHALI MAHESH TO NEW ROLE AS CLUSTER MANAGER FOR WELFARE, TRAINING AND ACCOMMODATION

MARE NOSTRUM SKYPOOL

university and graduated with the Gold Medal for Best All-Round Student. She joined Radisson Blu Dubai Media City as an intern in June 2019, quickly dem onstrating her strategic thinking skills and ability to flourish in a fast-paced environment. After her graduation, she assumed the role of Human Resourc es Coordinator at Park Inn by Radisson Dubai Motor City, onboarding more than 30 employees in two years and training over 48 team members in brand training. In 2021, she was awarded Employee of the Year.

RESTAURANT DUBAI NAMES LEADERSHIP TEAM

19HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

Americana Restaurants, the leading F&B platform and one of the largest multi-brand restaurant operators in the Middle East & North Africa (“MENA”) region, has announced an exclusive master franchise agreement (the “Master Franchise Agreement”) with Peet’s Coffee (“Peet’s”), the U.S. subsidiary of JDE Peet’s (EURONEXT: JDEP), the world’s leading pureplay coffee and tea company by revenue. The agreement will see Americana Restaurants launch the Peet’s brand in its Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) markets, providing a powerful new opportunity for both partners to tap into the region’s booming coffee market. The collaboration is built to cater to rising demand for premium coffee experiences across Americana Restaurants’ regional markets.

There will be multiple venues across the Dubai including downtown, Media City, local neighbourhoods and near the airport. Whether you are looking for a local bar to watch the match, or want to know where to stay in town, you are bound to never be far from a Radisson football zone. For residents of Ras al Khaimah or those planning a staycation, there is also a chance to get in on the action. With 12 match zone venues planned, Radisson Hotels will be welcoming local residents, tourists and guests planning onward travel to Qatar to enjoy entertainment, drinks deals and more at their dedicated venues. Competitions, loyalty prizes and unique special offers will also be available on the Taste my UAE app across all participating venues. More information will follow on each venue soon but here’s what we know so far.

NEWS & APPOINTMENTS

LE RÊVE CONSULTING AND LE K2 COLLECTIONS ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC SALES PARTNERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE EAST

AMERICANA RESTAURANTS ENTERS FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WITH PEET’S COFFEE, BRINGING THE U.S.-BASED HANDCRAFTED COFFEE EXPERIENCE TO THE GCC FOR THE FIRST TIME

LE RÊVE Consulting will lead the Sales and Marketing representation of LE K2 Collections and expand the brand’s presence in the Middle East luxury hospitality market. In the heart of the Savoie region, Courchevel offers access to the biggest ski area in the world, Les 3 Vallées, its 600km of slopes, and its exceptional panoramas. The resort is a mythical holiday destination, bustling with activity and places to party and have fun, with lavish shop windows, and bars with a warm, cosy ambiance. Within the luxury resort selection of LE K2 Collections, LE K2 Palace and LE K2 Altitude are offering guests effortless luxury stays with extraordinary dining experiences.

RADISSON HOTELS TO LAUNCH FOOTBALL FAN ZONES ACROSS THE UAE THIS NOVEMBER

22 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

Much of the traditional supermarkets have moved to the self-serve concept where the produce is prepacked. Grandiose has a different approach, they be lieve in serve-over where each station has a butcher, a fish monger, a cheese expert, deli expert, etc. They have also brought in expertise from chefs within their catering business to train the retail staff. James explains that it’s all about talking to the customers

is much more than just having high quality ingredi ents, its about innovation and differentiation. This is according to James what Grandiose does very well.

fter 30 years of revolutionising the retail industry all over the world, James Scott took a semi-retirement consulting role in Bali when he received a phone call from a good friend that was setting up a food hub in the UAE. Part of this hub had a supermarket arm and his friend asked if he’d be willing to come to the UAE and assess its business strategy. After taking a look around, James concluded that he had never seen anything like this before in the retail space and left Bali to join the executive team at Grandiose. What impressed him the most about this business was the vision of the owner, the unconventional retail experience that Grandiose offers and the sustain ability mindset of the brand. He goes on to add that at Grandiose it’s all about the experience and the emo tion of the shopping journey. James says that “fresh is absolutely critical” and their approach to freshness

A GRAND SUPERMARKET AFFAIR

Why James Scott left his semi-retirement in Bali to join Grandiose supermarket

In addition to being a supermarket, Grandiose has a catering company that provides all the ready meals you see, which serves about 25 000 meals a day across the UAE. According to James, the Grandiose concept is more like a food hall with a supermarket attached that provides restaurant quality food in a supermarket environment.

MOVERS AND SHAKERSHCNME

James spends a big part of his day making sure that his team under stands that they are different and that their focus is all about the importance of the customer and the quality of everything they serve. And his number one objective is to grow the business, “Our plan is not to sit here with 30 stores, our objective is to build a network of premium supermarkets across the region that brings higher quality, freshness, sustainability, and satisfies our customers”. Grandiose was built by a man that couldn’t find a retail experience that appealed to him, that embodied all the things that were important to him, such as, quality, sustainability, good food, and a unique shopping experience that is at its core dedicated to freshness. His vision can be experienced today across the UAE bringing in many like-minded custom ers visiting this grand supermarket affair.

and when you understand the products then your explanation to the custom ers is very different than that of a shelf packer. This approach builds a unique relationship between the team and the customer. James says they are chang ing the way retail is done and creating competent worlds – where aisles are curated based on usage rather than on categories. There newest locations are also set to have Temperature controlled cheese rooms with the widest selection of cheese in the UAE.

As the Chief Executive Officer at Grandiose Supermarkets, and in the brief time that he’s been appointment, James has already begun to steer the future of the company in a new direc tion. While staying true to the ‘True Family Value’ promise and taking the pledge for sustainability that the brand is known for, he is leading the opera tions, commercial and support teams to launch new store development programs to improve overall customer experience, business growth and finan cial“Mostperformance.retailerspay lip serve to sustainability, its something that they must do because it’s in vogue, it’s more and more to the current trends. But from day one, Grandiose has always used paper bags in check out and in the fresh section eliminating plastic from the business. And it wasn’t just plastic, all the shopping baskets and trolleys are made from recyclable plastic waste

23HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

that come from the ocean. There is a significant cost to this, and it was implemented since day one. From the beginning the business has been very aware of our responsibility.”

James Scott CEO, Grandiose Supermarkets

The brand also works with local ven dor and suppliers to reduce food wast age and is currently looking at news ways to package their meat and fish products that isn’t just environmentally friendly but that is also fit for use.

In light of the recent mandate around single-use bags, James commented that the UAE Government’s decision on this makes people more aware that there is a cost to the environment and there is a need to now pay for it. This level of awareness will create behavioural change which in turn will reduce the damage done.

A GRAND SUPERMARKET AFFAIR

Where did this in-house water filtration idea come from?

Accor has always been com mitted to sustainability and providing its colleagues and guests with a better quality of life.

A BIG STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

Can you describe in detail how the filtration system works?

From planning to bring ing the project live with all the necessary permits and inspection, it took less than a year; we initiated this project in August 2021.

ADVERTORIALHCNME

Swissotel Al Ghurair introduces its in-house water filtration unit

Tell us about the cost and function of the bottling room?

as PPM Chlorine level, with the help of an automatic chlorine dosing system. We also use a Softener & UV (Ultra Violet) system as per Dubai Municipality guide lines. This treated water now safely reaches the bottling room, where it goes through another maintenance step. Water gets filtered again and goes through another UV (Ultra Violet) system at this point. To ensure the highest possible hygiene, we have a set of standards for the bot tling process, which includes washing and rinsing at ex tremely high temperatures.

Drinking fresh water is very sensitive; hence we took the strictest measures to guar

In 2019, Accor's chairman, Sebastian Bazen, promised the world to reduce and eliminate single-use plastic in guest experience from all hotels by the end of 2021. This was a personal inspira tion to me, and I wanted to be one of the first hotels in the region to go a step further and offer fresh drinking water to all our guests. What encouraged me more was Dubai's Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's sustainability initiative of "Dubai Can". As a hotel, we are very involved with all the Dubai govern ment's initiatives, especially Dubai Fitness Challenge, and we wanted to be as involved in taking a step towards mak ing this vision successful.

well-being and consciously made efforts to reduce its ecological footprint. Proving to provide a great place to work and support the local community, the hotel has consistently paced ahead with its sustainability initia tives. The filtration system treats discarded freshwater through various chemical and microbiological process es, which are then carefully bottled and distributed in guestrooms and dining areas. Dedicating a bottling and fil tration room within the hotel

To begin with, domestic water reaches the property’s domestic water tank. At the hotel, we have a set of measurements to maintain hygiene at this stage, such

We have a very sophisti cated filtration system since we and our owners are com mitted to providing the best quality water to our guests. We are very grateful for the significant investment and commitment from our own ers, who have been very sup portive of the vision and the responsibility towards the community and the planet. We are affiliated with a Dubai stricttheyetersanalysis,parasitebimonthly,andbiweeklyourapprovedMunicipality-laboratorywherebottledwateristestedformicrobiologychemicallevels,anditundergoestests.Throughthewetest23paramregularlyandensureareallmaintainedunderstandards.

GM, Swissotel Al Ghurair and Swissotel Living Al Ghurair

24 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

that observes strict measures of sanitation and hygiene, this room is manned only by a few certified hotel col leagues. Approved by Dubai Municipality Food Safety Department and observing Accor’s safety standards, the filtered water is completely safe and is readily available for consumption of the hotel guests. Dominic Arel, Gen eral Manager of Swissotel Al Ghurair and Swissotel Living Al Ghurair provides more insight into the initiative.

another stride forward intro ducing their in-house water filtration unit to offer its guests clean and fresh drink ing water. Connected to the iconic Al Ghurair Centre, one of the first shopping malls in Dubai, since 2018, Swissotel Al Ghurair has been wel coming guests on a jour ney centred on the guest’s

Can you describe the train ing involved for the new in-house water system?

ommitted to upholding the Swiss sustain able GhurairSwissotelstandards,Altakes

Dominic Arel

antee the safety of the water we provide to our guests. Over the entire year, we completed comprehensive training for all colleagues who would be involved in the process, including Basic Food Safety certification and all colleagues registered under the Food Watch initiative. We had a separate hotel committee dedicated only to this project amidst all the vari ous departments for the hotel. I chaired and conducted the meetings, while our Hygiene Manager, Director of Rooms, Executive Housekeeper and Engineering Manager were the key pillars to the success of this project. We were person ally involved in every meeting and decision-making of the project.Amidst our colleagues, we have a few dedicated colleagues who have been trained and only authorized to access the filtration unit.

The Vitality corner is a constant in our daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets, subtly reminding our guests visu ally and indulging them in our sustainability efforts.

Additionally, our team of Engineers have worked hard to convert most of the electrical units to be motion-sensored and switched 95% of all fixtures to LED lights, saving 3,295 KWH/Per day energy.

menu includes homegrown vegetables, seasonal fruits, and sustainably sourced fish. We also have a herb garden in one of our terraces where we grow our herbs that are taken care of and used by our team of chefs. When the weather is better, we invite our younger guests to indulge in the gardening

It was a great learning experience for me, and I am sure all my colleagues working on the project, including the few Level 1 colleagues, loved the learnings and teamwork that was brought about in this project.

The core principles of the Swissotel brand are “Vitality”, “Sustainability”, and “Craftsmanship”, which we try and imbibe seamlessly and effortlessly into the guest journey. Keeping the guest's well-being in mind, we conceptualised the Vitality corner, offering homemade jams and syrups, healthy options of salads and refreshing fresh juices. Our team of chefs tries to craft different syrups of organic fruits every season, working closely with the purchasing team to use and promote the locally grown produce. Our a la carte

What are some of your other sustainability initiatives? We constantly try and innovate on our sustainability initia tives. While we are determined to eliminate all single-use plastic from guest experiences this year-end, we are also ven turing to remove the same from our own heart of house, in our kitchens, laundry, room amenities, and daily operations.

Tell us about the approval process?

How have guests responded to the initiative?

How big of a role does the “Vitality” corner play in your sustainability efforts?

As a pilot hotel, we have migrated most of our financial processes digitally, with the help of an outsourced FinTech company, including key Procurement and Accounts Payable areas. This initiative proved very successful, and we wish to quickly adapt it to our approval strategies and make all administration documents paperless.

We had strong support from our guests who have been a part of the initiative and as the end consumer.

Through this project, we plan to eliminate 750,000 plastic bottles each year, eliminating 490,000 Kilograms of Carbon Dioxide from the environment while conserving 200,000 litres of water and saving 233,000 KiloWhatt Hours of elec tricity.

What does sustainable hospitality look like to you?

I believe that Sustainable Hospitality is the key to the suc cess and continuity of the hospitality industry. If every hotel, airline, and travel business embraced sustainable practices and approaches, this would lead to a better future, strong brand loyalty through word-of-mouth marketing, and higher guest

Withsatisfaction.whateverefforts we can, our duty is to protect and preserve our natural resources for a better tomorrow.

We implemented the project earlier this year in April and have served over 29,000 guests till now. We have noticed a huge positive impact from this project; all our guests have been responding with great enthusiasm, especially the younger families and travellers.

As a government, Dubai has always been extremely strategic and structured. I admire how prompt and meticulous each office is. From the project's initial stages, we contacted and involved the Dubai Municipaility. They had been more of a partner for us in this project and had been extremely re sourceful in advising and helping us in every step to procure the right permits and licenses.

25HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 A BIG STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

How much impact will this project have in numbers?

Once the process was completed, Dubai Municipality con ducted 2 inspections, including departments of Food Safety, Food permit and Applied Nutrition, and helped us approve the project.

Tell us about Radyes and the idea behind its launch?

How does Lyve tie in with Radyes? And what will this collaboration offer? Radyes and Lyve are collaborating on the delivery services to enable a combined offering to businesses. This is in line with our intention to offer onestop-solution to businesses as delivery is the core of any online ordering. Our plan is to offer this combined offering to all types of businesses both for ondemand and scheduled deliveries.

Karim Bakhache, Vice President of Strategy at Radyes, sheds light on the company’s fully equipped social commerce platform that enables businesses to sell their products and services directly to customers on social media platforms. Radyes also has a unique dashboard that gives merchants full visibility and flexibility to track the right data and the right customers.

What does Radyes offer its users and tell us what differentiates it from its competitors?

KARIM BAKHACHE, Vice President of Strategy, RADYES

26 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM TECH & INNOVATIONHCNME

A simple, fast, and economical way for the businesses to sell smart and any where. Anywhere means on-location and for delivery. We want to become a one-stop-shop solution for any busi ness that wants to connect with their customers. The on-location features such as dine-in and pick-up help digitise operations while capturing data from visiting customers and accepting pay ments.Thedelivery features complete the omnichannel presence of the business through a widget on their website, a white label app, website, social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) and accept ing orders through calls. We also pro vide important add-ons such as delivery services and marketing services that are meant to help businesses have an endto-end alternative solution to aggrega tors and marketplaces. And that’s what differentiates us from competitors.

RADIATING SUCCESS

Omnichannel ordering (dine-in, pickup and delivery), Dashboard to view and analyse the fully owned customer data, integrations with POS systems and

Radyes was launched in 2020 to support businesses to go online and directly get orders from their customers as opposed to being on a marketplace or an aggrega tor. Businesses were complaining about the high fees taken by these market places and aggregators.

What are some of the key features of this social commerce platform?

What’s the outlook for the next five years?

We have big ambitions to grow in the next five years. Digitising businesses will continue to be a top prior ity for all business owners. We want to become the preferred digital partner regionally and then globally. We continue investing in our products to remain competi tive and provide the solution that businesses are looking for.

payment gateways, whitelabel-app that is branded to the business, and marketing services

eCommerce and F&B markets have grown substantially in the past years, especially during the pandemic when businesses rushed into digitising part of their operations. This trend has continued postpandemic as businesses realised the importance of digitising operations and how hurtful marketplaces and aggregators are for their margins. We expect these markets to continue growing but we shouldn’t think that on-location ordering is dead.

Businesses are busy handling their own opera tions, especially in the F&B and grocery sectors. Having your own digital channels requires effort, dedication, patience, and investment. The expectations of businesses are very high when they compare their own direct channels to aggregators and marketplac es that generate a substan tial number of orders for businesses on their plat forms. We work closely with businesses in overcoming these challenges as they go through the journey of directing more orders into their own channels.

The market reacted very positively to the solution ap proach. Businesses continue to look for digital solutions to diversify their revenues

How has the market recep tion been so far?

27HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 RADIATING SUCCESS

And that’s why any solution should be inclusive of all potential channels.

What have been the challenges so far?

and not rely fully on mar ketplaces and aggregators, but also to capture customer data from all channels (onlocation and for delivery). And through our collabora tion with Lyve, we are offer ing the complete spectrum of products and services that are required for a business to digitise on-location and delivery operations.

How has the F&B and eCommerce performancemarketdriven your business?

“ECOMMERCE AND F&B MARKETS HAVE GROWN SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PAST YEARS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC WHEN BUSINESSES RUSHED INTO DIGITISING PART OF THEIR OPERATIONS.”

HCNME F&B FOCUS

A FAMILY OF FIVE

SUDHIN SIVA, VICE PRESIENT OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS AT SHAMAL HOLDING SUCCESS OF FIVE GUYS IN THE REGION

THE

Sudhin Siva, Vice Presient of Commercial Opera tions at Shamal Holding oversees a diverse portfolio of assets in hospitality, food and beverage, leisure, and recreation. Previously he was the Vice President of Hospitality for Meraas Holding where he looked after a varied hospitality asset portfolio including com mercial feasibility, investment analysis and planning of hotel and hospitality assets across various segments in Dubai and Simultaneouslyglobally.he also oversaw a portfolio growth for Jumeirah Group as Vice President of Develop ment. And previously, served as the Senior Director of Hospitality Development at Meraas Holding and prior to that as Director of Development at Jumeirah Group responsible for securing expansion opportunities in Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Five

States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

With over 15 years and a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management from Bangalore University, a Master’s Degree in International Tourism and Hospital

Guys originally referred to Jerry Mur rell and his four sons Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben. A sixth guy – Jerry and Janie Murrell’s fifth son, Tyler was born two years after the restaurant opened. Today, the family still oversees the company, the culture, and the cooking standards, and they continue to ensure Five Guys remains that amazing family burger joint globally. The Five Guys formula stays the same but has gone on to travel globally – ‘Burgers and Fries cooked to perfec tion’, seasoned with Jerry’s philosophy ‘to perfect and to serve’. There are over 1700 locations worldwide and another 1500 in development, across the United

Rise (part of Shamal Holding) are the franchise owners for Five Guys in the UAE. Having launched the brand in 2015, Rise is proud to have grown rapidly, thanks to the very strong communities here who love the Five Guys brand.

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SUDHIN SIVA, Vice Presient of Commercial Operations, SHAMAL HOLDING

ensure all our ingredients are 100% fresh and of the highest quality, cooked to perfection, as well as precise in taste. A major part of this process involves having to stay adept with the best process-led technolo gies. Thanks to our partners, we have been utilising the power of data and innovation across our entire supply chain. That has helped us in volume anticipation, avoiding supply delays, partnering with the right solutions, and securing all our ingredients in time to sustain the right amount of freshness for our customers.”

due to their focus on staying fresh, added with a great deal of customisation. “At all our branches everything is fresh and prepared from scratch. The prep is done daily for maximum freshness and food is cooked without any timers. We do not use microwaves or freezers. Our handmade patties are griddled on a flat-top, grilled onions always go below the patty, while tomatoes and lettuce always go above.Allour

The burger making industry in the region is extremely competi tive. There are new brands pop ping up all over town regularly each with their own unique take on this classic meal. Sudhin says Five Guys remains competitive

buns are freshly baked locally, made using an authentic secret recipe unique to Five Guys. We provide fresh batches daily to all our locations across the UAE, so that our consumers get to enjoy their burgers just the way they should – fresh, hot, and delicious. We also offer bunless bowl and lettuce wrap options. Every dish on our menu is 100% halal, across all our outlets in the UAE. We strongly respect our consumer’s tastes andWepreferences.remainstronger and proactive as a team due to our continued efforts in building great value and customer focus. That includes ensuring our staff members remain happy and satisfied in their journey with Five Guys. We offer continued training and development of all our staff and stakeholders, in cluding our partners as well. We like keeping it simple, genuine, and real.

ity Management from Griffith University, Australia and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Manage ment from Cornell University, Sudhin spoke to us about the success of Five Guys in the region.Inaspan of few years, Rise have opened 12 stores across the country including Abu Dhabi Marina Mall, Jumeirah Beach Residences, City Walk, Dubai Festival City Mall, Dubai Marina Mall, La Mer, The Dubai Mall, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai Hills Mall, Nakheel Mall and most recently at the Abu Dhabi Galleria Mall in Al Maryah Island. They have also entered the cloud kitchen space, by launching a delivery only outlet for Five Guys. Recently, they were also voted the winner of Best Burger, Best Editions Restaurant and Riders Choice, at the first ever Deliveroo Res taurant Awards (UAE edition). “Our strategic locations have been chosen carefully to serve, and not overserve communi ties, by launching in areas easily accessible by residents and tour ists alike, without overlapping existing locations,” says Sudhin.

Five Guys will be launching their 13th store in the UAE and first ever in Sharjah, this November. Further to that, they also plan on expanding in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain with the aim to ‘keep getting closer to all communities in the UAE’ by exploring new locations – be it through physical outlets or delivery-only operations.

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A FAMILY OF FIVE

One of the outlets best-selling burgers in the UAE is the Five Guys cheeseburger, which comes with two fresh beef patties and 15 free toppings to choose from in any combina tion.“Ithink more mindful con sumers and the rapid disruption by tech are two big trends not just in the burger-making busi ness, but across all industries. These two trends take top priority for us as a business. Our customisable model has been a great success in ensuring we give all our consumers the utmost control on what they want to add into their burger and how much. As we let them do that, we

A great bunch of loyal customers visit us pretty much whenever we open a new store – that’s a testament that something’s go ing right. According to me, con sistency and word of mouth have been a large part of our journey so far and we are extremely happy about that.”

30 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM COVER STORYHCNME

ounded in 2015 by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, also known as The Mother of the Nation, Emirati Women’s Day is celebrated annually on the 28th of August. This day recognises the impact Emirati women have made towards the success of this great nation. Their incredible devotion, strength, ideas, and accom plishments have helped shape the country we live in today, and their ambitions for the future will only sharpen the way forward for the generations to come. Sheikha Fatima said, “The goal was obvious; to celebrate women's achievements in different walks of life and to recognise their endeavours and ambitions to be part of useful activi ties for their country. We have always sought to offer the opportunity to women to participate in the development process and when they proved their capabilities, we decided to celebrate their perseverance, determination and diligence." On behalf of Emirati Women’s Day 2022, Hotel and Catering News Middle East would like to honour and celebrate the dreams and achievements of the UAE women within the hospitality sector.

Celebrating the dreams and achievements of UAE women within the hospitality sector

IN HOSPITALITY EMIRATI WOMEN

EMIRATI WOMEN IN HOSPITALITY ةيتاراملاا ةأرملا يقدنفلا عاطقلا يف اهرودو

Assistant Sales Manager at Double Tree by Hilton Sharjah Waterfront Hotel & Suites

Career advice for other women

“I had the opportunity to experience each level within the department. For example, in Housekeeping I started out as a Housekeeping Attendant, before taking on the role of Supervisor and then an Assistant Manager. The same followed for all the other departments. I found that to be such an incredibly rewarding experience because it is the only way to truly understand the amount of time, effort, and financial in vestment required for each role – and I believe this is key to being a successful General Manager.” Amna has a genuine interest and passion for hospitality and all the different opportunities it has to offer, however she got into the industry to not only gain from it but also to contribute to it. “I felt that the industry lacked an Emirati presence. As an Emirati, I feel like I needed to support my country, particularly when it comes to tourism – which is a key contributor to the economy. During my time at Dubai Tourism, we used to receive feedback from tourists through surveys, which showed that they en joyed their time in the UAE but would have liked more opportunities to en gage with UAE nationals. This is what inspired the Industry and Nationalisa tion Programme, and what inspired me to pursue a career in hospitality. I want to see and be a part of the change.”

“I look forward to becoming the first female Emirati General Manager within the hospitality industry.” This is a quote by Amna Alraeesi, Assistant Sales Manager at DoubleTree by Hil ton Sharjah Waterfront Hotel & Suites, who started out her career in hospi tality through the Hilton’s Elevator Graduate Development Programme in September 2019. After a rigorous selec tion process, her first placement was in Operations and Human Resources at the DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai - Busi ness Bay location, where she worked across all departments in the hotel.

My advice to women would be find what you love and follow your passion – I truly believe this is what ultimately leads to success. For those considering a career in hospitality, this industry of fers something for everyone -- whether you have studied law, engineering, HR, or even medicine, something exciting awaits you. The potential for growth is incredible. To my fellow Emiratis I say this industry is the face of the UAE. If we do not stand at the forefront, then who will?

32 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM AMNA ALRAEESI

“I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MANAGER."THENOFTAKINGATTENDANT,ASTARTEDHOUSEKEEPINGFORTHEEACHEXPERIENCELEVELWITHINDEPARTMENT.EXAMPLE,INIOUTASHOUSEKEEPINGBEFOREONTHEROLESUPERVISORANDANASSISTANT

COVER STORYHCNME

SAMIHA AL BALOOSHI Director of Human Re sources at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Sumaya Alzaabi began her career in the pastry kitchen of the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah in 2015. She later went on to master Italian cuisine at Azure res taurant and, American food at Lexington Grill & Bar. Expanding her repertoire, she also experimented with Levantine and Japanese cuisines, the latter of which was her childhood favour ite. Working with senior chefs at UMI restaurant, Sumaya immersed herself in Japanese cuisine, focus sing on specialities such as sushi, sashimi, ramen, and tempura. Sumaya’s passion for cooking was ignited in her childhood while observ ing her mother prepare meals for the family. She developed her hobby into a career by studying

Growing up with in a pro gressive, academic-oriented Emirati family, I have seen my parents, throughout the years, reach higher ranks with their hard work and strong commitment, which has inspired me with values of discipline, integrity, and punctuality.

What advice would you give the next generation of Emirati Women look ing to join the hospitality sector?

SUMAYA ALZAABI Chef at Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah

Families in the UAE are

now adopting an ambitious agenda for their daughters, investing in their educa tion, and encouraging them to join the work force. I am passionate about the next generation of talents rising through the ranks and am proud to see so many young women who are very deter mined to develop and grow. My advice for any woman looking to explore a role in the hospitality sector would be to peruse the relevant academic studies and go for her passion and dreams. With the right drive, pas sion and clear vision, a career in any industry is possible for anyone.

Emirati women, and look into inspiring the future generation of women who aspire to become leaders in various fields and indus tries. Today, thanks to the numerous initiatives our nation and great leader ship has adopted, Emirati women enjoy a strong stand as they work hand in hand with men to represent the United Arab Emirates across all sectors

EMIRATI WOMEN IN HOSPITALITY

“I AM GROW."TOVERYWOMENSOPROUDRANKSTHROUGHTALENTSGENERATIONABOUTPASSIONATETHENEXTOFRISINGTHEANDAMTOSEEMANYYOUNGWHOAREDETERMINEDDEVELOPAND

Emirati Women’s Day is the day we look back, celebrate, and reflect on the rich legacy and achievements of

hotel management at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, which led to a placement at Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, where she now delights in introducing global flavours to UAE residents. Su maya strongly believes that women should reach for their dreams and fulfil their ambitions to build their future and be financially independent. Her dream is to travel the world while discovering ingredients, spices, and recipes.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the UAE's hospitality industry?

What does Emirati Wom en's Day mean to you?

“The great thing about hospitality is that you work with so many differ ent people from all around the world, with different languages, cultures, and experiences. That’s a great way to learn while main taining pride in your own background and experi ence. I believe creating more partnerships between educational institutions and industries is a great way to gain exposure to anyone choosing a career. Creating more traineeships and men toring programmes might encourage more Emirati women to consider hospi tality is a career.” She says.

What advice would you give the next generation of Emirati Women looking to join the hospitality sector?

Chef Hend Al Raisi, an Emirati Chef at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, has always been into culinary art as she inherited the love for food from her family. She gradu ated from the American University in Dubai in 2004 as an interior architect then decided to pursue her passion for food by joining one of the leading culinary schools in Armenia in 2019 where she studied Italian, international cuisines, and sushi secrets. She started her career with Jumeirah beach hotel in 2020. Hend is a true asset to Jumeirah Zabeel Saray and to the local Emirati community adding energy and acting as a great role model to young female chefs.

34 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM COVER STORYHCNME

Today, there is room for Emirati women to grow and bloom in every sec tor including hospitality. My advice for the future

generation is to grab the numerous opportunities our nation is continuously offering us to empower the Emirati women. The culinary sector is mainly dominated by men, and it was quite challenging for me to join at the begin ning yet with the growth and exposure opportuni ties Jumeirah Group and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray have given me, I am what I am today. I would advise all women to never give up and to always aim high.

Emirates through her. Asma is proud of her herit age and where she comes from. For her, like any cel ebration of women, Emirati Women’s Day is a chance to acknowledge all that we have in common and all that we contribute to the world. She believes the celebration of Emirati women is a great way to change the percep tions of the world.

What does Emirati Wom en's Day mean to you?

ASMA YAHYA Emirati Relations Manager at Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Creek

Asma has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years, she enjoys interact ing with people of different nationalities because this helps her gain more knowl edge about other cultures and its an opportunity for others to get to know the culture of the United Arab

CHEF HEND RAISI Chef de Partie at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Emirati Women’s Day for me represents recogni tion and pride to Emirati women’s achievements over the last 50 years and a drive to let me aim for more and further pursue my dreams. Being among the few Emirati women in the culinary field, my eyes are set on further inspiring other Emirati women to never settle for less and al ways pursue their passions and achieve their dreams.

more about the hospitality industry to understand the diverse career paths offered by the sector. There are sev eral fields they can choose from within the industry depending on their person ality and skills. Under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the tourism and hospitality industry is growing and will continue to offer exciting career op portunities for Emirati women.

My Major is tourism man agement, and I feel proud to promote the culture and traditions of my country to the world as well as the new generation of Emirati tal ent. By working in the sec tor, we can continue to build on the great reputation that our nation has developed over years.

What advice would you give to Emirati Women looking to join the hospi tality sector?

sales strategy in upselling banqueting spaces and generating revenue. She believes that hospitality is an exciting industry that offers a chance to develop experience in several fields and also provides great opportunity for career progression. For Shamma, Emirati Women’s Day is a representation of how the government encour ages women empowerment and inspires us to pursue our ambitions and explore career opportunities in dif ferent fields. “My advice to Emirati Women looking to join the hospitality sector is to be open to new experi ences, think outside the box, and truly make the best of growing the tourism and hospitality industry in the UAE.” Says Shamma.

It is a day to celebrate the dreams and achievements of Emirati Women, and on this day, I feel proud to be repre senting Emirati women in the hospitality.

SHAMMA ALSHEHHI Management Trainee - Sales & Marketing at IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City

“THERE ANDPERSONALITYONDEPENDINGTHEFROMCANFIELDSSEVERALARETHEYCHOOSEWITHININDUSTRYTHEIRSKILLS."

What inspired you to pursue a career in the UAE's hospitality industry?

Meet two Emirati women working as Management Trainees with IHG Hotels in Dubai Festival City, as part of Al Futtaim’s ‘Sinyar Management Trainees’ programme, an 18-month long training programme designed to expand their career development, offer learning opportunities, and explore a long-term career in the hospitality industry.

ELYAZIA ALI ALHAMMADI Management TraineeHuman Resources at IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City

35HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

WOMEN IN HOSPITALITY

EMIRATI

In January 2022 Shamma started her hospitality career journey with IHG ho tels in Dubai Festival City. Shamma enjoys working in events and conferences and is keenly learning the

I would advise them to read

What does Emirati Wom en's Day mean to you?

Tasnim AlGergawi is a proud Emirati woman with a Bachelor's degree in Social Research and Public Policy from NYU Abu Dhabi. During her pro fessional journey at NYUAD, Tasnim worked on her own qualitative study on mental health in the UAE, specifi cally focusing on adolescent education and how one can tackle mental health struggles at a young age. Before joining Deliveroo UAE, she interned at Emaar gaining experience with multiple teams ranging from recruitment, em ployee relations to finance.

Her current role at Deliveroo brings together her passion for communica tion with a focus on public affairs. Most recently, Tasnim has spearhead ed the launch of the Full Life Cam paign, a pillar of Deliveroo’s global En vironmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, in the UAE in part nership with Emirates Red Crescent.

Tasmin says, “The F&B industry is one of the most dynamic and fastest grow ing industries, especially in the UAE. Deliveroo is more than just a food delivery company, and the work we do here is largely tech driven. There is no doubt that tech is the future of F&B, and as a young woman, it's interesting to be part of this growth and journey.”

TASNIM ALGERGAWI Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Deliveroo UAE

Ayesha started Sinless bakery during Covid, and what was purely an idea actualised into a growing business within one year due to high demand. “I’m actually a very active person with a passion for health-conscious living, and I also believe in adding positive value to our economy,” she says.

AYESHA AL AIDAROOS Founder, Sinless Bakery

What inspired you to pursue a ca reer in the UAE's hospitality indus try?

The hospitality industry is huge, there are many segments within this indus try. I wanted to play my part for this community and promote healthy liv ing. The UAE’s economy attracts many people with different nationalities and backgrounds and a lot of people enjoy eating out and trying different cui sines as the UAE’s hospitality sector has it all. I feel it is important to be a leader in the industry and offer people healthier options and help them have a healthier lifestyle. My business part

ner is diabetic and I’m quite conscious of my food intake and my lifestyle and I have some sensitivity to gluten as well. We did our homework to study the market appetite for such products and we saw an opportunity there, and it just related to us. There was a gap in the market for people who want to enjoy all sorts of food but cannot, just like me and her.

What do you think can be done to attract more Emirati women to the hospitality industry?

Personally, I found it to be a male dominated industry. I think women need to be supportive of each other to be able to push through male dominat ed industries. We should have a more focused strategy, a strong business plan, and ensure proper networking in the industry. Over time, we will be able to push through. Women have a lot to add to the industry as we have differ ent views and new things to offer and will bring new aspects to the industry. We will also encourage and promote healthy food and living which is in line with the new generations’ views and concerns as people are becoming more aware of their health and the food they consume.

COVER STORYHCNME

She adds, “Emirati Women’s Day an important day to celebrate and acknowledge the progress of Emirati women and our continuous empower ment in every field. We have always been encouraged to create our own paths and given complete autonomy of our journey. The accomplishments of Emirati women in every field are a testament to our potential and a sign that we are not planning to slow down anytime soon. This one day of the year is just a reminder that we have so much more to get inspired from and a lot more to achieve. And seeing other Emirati women in the field helps. Knowing there are opportunities that are available, interesting, and new to them will attract more Emirati women to the hospitality industry.”

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ALINE ALBUQUERQUE Director of Public Relations at Raffles The Palm

“Emirati Women’s Day for me is a reminder of how in a country like the UAE, where constant change and progress is not only accepted but required, how much we have fought to secure the positions that we hold in the different spectrums of society. It is satisfactory to see how our leadership cherishes the value that we hold in forming the fabric of our society let it be in the work space or however else the women of this country choose to. I believe it is essential for hospitality to mirror the diversity of the city whilst maintaining its roots at the forefront of what it does. I believe we still have a great deal of work to do when it comes to showing how equal ity plays a big role in the UAE, and this equality must be represented in the mix of talents, let it be in hospitality or any other industry present in the country.”

Managing Director at talabat UAE

Tatiana is the first female Managing Director of talabat UAE, the region's leading online food delivery and q-com merce platform. After four years, Tatiana joined a top tier management consulting firm in the MENA region where she got the opportunity to work on a diverse set of projects in Berlin, Dubai, and Qatar. However, wanting to follow her passion for food and technology, Tatiana decided to join talabat UAE in 2017 as Corporate Performance Manager before moving to Oman as Managing Director in 2019.

“EMIRATI WOMEN’S DAY FOR ME IS A REMINDER OF HOW IN A COUNTRY LIKE THE UAE, WHERE CONSTANT CHANGE AND PROGRESS IS NOT ONLY ACCEPTED BUT REQUIRED, HOW MUCH WE HAVE FOUGHT TO SECURE THE POSITIONS THAT WE HOLD IN THE DIFFERENT SPECTRUMS OF SOCIETY."

EMIRATI WOMEN IN HOSPITALITY

TATIANA RAHAL

37HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

“As a brand that is born and bred in the region with its headquarters in the UAE, we feel a deep sense of pride to see an increasing number of Emirati women owned busi nesses on our platform, across all seven emirates. This is a reflection of the country’s remarkable achievements in women empowerment, with many Emirati women in leading positions. At talabat UAE, we share the Emirates’ vision of sustainable development and gender equality with 42% of management positions occupied by women, which is higher than the global benchmark. We look forward to partnering with more Emirati Women entrepreneurs and be part of their success journey as they continue to contrib ute to the growth of the sector. As a woman myself, I truly believe that women can achieve anything they set their minds on.”

38 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

RANIA ROUFAEL Chief People Officer at Sunset Hospitality Group

ELENA BLINOVA Director of Revenue at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort

“Emirati Women’s Day is a truly special occasion. It not only, allows the us to celebrate the remarkable women that represent this wonderful country, but shines a light on gender equality and female empowerment in the United Arab Emirates. It is a way to recognise all their strengths, resilience and unity that showcases a traditional, and innovative people in our society. Emirati women have continuously made their nation proud with remarkable achievements in arts, business, science and almost every other field. They have worked tremendously to help make the UAE the epitome of progress and prosperity as the world knows it. Hence It would only make sense for Emirati women to be a part of the UAE’s most prominent industries, the tourism and hospitality sector.”

COVER STORYHCNME

“Emirati Women’s Day is a memorable day because it recognises and honours the many accomplishments achieved by the women of this nation in different sec tors of the economy. The inclusion of Emirati women in the Hospitality sector would create great diversity and inclusion opportunity as it is one of the vastly expanding industries in UAE. At Sunset Hospitality Group, we highly value the importance of diversity and inclusion in hiring hence we believe seeing more Emirati women entering the hospitality market will encourage creativity and innovative thinking across the industry.”

Using clarified butter is imperative when making a Hollandaise sauce because whole butter, which contains water and milk solids, can break the emulsion. Clarified butter is pure butterfat, which helps the emulsion remainHollandaisestable. sauce can be used independently, and it’s particularly delicious on seafood, vegetables, and eggs.

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

Béchamel sauce is the most straightforward because it doesn’t require making stock. A basic béchamel can be made from the main ingredients of milk, flour, and butter.

Hollandaise sauce is a tangy, buttery sauce made by slowly whisking clarified butter into warm egg yolks.

The trick to beurre blanc is slowly adding cold, small cubes of butter one at a time while continuously whisking. The sheer force of a whisk and acidic liquids will hold the sauce together.

Béchamel can be used as an ingredient in pasta recipes and casseroles. However, it is perhaps most recognizable as the base for some of the most common white sauces, cream sauces, and cheese-based sauces in France and beyond.

The white vinegar cuts through some of the richness, leaving a nice round and silky texture and none of the greasiness that melted butter can sometimes leave behind.

Beurre Blanc is a classic French sauce flavored with chicken stock, vinegar, and aromatics which may sound complicated but is relatively easy to make.

Sensational sauces with European Butter

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

In France, sauces are taken very seriously and butter is a critical ingredient in the most famous of them. Why ? Because French butter adds refinement, taste and texture to the sauce.

Béchamel is made by thickening hot milk with a simple white roux. The sauce is then flavored with onion, cloves, and nutmeg and simmered until creamy and smooth.

HCNME A SPECIAL FEATURE

RMS COMPANIES

Hotel & Catering News Middle East is shining a spotlight on some of the top restaurant management solutions companies in the region. In addition to restaurants we also feature key software management companies within the hospitality and travel and tourism sector.

TOP RMS COMPANIES 41HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

Under his leadership, the company is experienc ing huge success. With more than 500 employees, Foodics has grown from its Khobar beginnings, to now having 8 offices across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Ku wait and The Netherlands.

How has innovation in technology enhanced this industry?

Technology has significantly improved the speed and effi ciency of Restaurant opera tions, such as the communi cation between restaurant staff, with the cashier and the kitchen, and changed the way owners operate and understand how their busi ness is Technologyperforming.hasalso im proved and changed the way customers order products from online destinations, kiosks and other self-serve products through easier and effortless human-centriccanawillcustomeragreethatence,typenowConveniencepayment.isactuallythemostsought-afterofcustomerexperiwithstudiesshowing68%ofcustomersthataconvenientexperiencealonepromptthemtoreturntobrandorcompany,whichbedeliveredthroughtechnology.

42 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

FOODICS

HCNME A SPECIAL FEATURE

to empower restaurant and merchant owners with a comprehensive cloud-based POS system to enrich their operations. FOODICS caters to every segment of the F&B sector from traditional dinein restaurants, cafés, quick service restaurants, baker ies, food trucks through to cloud kitchens and nonfood micro-retailers. Since its inception in 2014, it has successfully processed over 6 billion orders through the platform and raised a record USD170 mil in Series C round, making it one of the most promising SaaS companies to emerge from the MENA region.

What are the key tech nologies driving restaurant management today?

Ahmad Al-Zaini is the CoFounder and CEO of Foodics, the leading Restaurant-Tech company in MENA which he co-founded in 2014.

tech suppliers, to give res taurant owners 360 visibility of their business through one single screen from the offset. Our strong API allows restaurants to integrate with as many services and suppliers as they wish. We are a true ecosystem enabler, allowing restaurants to integrate with all ecosys tem partners instantly in order to gain access capital, payments, food delivery, accounting services as well bookings, to name a few.

As an entrepreneur, Ah mad has been recognized widely, as recipient of the prestigious Forbes Award for Entrepreneurs Shaping Saudi Arabia's Future and as a high-impact entrepreneur by Endeavor Global.

Having recently completed a Harvard Leadership course, he remains very active in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He is a board advisor and business consultant for a number of companies and an angel investor himself in several tech startups.

Foodics’ digitally connects the different moving parts and departments, as well as the services of the ecosys tem together.

OODICS is the lead ing digitisationingecosystemwithplatformogyagementrestaurantcloud-basedmantechnolandpaymentsinMENA,a360°SaaSsupportitsend-to-endand

making it a pioneer in the re gional F&B industry. Formally licensed as a Fintech com pany by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the company’s vision is to build a complete restaurant theirtionsownersecosystemmanagementthatenablestoruntheiroperaseamlesslyandgrowbusiness.Itsmissionis

The F&B industry is indeed witnessing a huge shift in the way it functions, especially with regards to digitization of traditional restaurants and the rise of cloud kitchens, yet starting and managing a restaurant remains a complex journey.

At Foodics, we are focused on providing restaurant own ers and their customers with a digital-first experience. We connect all the mov ing parts of a restaurant along with all the respective departments and 3rd party

From our perspective, we use tech nology to bring more operational efficiency to restaurant owners, and we are always looking to enrich our marketplace with advanced solu tions that will enhance the customer experience in the F&B industry and allow our customers (F&B business owners) to unlock their growth potential.

the most integrated SaaS platform for F&B in the Middle East.

What are some of the challenges your business faces?

43HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

At Foodics, we offer restaurant owners and managers an all-in-one restau rant-tech and fin-tech management ecosystem to help them run their busi ness from A to Z.

What is the future of technology in the F&B industry?

Human capital is always a strategic competitive advantage any business can depend on and is one that is key for us. However, since we are growing at such a fast rate, finding the best talent from the offset can sometimes be a challenge. We have however now established a very strong talent acquisition team in Saudi. We have also opened an office in Amsterdam, with it being a thriving tech hub, home to industry giants, innovative companies and a buzzing startup scene, it is the ideal platform for us to also source talent.

Our mission is to empower every person who contributes to the success of a restaurant business and provide finance to fuel its growth.

Restaurant owners will also be able to leverage the utilization of sentiment-driven technologies to customize CX by proactively making menu recommendations, upselling, and getting a sense of the custom ers’ emotional state.

Our approach is unique in the fact that we design human-centric solu tions - we think of how our products will impact restaurant owners, how they will be used by restaurant teams and how they will impact the cus tomer experience. In essence, we help restaurant owners on 3 fronts. We help them increase their operational ef ficiency, operate their business with a healthier cash flow cycle and also help them achieve financial freedom.

Powered by our recent funding, we have been able to accelerate the de velopment of our end-to-end Fintech stack ecosystem to better support the F&B entrepreneurs and owners.

Lastly, what differentiates you from your competitors?

We in fact recently unveiled our latest innovative product suite at a Foodics film screening in Riyadh which was attended by over 450 guests including VIP dignitaries, F&B restaurant owners, business influ encers, investors and strategic Tech ecosystem partners.

AI and data driven reports are key to the future of technology in the F&B Industry, they give restaurant owners invaluable insights on how to move forward with their business, guiding their management by ena bling data driven business decisions.

The ordering experience extends to every touchpoint of the brand, leading to an evolution of mass communications to customers to a more targeted one that consid ers contextual relevance, customer segmentation, and the optimization of digital communications chan nels like push-notifications through restaurants’ apps.

Combined with Foodics’ ecosystem partners, this new product suite ad dresses all the pain points of restau rant owners and more. From online to in-store self-ordering, the products unveiled during the event included: Foodics One (a 3-in-1 device for Micro-businesses), Online (a white la bel app & web ordering solution), Selfordering countertop and stand-alone kiosk, among others, making Foodics

Our latest Tech stack empowers F&B business owners with autono mous growth through self ordering and payments solutions, enabling them to run their operations more seamlessly and efficiently, thereby fast-tracking their own business growth in the process.

We allow restaurateurs to focus on growing their business, while we develop tools as well as access to data and insights to help them make the right decisions. As such, our products cater to every segment of the F&B sector from traditional dine-in restaurants, cafés, fast food outlets, bakeries, food trucks to cloud kitchens.Ouravailability in the markets is also unique: we are always available. Our tech and support teams are on call 24/7 to make sure that the business es of our clients are not interrupted.

Tell us about your business and your solutions for the F&B sector?

Foodics offers a full suite of products that digitizes front of house, back of house, and back office for restaurants.

TOP RMS COMPANIES

Deliverect

HCNME A SPECIAL FEATURE

44 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

Tell us about your business and your solutions for the hospitality sector?

aji Haddad is the Gen eral Manager of MENA for Deliverect, the leading SaaS solution that simplifies online order management for restaurants. He leads a fast-growing team across commercial, techni cal, and customer support functions, helping thousands of large and small restau rants across the globe thrive and Withgrow.+10years of experi

ence in Food and hospitality, Naji has a clear vision of how the industry is changing, in 2018 he started a company that partnered with several food tech solutions such as online ordering, digital menus and online reputation management, their role was to help those restaurants and take them through the journey of digital transfor mation by assessing what they need and providing the right solutions accordingly.

Deliverect is a SaaS compa ny with the mission of being the backbone of digital food and helping businesses con nect with their customers through online commerce and helping them thrive. Deliverect solution simpli fies online food delivery management and seamless ly integrates online orders from food delivery channels, allowing 25,000+ establish ments to improve opera tional service and increase customer satisfaction.

What differentiates you from your competitors?

also the fact that we have an ecosystem of over 400 partners with active integra tions. Deliverect operates in +60 countries all around the world. We offer the first-ofits-kind online ecosystem of food industry partners that for example connects restaurants with stock management, kiosk, POS, pay & order, and now virtual brands to streamline costs and efficiencies, boost sales, and much more.

At Deliverect, we are continuously committed to putting our customers as a priority in everything we do. Our customer-centric ap proach is of utmost priority as it helps us understand their needs and require ments. This in return allows us to offer the exact solu tions that will help empower the sector. We are also keen on staying one step ahead of the competition by keep ing our pulse on the industry and expanding our portfolio to address any challenges that the sector faces. Our proactivity and flexibility make us able to adapt to any new changes in the market. Besides providing a seam less integration for all online orders directly to restaurant POS, we offer our custom ers key features that can directly support them in finding stability and taking educated decisions like insightful analytics, menu optimization and menu A/B testing. Finally, Deliverect of fers multi-language 24-hour support via phone, chat, or email.

Operating in over 60 markets around the world, Deliverect is trusted by restaurant chains and FMCGs such as Burger King, Eat Pickl, Pizza Express, Timeout Market, and Unilever, as well as small and midsize restaurants and dark kitchens around the world.Through our Delivery Man ager app, customers can run their sales directly from the Deliverect app and consoli date all sales channels there. This gives a clear overview of all orders while providing access to our other unique features and tools. Custom ers also have the choice of using the Deliverect app with their own POS. Our solutions portfolio helps restaurants take control of their delivery experience.

What makes us stand out from our competition is not just our solution but

food safety plans

21HOTELNEWSME.COM | APRIL 2021

Leveraging today’s IoT technology and Emerson’s comprehensive end-to-end services, our customers can rely on us to help their food safety plans become more efﬁcient, compliant and streamlined in order to help grow their business.

Transmitters make it easy and cost efﬁcient to cover an area with Bluetooth Low Energy to internet connectivity to centralize management of temperature monitoring with a fraction of the effort required by alternative technologies.

Efﬁcient. Compliant. Streamlined

aggregators, phone-in, and dine-ins. All these technology pieces must come together to offer a seamless journey for both the restaurant and its customers.

What is the future of tech nology in hospitality?

Grubtech is the gamechang er. One of the hardest things for a restaurateur is manag ing the tapestry of technol

Hero’s Talabat (includ ing Expo 2020), and other international food chains like California Pizza Kitchen, Dunkin Donuts and Paul’s. Leveraging Ing over 20 years of experience, Moe pioneered omnichannel solutions with the launch of MamasandPa pas, and Gap in the GCC, and successfully introduced the region's first 2-hour e-com merce delivery promise.

What are the key technologies driving hospitality management today?

46 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM HCNME

ogy choices and integrations to meet their customer’s demands, we have taken that burden off their shoulders by offering a one stop shop for everything they need from their point of sale, payments, food aggregator integra tions to automated cubbies for delivery management. In short, Grubtech is an operat ing system for cloud kitchens and restaurants; in our arse nal of tools, we take care of food aggregator integrations, kitchen management solu tions, delivery solutions and countless partners that are perfectly in sync and under one roof. The restaurant has to only worry about cooking great food and we handle all their technology require ments.

The hospitality industry is go ing through a lot of change. We’re learning now to blend traditional services with technology to operate more efficiently and run-on fewer resources while at the same time improving the overall customer journey. It will help businesses streamline their processes, reduce costs, lower staff workloads, and increase revenue genera tion drastically over time. We firmly believe in the inter sect between wearables, in-kitchen robotics, and driverless deliveries in the very near future.

After almost two years of social distancing, the need and desire to go out, travel, and dine-in is more prominent than ever. What’s different now, though, is the way people choose to do it; contactless payments and self-serve options are relevant now more than ever. In addition to seamless dine-in ordering and pay ments, consumer behaviour has permanently changed to an omnichannel journey, the touch points between a restaurant and its customers include social media, food

We care about our cus tomer’s business as much as they do, and with that customer centricity in mind – we have developed a tight feedback loop that informs what our team builds and how they build it. All the great ideas we have are directly from our customer’s sug gestions. That said, if I was to summarize our competitive advantage – we are the one stop shop for your restau rant’s requirements.

Tell us about your business and your solutions for the hospitality sector?

"WE FIRMLY BELIEVE IN THE INTERSECT BETWEEN WEARABLES, IN-KITCHEN ROBOTICS, AND DRIVERLESS DELIVERIES IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE."

What differentiates you from your competitors?

ohamed Fayed is a tech disruptor, global entrepre neur, digital advisor, visionary, and men tor. He is the CEO and co-founder of GrubTech, one of the UAE’s fastest-growing tech start-ups that enables cloud kitchens and restau rants to successfully man age end-to-end operations using state-of-the-art digital tools and capabilities. Under Moe’s leadership, GrubTech’s client portfolio has grown rapidly to span fifteen countries, managing millions worth of food orders for large organisations like Delivery

GrubTech

A SPECIAL FEATURE

osist is a B4B restaurantsPosisttechnologyitstransformationrantwithcompanyness-for-Business)(Busipartneringglobalrestauchainsindigitalwithunifiedrestaurantplatform.powers12,000+globally.

Our product is built to improve the bottom-line efficiency of restaurants so that restaura teurs can focus on making great food and delight guests without worrying about maintaining complex on-premises systems. Our technology platform is built with a unified approach cater ing to the entire operations of an F&B business from Frontof-House (FOH) to Back-ofHouse (BOH) and everything in between.Posistoffers subscriptionbased software designed for Operations, IT teams, and front-line restaurant staff who need data-driven insights to improve efficiency across all restaurant touchpoints. We are a completely Hardware and platform-agnostic software, meaning Posist can work seam lessly on any device, even in an offline environment, in case of a network outage. Our software keeps the data updated in the

backend, so no data loss is pos sible.Posist is among very few play ers in restaurant technology to offer a rich integration platform that offers over 300+ third-party integrations with all the leading aggregators, logistics partners, loyalty partners, and payment solutions worldwide.

It allows enterprise restaurant operators to grow at scale, improve bottom-line efficiency and deliver a consistent guest experience.Posist'sunified technol ogy platform streamlines restaurants' Greatinformationinternationalnisescertification,27001,operations.processes,usingItalian,Carl'sHerfy,includingRenownedIntegrations,Back-of-House,Front-of-House,Out-of-House/Analytics,andCRM.restaurantchains,TacoBell,Nando's,Bateel,TresindStudio,Jr,Häagen-Dazs,Jamie'sareamongafewbrandsPosisttomanagetheirpeople,andplaceofPosistiscertifiedwithISOISO27017,andISO27701whichrecogPosist’scompliancewithgoldstandardsforsecurity.PosistisaPlacetoWork-Certified™

Tell us about your business and your solutions for the hospital ity sector?

From online ordering, self-check outs, and touchless payments to delivery and cloud kitchens, the F&B industry can no longer ignore the trends helping busi nesses reinvent themselves to remain relevant and competitive.

Posist

What is the future of technol ogy in hospitality?

It is predicted that growth in the restaurant industry will be driven by multiple factors like off-premise consumption, menu engineering, new ingredients, and using technology to improve operations and service delivery and reimagining restaurants.

organisation, placing it among one of the top employers of choice.

As a company, we invest and provide round-the-clock support to customers on call and email. The industry recognises our help, and we take pride in oper ating on the mantra of being a skin-in-the-game partner.

47HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 TOP RMS COMPANIES

unique combination of hospitality expe rience and technology leadership drives Duetto to look for innovative solutions to industry challenges. The software as a service platform allows hotels and casino resorts to leverage real-time dynamic data sources and actionable insights into pricing and demand across the enterprise. More than 4,000 hotel

virtually every aspect of your operation - increase speed of service, empower your kitchen team, manage staff, optimise stock take and ordering, simplify cost control, analyse performance and more.

that revolutionise the industry. Headquartered in Singapore, with offices in San Francisco, Dubai, and India, Sapaad's key stakehold ers and investors are technology veterans with years of experience in the web, mobility and e-com merce world.

Duetto is backed by investors Warburg Pincus, Icon Ventures, Accel Partners, Battery Ventures and Spectrum 28.

Snowbell Restaurant Management was founded in 2013 with the open ing of its first restaurant, Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor in Abu Dhabi, UAE along with two other locations in India,

with the core philosophies of “creating memorable experiences through food”. They have partnered with acclaimed multinational brands such as Sugar Factory to Sanjeev Kapoor and pio

48 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM HCNME A SPECIAL FEATURE

NutriCal, a food data intelligence software that launched in the region in 2020 with the aim to equip businesses with information they can use to attract

and retain customers. NutriCal can be integrated by restaurants, cloud kitch ens, food delivery companies, aggrega tors, food manufacturers and brands. The web portal provides automatically generated nutritional fact labels as per FDA guidelines in English and Arabic, macros in the menu and break-up of each of the recipes on the menu. In ad dition, with digitisation and online being the core focus of the sector currently,

Duetto delivers a suite of cloud applica tions to simplify hospitality revenue decisions and allow hoteliers to work smarter, increasing organisational ef ficiency, revenue, and profitability. The

Sapaad is a global SaaS (Software As A Service) product com pany focused on crafting world class-software experiences. With thousands of users world-wide and a team of passionate develop ers and designers, Sapaad grows, innovates, and develops products

and casino resort properties in more than 60 countries have partnered to use Duetto's applications, which include GameChanger for pricing, ScoreBoard for intelligent reporting and BlockBuster for contracted-business optimization.

MiddleSyrve East

neered home-grown concepts such as Ming’s Chamber, Peppermill and Laung to create unique culinary experiences from around the world. Today, through strategic acquisitions and mergers, Snowbell has grown to over 16 loca tions in the UAE, operating under five brands. SRM has positioned itself for further growth through its disciplined strategies and unique industry part nerships and has another 12 locations under development.

F&B companies can also use Nutri Cal to create new products, conduct recipe costing and design social media. The system has data and intelligence of over 25,000 ingredients from the United States Department of Agricul ture (USDA) and other international databases with the capability of being integrated into the business’s existing tech platforms such as websites and POS systems.

Syrve Middle East (formally iiko) soft ware enables food and beverage (F&B) businesses to increase performance and spend less time on routine administrative tasks. Syrve automates and transforms

HOSPITALITY IS ONE OF THE WAY.THESOLUTIONSENABLEDORDERTHEYCUSTOMERS52%MUCH.HASN’TONINDUSTRIES,OLDESTAND,THESURFACE,CHANGEDBUTTODAY,OFGENZSAYPREFERTOVIATECH-THANTRADITIONAL

hatFood is an om nichannel ordering and bestbusinessesempowerFood’sityformarketingdata-drivenplatformleadinghospitalbrands.Chatmissionistohospitalitywiththetechnologyto

give their guests a seamless, personalized, and rewarding experience at every meal. Founded in early 2019 by cofounders Benjamin Mouflard (CEO) and Vinicius Rodrigues (CTO), ChatFood was born to help hospitality busi nesses regain control of their relationship with customers, starting with their online business which has been monopolized by 3rd-party marketplaces. The company built an innovative mobile ordering solution to enable restaurants to sell from Ins

How has innovation technology-enhancedin this industry?

ChatFood

tagram and WhatsApp (Chat Food has been awarded the WhatsApp partner badge) whilst connecting directly with their engaged.underguestsnesstoonHospitalityrewardingtheiroperatingunlocktheirguestsempowerbyloyaltydigitaldigitalment,asserviceChatFood’scustomers.tech-enabledsolutionssuchQRorderingandpayin-room&poolsideordering,grouptabs,tipping,ordynamicprograms,poweredtheChatFooddashboard,operatorstogivemorecontroloverhospitalityexperience,highersales,reducecosts,andprovideemployeeswithamoreworkexperience.groupsarealwaysadrivetofindnewwayskeepgrowingtheirbusianddelightingtheirwhilekeepingcostscontrolandemployees

Hospitality is one of the oldest industries, and, on the surface, hasn’t changed much. But today, 52% of Gen Z customers say they prefer to order via tech-enabled solutions than the traditional way. This is having forced hospitality managers to re think how they use technolo gy to enable customers from everywhere in the world, speaking different languages, to order more conveniently from their room or poolside. Technology is not replacing human interactions, it is com plementing it, ensuring that customers have a consistent experience at every visit. It also empowers businesses to be able to provide a more convenient, personalised, and faster experience across the board.

49HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 TOP RMS COMPANIES

What are the key tech nologies driving hospitality management today?

Historically, POS have been driving the hospitality indus try. It is complex because it’s a very segmented market with some old, established players and newcomers that are trying to disrupt the market but are struggling to provide an end-to-end solution. In the meantime, customers’ expectations are evolving as they want to access services online, more conveniently and want to be rewarded for their loyalty. This is where food aggregators, digital ordering and payment solutions have emerged. In the case of the hospitality industry, there are a lot of aspects of the cus tomer relationship that need to be optimized. From the booking experience to the

stay, the F&B experience and checkout, the venue needs to ensure that the customer is delighted every step of the way.

the ability to make in-app purchases, set up itineraries and access everything the hotel and city has to offer, at their Basedfingertips.onatraveller’s geolocation, purpose of visit, personal preferences and available time, Lokalee gives highly personalised recom mendations for events, attractions, restaurants, galleries, activities, transpor tation and lifestyle services, carefully curated by its local heroes and global partners.

HCNME A SPECIAL FEATURE

active in the Middle East and the Caribbean. They are city experts and off-city guides, responsible for discovering unique local experiences and uncovering places not widely heard of. They build bespoke local recommendations and curate a city’s best content.

Lokaleeagain. powers the digital guest experience from prearrival to post-departure, hyper personalizes the user journey through AI technol ogy, provides a seamless guest experience, increases guest satisfaction and loyalty and generates additional rev enues from in-app purchases.

HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS

Samir believes that the cornerstone of success throughout the hospitality sector lies in the delivery of interactive, integrated and individualised customer service, which is what led to the developmentconceptualisation,anddelivery of Lokalee.

ased in Austria, UAE and the US, Advanced Digital Technology is a company special ised in AI technology and digital innovation, driven by a talented team of international hospitality and technology professionals that is working hard to bring the latest mobile lifestyle experience to the travelFocusingindustry.onDubai as the first launch city, Lokalee, de veloped by Advanced Digital Technology, is an AI-powered travel content platform spe cifically designed for hotels. The plug and play white label app is fully customizable for every hotel’s needs, allowing guests to explore a city with

Tell us about your solutions for the hospitality sector? Lokalee provides access to hotels to local content and experiences curated by global partners and a be spoke team of local heroes: With over 150 hotel partners, Lokalee’s growing network of global affiliates delivers direct access to more than 15,000 local experiences and recommendations and over 75,000 travel activities globally. Lokalee’s network of local heroes is currently

50 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

Through the use of Lokalee, hoteliers no longer have to source, develop, curate and update their own destina tion content and their guests never have to be tourists

Innovation has played a key role in the hospitality industry as it helped provide a seam less user journey and experi ence. From an online booking to the check in process at a hotel, everything is now digital which increases guest satisfaction and loyalty. At Lokalee, Artificial Intel ligence is at the core of our business model. It helps analyse guest behaviour and preferences, and in turn, provides hyper user.recommendationspersonalisedtothe

Samir Abi Frem, Chief Ex ecutive Officer of Advanced Digital Technology, boasts decades of executive experience in the global hospitality sector, having held a number of leading technology roles – most recently with Rotana Hotels Management in the UAE. Combining his expertise in Computer Science and Information Technology with Hotel Management, Samir provides a clear vision for Lokalee, along with unique insights and direction for this global start-up, stem ming from his extensive hospitality background.

How has innovation in technology enhanced this industry?

Lokalee

Since its launch, Lokalee has partnered with over 100+ hotels and groups in the UAE, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the US including Accor, Millennium, Rotana and Sandals Resorts.

True to its vision to offer quality, modern and compre hensive software solutions, HotelTime’s product portfolio includes a full package of bespoke software to man age every department and all services in a hotel. The company’s cloud-based systems include HotelTime PMS software, Vento ePOS system, Libero SPA system and Confero, a software for

HotelTime Solutions soft ware is a highly innovative multi-property cloud-native SaaS solution for medium and big-sized hotels, resorts, and groups. We offer a full product suite (PMS, POS, SPA and MICE software) and topquality customer support, we focus on a personal ap proach towards our clients.

What differentiates you from your competitors?

What is the future of tech nology in hospitality?

Over time, as the growth strategy became more struc tured, HotelTime Solutions has been focusing on EMEA & SE Asia regions with offic es in London, Prague, Dubai, Sri Lanka, and Bangkok.

We see that not every re gion innovates at the same pace. While we believe the emphasis in hotels should be put on increasing the effectiveness of opera tions and the happiness of guests through the likes of seamless integrations and payment automation, we sometimes still see oldschool legacy thinking with a focus on accounting or cost savings. We strongly believe that hotel tech should be seen as investment, not as a cost.

Jan became CEO in 2011 and under his leadership the company began expanding internationally. At first, this growth was purely organic and started in the UK and some of the European and Commonwealth countries.

HotelTime Solutions

The future is bright, that’s for sure! Technology will keep evolving with the

otelTime Solutions is an hospitalitybasedcost-effectiveofandsoftwareindependentdevelopertrustedprovidercutting-edge,cloud-systemstotheindustry

What are some of the chal lenges your business faces?

booking confirmation. These goals naturally led to the creation of one of the first cloud native PMSs.

for nearly two decades. Its solutions are in use in over 550 hotels and restaurants across 17 countries.

TOP HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE COMPANIES

events and ceivegueststobyertyhotelierstwooriginalHotelTimetechnologicalwantedthewithhowhimThisminginterestedhospitalitySolutions.andmanagement.conferencesJanHejnyistheco-founderCEOofHotelTimeJancamefromafamilybutwasinITandprogramsincehischildhood.combinationhelpedunderstandveryearlycomputerstogethertheInternetwillchangehospitalityindustryandtobeapartofthisevolution.In2002,Janco-foundedandservedastheCTO,withthemainaimsbeing–toenablemanagetheirpropinamoreeffectivewayhavingremoteaccesstheirPMSandtoallowsbookon-lineandreinstantandautomated

51HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

same basic aim of improving the effectiveness of hotel management and enhanc ing the guest experience. As systems are becoming more and more advanced, hotels that will not adopt new tech nology will struggle to remain competitive. High-quality technology is becoming an essential part of hotels' suc cess (or failure!).

52 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM MAKING DELICIOUS POSSIBLEHCNME

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

moving to Dubai which was a real turning point in my career. This city gave me the platform to grow, flourish and innovate working initially at One & Only Royal Mirage, then JA Resorts and later as Chef de Cuisine with Movenpick Hotel before getting the unmissable opportunity to become the Executive Chef at Roxy Cinemas.

The Korean Wave is seeing a rise in popularity of South Korea's culture exporting pop culture, entertainment, music, TV dramas and movies and it’s the same with Korean food, which is really getting a lot of love around the world. Roxy’s Korean chicken slider and wings are getting a lot of love from our guests and come highly recommended.

Tell us more about the dish. Today I am cooking braised short rib served with a garlic mash, bok choy and crispy leeks. We serve this on our Roxy Platinum menu and it’s one of the most popular with our guests and a favourite of my team.

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

I think maintaining the highest standards of hygiene is always critical, on top of that places like Roxy Cinema are always looking to respond to our guest’s every changing taste and wider trends and that means being able to easily source the latest products from around the world.`

INDIAN NATIONAL, MANOJ HAS MORE THAN 15 YEARS OF CULINARY EXPERIENCE, 13 OF WHICH ARE IN THE UAE. EXECUTIVE CHEF

I think it’s hard to beat a classic Biryani. It’s so humble yet when done well should be packed with flavour and is very simple to prepare at home, with a good balance of carbs and protein.

MANOJ ANEJA

As a chef, I believe in cooking in the moment and that means cooking for the season. Across all our dishes one of our top priorities is sourcing in season produce, a great dish ultimately comes down to simple, fresh ingredients.

What’s your favourite dish to eat and why?

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

From an early age I knew I wanted to cook and I first stepped into a kitchen when I was 18 as part of my early culinary training at the Vatel Hotel, France. I started my professional career in the holy city of Amritsar, India, working at both the Hyatt and Leela hotels before

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

What are you cooking up today?

53HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 FIND OUT MORE ABOUT US HERE: GENERAL STORE • 5 g Olive oil • 150 g Barbeque sauce • 1 l Water • 30 g Tomato paste • 120 ml Water • 8 g Garlic chopped FROZEN ITEMS • 140 g Braised BBQ short rib DAIRY • 40 g Cooking Cream • 10 g Butter NESTLÉ® PRODUCTS • 50 g MAGGI® Mashed potato • 45 g MAGGI® Beef stock • 30 g MAGGI® Demi-glace VEGETABLE • 5 g Crispy leek • 50 g Bok choy • 10 g Cherry tomato • 150 g Carrot • 60 g White onion • 60 g Leek • 20 g Garlic • 30 g Celery • 2 pcs Bay leaf DRY STORE • 3 g Salt • 1 g Black pepper crushed • 1 g Black peppercorn INGREDIENTS 24 HOURS BARISED BBQ SHORT RIB

MAKING DELICIOUS POSSIBLEHCNME NI

I would recommend that suppliers produce high quality products and ensure that they themselves are selling us the best possible brands available to the market. WAYAN MARTIN

What are you cooking up today? Tell us more about the dish. Today I’ll be making some fresh vegetable sushi with some wasabi mayo.

INDONESIAN NATIONAL, NI WAYAN HAS MORE THAN 11 YEARS OF CULINARY EXPERIENCE, 5 OF WHICH ARE IN THE UAE. SOUS CHEF

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

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

The market for plant-based meat has grown dramatically in recent years, like cultivated meat and fermentation-derived products, plant-based meat is better for the planet, people, and animals.

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

54 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

As a sushi chef I work mostly with Japanese ingredients, I’m always upgrading the ingredients I use and lately I have experimenting with caviar and edible gold.

I started being a chef from high school and continued with it throughout university. I, then decided to move to Dubai for a better career. I started my career in Dubai as a sushi chef, I learned a lot of new skills from different places and I am in the position to teach, guide my staff and I also learn while I’m teaching. My goals as a chef is to transfer happiness so the guests who come to the restaurant so that they can feel good and have a good time.

What’s your favourite dish to eat and why?

I love Asian food as it always brings memories of my hometown.

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

55HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 FIND OUT MORE ABOUT US HERE: VEGETABLE SUSHI • 10 g Avocado • 10 g Mango • 5 g Cucumber • 5 g Yamagobo • 5 g Takuan • 10 g Chukka wakame DRY STORE • 90 g Sushi rice GENERAL STORE • 2.5 g Nori sheet • 20 g Ginger pickle • 20 g Wasabi • 30 g Japanese mayonese • 10 g Wasabi powder • 10 g Lemon juice NESTLÉ® PRODUCTS • 15 g NESTLÉ® Condensed milk INGREDIENTS VEGETABLE SUSHI

In 2016, Guillaume joined Sunset Hospitality Group as the Director of Operations for Provocateur. In just one year, he continued to climb the ranks and was promoted to General Manager at DRIFT Beach Dubai, where he led an extensive team and oversaw all opera tions of the venue for four and a half years. Through his effective manage ment, the venue has become one of the UAE’s most globally recognised beachfront destinations, and has won several prestigious awards, continuing

SUN, SEA,

56 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

HCNME THE BUSINESS OF

Sunset hospitality group is responsi ble for some of these incredible beach experiences and Guillaume Ferraz,

to exceed performance and revenue expectations. We spoke to Guillaume about what it takes to run a successful beach club operation.

Some of the beachfront and pool experiences that Guillaume is respon sible for overseeing are, DRIFT Beach Dubai, which is located within the grounds of One&Only Royal Mirage, a chic award-winning beachfront destination which offers intuitive service on hand at every glance. Not just a standard beach club, guests can enjoy the beach club’s stunning infinity pool, overlooking 1km of prime beach front, complimented by the eclectic soundtrack of the club’s own curated playlist. The temperature-controlled pool is also ideal for leisurely laps as well as sipping on a crisp glass of rose, whilst the waters of the Arabian Gulf are a few footsteps away.

For an exclusive and intimate beach experience, the Private Beach Cabana is the ultimate spot for relaxation amongst lush landscapes. An elegant design for complete comfort, The Private Beach Cabana includes its own

The success of beach clubs in the region AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

each club culture in this part of the world is not just about soak ing up some sun and taking a dip in the sea, it’s become a complete day to night experience filled with high profile chefs, top tier restaurants, music, dance floors, gyms, and brunches. It’s one of the most popular ways to spend your weekend in the UAE, making beach clubs a very successful enterprise.

Managing Director of Day Life at Sunset Hospitality Group is the man overseeing it all.

terrace, chic lounge interi ors, a private garden by the sea with a bespoke infinity pool enriched with stunning views of Palm Jumeirah and Dubai's gleaming skyline. Additionally, under the skil ful eye of Chef de Cuisine Sylvain Noël, DRIFT Res taurant offers a modern take on classic Provençal cuisine adapted for the discerning Dubai palate.

In addition to DRIFT, he is also responsible for the Mediterranean riviera inspired FOLIE Restaurant and Sea, located within METT Hotel & Beach Resort Bodrum. It is a seasonal venue which continues to shake up the traditional beach club scene in splendid style. The unique concept is defined by four guest experi ences; the elevated seaside sunbed platform and beach, the chic southern Mediter ranean open-air restaurant (open daily for both lunch and dinner), the private VIP cabanas, and the bar lounge where elegance and fun collide. Guests can expect fresh culinary experiences, live music every Friday, and vibrant beats spun by Memo Garan (a local and renowned DJ) every Sunday. Addi tionally, guests can enjoy FOLIE’s famed daytime

SEA, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

DRIFT caters primarily to European tourists and French residents in Dubai. They love to be able to feel the French Riviera vibe in

SUN,

Core elements of a thriving beach club operation > Service – Our goal at DRIFT is to bring people together to celebrate life by focusing on experiences that we define as lifestyle. Service is one of the best ways to achieve this goal. Our guests keep on coming back because of how we make them feel. The oldest and one of most efficient types of marketing is ‘word of mouth’ and happy customers share their experience with oth ers and the snowball effect kicks off. To achieve this, we train our team and motivate them daily, with tremen dous attention to detail so it becomes so natural for them.

GUILLAUME FERRAZ, Managing Director, DAY LIFE DIVISION, SUNSET HOSPITALITY GROUP

57HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

Dubai while enjoying 5-star service and delicious and simple authentic Mediter ranean food."

"OUR FOCUS WAS TO BECOME A ENVIRONMENT."ANBACKGUESTSDESTINATIONTOURISTICFORWILLINGTOLAYANDUNWINDINEFFORTLESSCHIC

ing at first, but since we all work for a common goal; delivering unique experienc es and satisfy every guest; it is always a rewarding feeling coming to work and striving to reach DRIFT's maximum potential. DRIFT has been growing organically since its opening in November 2017. In the beginning, our focus was on the local market to become a touristic destina tion for guests willing to lay back and unwind in an effortless chic environment. However, since its opening, DRIFT has become guests’ favorite destination for its exclusivity, chic urban vibe, lavish amenities and under stated elegance of its overall design and aesthetics.

There is also AURA Beach, the new chic understated beach club and the recently announced ATTIKO, which will be opening its doors in Q4. The venue will offer guests a high-energy sunset and evening lounge experi ence, boasting the most envied views of the city, ideal for sundowners or late-night gatherings. Guests can enjoy tasty bites and drinks in a vibrant atmosphere, with live DJs and deep, soulful, energetic music, alongside classic Pan-Asian dishes and an extensive menu of international hops, grapes, and exciting handcrafted cocktails.Guillaume says he enjoys the complexity of running a combined operation of a beach, pool, lounge, and restaurant. He adds, "There are three businesses in one venue at DRIFT with a team of more than 15 nationali ties. It may seem challeng

Cabaret Chic shows taking place every Saturday.

> Accessibility

Think about a professional athlete that repeats the same movement everyday for years until it becomes so natural that even under pressure, he or she can still deliver in the best possible way.

Latest market trends in beach club operations

HCNME THE BUSINESS OF

Selecting the perfect location for a successful beach club

How beach clubs can stay relevant

In the past two years, Dubai has been under the spotlight as the best place to travel and live – attracting local and international groups to open their beach club in Dubai or those in operation who have diversified their activities to make their ven ue competitive. Only those with strong concepts, busi ness models and bulletproof commercial and financial plans will survive.

> Food & Beverage – A luxury beach club should always have a menu created with innovation, creativity, and simplicity. A strong culi nary team and a well-trained service team is the key in establishing a beach venue as a dining destination.

> Concept and differentiation – At Sunset Hospital ity Group, we believe in the culture of continu ous improvement, so we introduce new and diverse experiences every season. At DRIFT, we create a laidback luxury experience that fulfils several goals: indulge in utter relaxation, discover an innovative take on classic Provençal cuisine, create new experiences, recon nect with friends and family and relax with the sound of the sea while enjoying your favorite drink.

The key is to follow and adapt, when necessary, the original business plan and keep being different and innovative. DRIFT has suc ceeded over the last four and ½ years, not falling into the traps of copying the com

> Branding and marketing –A well-developed marketing plan must be implemented to appeal to the varied tastes of potential visitors on various platforms. Aside from traditional in-person marketing, luxury beach club marketing strategies must have a strong digital focus. The right plan will help a resort rise above the competition and stand out to potential visitors.

> A key element is the pos sibility of building a pool to offer beach and pool access

58 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

> A direct access to a private beach

> Emerging brands of F&B and hotels in the surround ing areas

Homegrown vs multinational brand partnerships

SUN, SEA, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

"WITH SOCIAL DINING AND NIGHTLIFE AT THE HEART OF THE EXPERIENCE, THE BRANDS ARE CONCEIVED FOR THE TRAVELLERS OF TODAY LOOKING FOR HIS OR HER PLACE TO UNWIND AND HAVE FUN."

in Dubai and is or will be exported internationally, which is truly exciting. Folie Restaurant and Sea, cur rently located within METT Bodrum, will also be brought to Dubai soon.

> Principote Mykonos

> Scorpios Mykonos

Sunset Hospitality Group’s Sunsetvision Hospitality Group was founded in 2011 with a vision to create unique ex periences around the world, through a diverse mix of hospitality concepts. Style and effortless luxury are abundant in SHG’s DayLife destinations. The beach front and pool experiences, combined with their exclu sive and urban chic vibes make the venues a source of relaxation and enjoyment.

> La Reserve à la plage St Tropez

The Living Division sets a new social standard in travel at each of its unique locations. A refined and laidback collection of lifestyle hotels and resorts dotted along the coast of buzzing cities and islands ready to be explored. With social dining and nightlife at the heart of the experience, the brands are conceived for the travel lers of today looking for his or her place to unwind and haveFromfun.award-winning casu al dining concepts to highly acclaimed international brands, the group brings the best food and drinks to its stunning restaurants. Building on the traditions of quality and hospital ity of its origins, Sunset reaches out to the hearts of its guests with its flavorful menu, specially curated for unforgettable dining experi ences. Offering premium entertainment, lavish décor, and the highest quality service, the group’s Nightlife concepts satisfy the most demanding partygoers in the region and abroad.

Within Sunset Hospital ity’s Day Life division, all concepts are homegrown, from DRIFT, AURA Sky pool, and Azure Beach Club. Each of these brands started

In fact, 95% of the brands across the portfolio are homegrown and any brand that isn’t (within the 5%) will of course be uplifted with the Sunset spirit, as the group is always involved in the operational aspects.

> Folie Restaurant & Sea in Bodrum

> Ocean Club Marbella

Looking ahead

Top 5 beach club in the world

59HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

Sunset Hospitality’s vision is to keep maintaining its strong business model across the GCC, and to focus mainly on its existing brands. Meanwhile, the group will look at expanding its brands across all divisions (Dining, Daylife, Living and Nightlife) internationally. The expansion will take place mainly in Europe, to ensure business continues all year round throughout every season.

petition or/and bringing prices down and other pro motions to attract the mass market. Instead, DRIFT Intends to stay luxurious, bespoke, and exclusive to remain the top beach club in Dubai.

Lower the pitcher spout to the mug’s surface and straighten out the mug.

Latte art is a decorative pattern or design on an espresso-based drink made by pouring steamed milk over microfoam. The barista will steam the milk until it is hot enough to produce an adequate amount of foam. Steaming the milk changes its protein structures making the milk texture more airy, silky, and sweeter. Once this is achieved the barista will then pour the milk into the espresso.

YOUR MONTHLY GRIND BY HOW LATTE ART IS DONE

WHAT IS LATTE ART?

Pour enough cold milk to fill your coffee mug into a small pitcher. Milk with high fat content works best.

Turn off the steam wand on your machine, then remove the wand from the pitcher. Wipe the pitcher clean, then turn the steam wand back on to blow out any milk remnants.

All NESCAFÉ® coffees are responsibly grown and ethically sourced thru our NESCAFÉ® Plan.

3. Purge and Wipe

Heat the milk until steaming occurs and the milk starts to foam and rise. Once the milk rises about thirty percent, put the wand a half-inch into the milk so that the milk spins counterclockwise in the pitcher, like a whirlpool. This will mix the foam into the milk, creating microfoam. Keep the wand in the pitcher until the milk reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make an espresso shot with a nice layer of crema and extract it straight onto a cup.

8. Pour your latte art design.

1. Make your espresso

5. Turn off the steam

6. Tap the pitcher

Latte art is a particular process that takes some practice to get right. Follow these steps to make latte art:

2. Prepare the milk

Ensure that you will purge and wipe off the steam wand before using to make sure that no water moisture goes inside the milk jug as well as for hygienic purposes.

Give the pitcher a tap against the counter to pop any large bubbles. The steamed milk should look like melted ice cream or wet paint, thick with tiny bubbles of foam.

4. Heat the milk

7. Pour the milk

Hold the cup with espresso at a forty-five-degree angle with the milk pitcher a few inches from the coffee. Pour the foamed milk in until the cup fills halfway. Pouring from a slight distance ensures the milk goes under the crema.

ROSETTA

TIPS FOR POURING LATTE ART

Creating perfect latte art takes a little practice. Once you perfect the basic latte art shapes, you can take your latte artmaking skills to the next level and create more elaborate forms, such as animals.

When pouring latte art, keep these tips in mind:

4. Practice your skills

Pour milk about an inch away from the edge of the cup. Lower the pitcher closer to the mug’s surface as the mug is about half full. Gently push while tilting the back part of the jug to pour out the foam. Continue the same pour by slightly moving back to the edge of the cup to stacked up the foam then finish with a high cut to form the tulip pattern

BASIC LATTE ART PATTERNS

TULIP

JOIN THE

WORLD OF Contact us: 600 595950

It may take practice to achieve velvety foam. You want the milk to be foamy and thick but also pourable. If your milk is a foamy clump, the bubbles might be too big in your foam. If your milk doesn’t seem thick enough, steam it for longer.

Pour milk into the center of the mug until it’s about threequarters full. Lower pitcher to the mug’s surface and pour the foam into the cup, forming a circle. In a quick motion, pour the milk in a straight, forward line to finish the heart.

Pouring the milk too fast will break the crema and pouring too slowly will leave too much foam behind.

Latte art depends on the quality of the foam. The best foam is made from whole milk, which has the most milk fat. You can also make latte art using high-fat non-dairy milk, such as oat milk.

2. Use quality foam

3. Achieve the right consistency

HEART

Pour milk about an inch away from the edge of the cup. Lower the pitcher closer to the mug’s surface, when the mug is about half full. Wiggle the mug from side to side with your wrist as you’re pouring the foam while moving backwards. Lift up your jug and finish with a high cut.

1. Controlling the rate of pour

62 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM HCNME IN THE MIX

Red wine’s print is often strong, bold, rich with flavours of red fruits, herbs, spices, and earthiness. In the palate, red wines are quite tannic, whereas white wines are usu ally more acidic, floral, and fruity aspect of melons, apples, citrus fruits - all depending on the grape’s variety.

The ideal time to take a sip

First of all, it all depends on your mood and taste. Indeed, you will be more willing to have a glass of white during lunch, near the pool side or for the aperitive. Red wines are mostly enjoyed with rich dishes as they are bolder and rounder. In the end, it’s all about personal preferences, what or when you want to taste your wine. There are also some red grape varieties that help produce lighter, textured wines that can be con sumed anytime in the day with lighter or heavier food; also known as Rosé wine.

Sommelier is a continuous learning jour ney however, to become a professional wine sommelier you need to have at least 2-3 years’ experience and pass either the WSET exam or Court of the Master som melier certification. These diplomas are internationally recognised and testify your knowledge on wines.

RANGHAR,SANJAY Sommelier, RAFFLES THE PALM DUBAI

GRASPING GRAPES

The basics

The journey

FORGET

EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT GRAPES AND BUBBLY

anjay is the Hotel Sommelier for Raffles the Palm Dubai since December 2021. In 2015, after moving to U.A.E, Sanjay started his wine career in a quest to explore the vast world of wine and spirits. While gaining knowledge and experience, the Sommelier successfully completed the Advanced WSET Level 3 and Certified Court of Master Sommelier placing Num ber One in his batch. According to Sanjay, being a sommelier is the best way to get a free ticket to different countries and their culture. From Bordeaux in France to Napa Valley in California, the science of wines allowed him to get familiar with the differ ent grapes and constantly navigate through new flavours. But if you ask Sanjay, he will rather have a glass of your finest Meursault than a Champagne flute.

GRASPING

> The more expensive the wine, the better it tastes, which generally doesn’t fit all the scenarios. Some peo ple assume that good wines are usually the most expensive. This is wrong, there are good quality wines that does not cost half an arm.

The top wine countries

Currently consumers are looking for wines produced in small, less-known regions such as Corsica in France, and also, Campo de Borja in Spain and Ticino in Switzerland. After Covid, consum ers are generally looking for good value wines produced by wellknown countries.

63HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022

(b) Red wines with meat and white wine with fish. It is more about the structural balance of the food; therefore, white wine can also be served with meat while red wine can be served with fish.

Champagne is also not just a cele bratory drink, nowadays people are consuming a lot of champagne and on a daily basis; it can be consumed as an aperitif, paired with food, or even on its own – any occasion is good. As champagne is travelling a lot and gaining awareness, younger generations are getting more and more educated leading to a raise in the demand. There is a famous quote that I particularly appreci ate; “Start the day with a smile and finish it with Champagne”.

The only way to pour Slow and steady with love, Cham pagne pouring should be in an angled, down-the-side way which is essential to preserve the tastes but also the bubbles. The champagne should be nicely chilled before being served, as warm champagne creates more foam and loss of CO2.

The biggest myths

As of now, wine is produced all around the world which is categorised between the old world and the new world. If you ask me, I consider the top countries producing wine are France, Italy, Germany and U.S.A. I find it im portant to mention that France, Italy and Austria follow strong regulations in the way they produce their wine which are strictly controlled by the government to assure the quality.

From the point of view of a wine lover, all wines work well with any food. Slight note, red wine matches well with bold flavoured meats whereas, white wines are more pleasant to sa vour with light intensity meats (Fish/ Chicken). On the other hand, cham pagne/sparkling wines pair well with crisp, crunchy bites and sweet wines with dessert.

Sauce is the modifier of any dish and allows it to become more versa tile. Pairing wine with protein is linear and boring whereas, adding sauce creates much more fun and excitement while bringing in some balance.Fordishes composed of raw protein such as carpaccio, tartare or crudo, we might already have a particular wine in mind when creating the pair ing, but it is important to consider that the final taste will depend on the seasoning and the sauce.

The best pairings

The current trends

GRAPES

When selecting your menu, it’s vital to consider more than just the basics. A restaurant lives and dies with how deli cious its food is, and you can expect to be an iconic destination with the right menu. You

Do you want to be a high-end, exclusive dining venue? Or are you a family-friend ly, more casual establishment? Your loca tion will play a part in helping determine the formality of your culinary experience.

Develop Your Menu Concept First

want your guests to remember their meals and set you apart from your competition. No two menus are the same, even if they offer the same products in the restaurant. Depending on your cuisine, your menu can be as short or as expansive as it can be. Here are seven things to consider before you start selecting your restaurant menu.

Thinking through your concept is the cornerstone of your operation. The type of business you’re running, and the style you wish to evoke can determine your menu items. Brainstorm and think of what you are trying to achieve before you write down your first recipe.

BY MEEZ

7 THINGS TO CONSIDER

Your concept should be as concise as possible, as you can add more dishes to it later before selecting restaurant menu

64 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM HCNME TECH & INNOVATION

Check Your Supply Chain

Once you have your central theme down, you should add a few core items to your lineup. These should be the items that everyone knows you for: your signature dish or main entrée. Some restaurants have only one primary thing, while others have manyYouroptions.coreitems are the anchors of your offerings. These are the stars that will put the spotlight on your business.

Your supply chain can make or break your profitability. This is especially true for a restaurant, where your suppliers must be reliable and timely.

To protect yourself from this, develop a relationship with your supplier and ensure they can meet your needs. Your relationship with your vendor should be strong, and they should be able to provide you with what you need when you need it.

other factors - like your overheads and your profit margins.

You should determine a range before you decide on a price. This way, you have wiggle room to increase or decrease your price as you see fit. You want to ensure that your customers get quality food for their money.

Choose Your Price Point

The Bottom Line

Determining your price point is one of the most critical parts of planning. Your pricing structure, from the menu to the bar, should fit your type of restaurant and your clientele.Yourprice points should depend on the experience and value of the restaurant. Your prices should be comparable to your competitor, but you also must account for

Have A Kitchen Dry Run

Add A List Of Core Dishes To Offer

Before creating your selection, you should take stock of what’s available. Create a list of specific ingredients and the dishes you want to make.

Different cuisines have different suppliers and different availability, and your supply chain plays a role in determining what you can sell. Some ingredients are seasonal, while others are available 365 days a year.

your style but also your cooking techniques. These should be the items you promote the most.

Visualise Your Plating

You should create a few options that work with the seasonality of your area. These could be based on what is readily available in your area. You can choose to promote these year-round or remove them from your rotation, depending on the availability of the ingredients.

Have one specialty dish of every type, from appetizer, main dish, soup, and des sert.Your core items should be the ones your diners crave. They not only have to reflect

Each of your plates should be designed for a specific menu item. You should use the serving pieces wisely to create a unique, appealing look for each dish. Your table ware should play into your style and your atmosphere.Yourfoodis the star of your show, but how you present it is key to selling it.

Before rolling out your new items and fancy new plates and utensils, you should have a couple of test runs with your staff and figure out any kinks or issues that you may have. These tests should mimic the actual process of your operations. They should give you and your chefs an idea of the time and effort required to complete each task. Have a “real” day and gauge the quality of your service. Take notes on what works and whatYourdoesn’t.kitchen can suffer if it isn’t set up correctly, and your training day could reveal issues you may not have noticed before.

In the restaurant business, success hinges on your ability to make the right adjust ments to your menu. Your customers are always expecting something new while still yearning for the old favourites. Your goal is to give them what they want and make them remember your restaurant.

7 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE SELECTING RESTAURANT MENU

Consider Adding Seasonal Picks

Your plating is vital to your guest’s experi ence. How you present your food can entice your customer or turn them away. Your presentation should reflect your commit ment to customer satisfaction.

THINKING THROUGH YOUR CONCEPT IS THE CORNERSTONE OF YOUR OPERATION. THE TYPE OF BUSINESS YOU’RE RUNNING, AND THE STYLE YOU WISH TO EVOKE CAN DETERMINE YOUR MENU ITEMS. BRAINSTORM AND THINK OF WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE BEFORE YOU WRITE DOWN YOUR FIRST RECIPE.”

Consider adding a few season-specific op tions to your selections. Your guests should enjoy the food you serve; seasons can play a big part in that.

have to choose from here in the UAE. It’s guaranteed fun in the sun deckedout with elaborate brunches, buzzing nightlife offerings, and perfect selfie opportunities. But when you truly need an escape, a place where you can be alone with your thoughts, somewhere that makes you forget that you have your phone on you and brings you closer to nature, then I recommend you look for the mountains. And it’s closer than you think.

Placid and perfectly located in Hatta, Dubai's mountainous little sister is JA Hatta Fort Hotel Dubai. With over 50 rooms and suites including Deluxe and Premium Mountain View, Deluxe Family Rooms, and Pet-Friendly Mountain View Rooms Dubai’s only mountain resort is the great outdoor experience you’ve been looking for.

e can’t deny the scapescityandoceangorgeousamountampleofviewsenviouslandwe

ARE CALLING THE MOUNTAINS THE GREAT OUTDOORS AT DUBAI’S ONLY MOUNTAIN RESORT, JA HATTA FORT HOTEL DUBAI

THIS MONTH’S MUST TRYHCNME EXPERIENCING

66 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM

There’s something different about being surrounded by mountains. From every angle of the hotel, you see these great big landforms peeking out of the earth and reaching for the sky. Your arrival through the hotel and into the reception is met by a family of deer passing their time relaxing in the shade, around 80 acres of manicured gardens, trees, and the sound of na ture just existing peacefully.

The staff at JA Hatta Fort Hotel Dubai have truly immersed themselves into the traditional laid-back pace of life here. They see to your every need with such attentiveness and detail and go out of their way to make sure you remain in this bubble of tranquil lity. Each step you take in the hotel is designed to make you feel like you’re on an adventure somewhere far away, the chalet-style accommodation gives the fort an edge while still maintaining the luxury guests come to the UAE for. From the moment you wake up till the time you go to bed in this hotel you hear nothing but the sounds of birds and the rustling from the mountains. Whether you want an uninterrupted shisha and cocktail by the pool or to have some fun splashing around with the kids, the hotel is fitted with a family pool and an adult pool, each with its own F&B outlet providing a selection of meals and drinks. And whenever you are ready, adventure is literally around the corner. Choose from mountain biking through free or scenic mapped routes, archery and airgun shooting, a 9-hole mini golf course, trail hiking (tour guide available upon request), kayaking and pedal boats at Hatta Dam, visiting the Heritage Village, or a honeybee garden experience.

Thank you to JA Hatta Fort Hotel Dubai, and a special thank you to Catherine Ngugi.

remember to add all your favourite extras and recommend some dishes to try - making sure you want for nothing. The staff aren’t the only ones that are a true pleasure to be around in this hotel. You can spend hours marvelling at the fascinating herd of deer, and the diversity of birds, or gush at the adorable pony and bunnies. And if you spot one of the staff members named Sheldon on the rounds with a handful of lettuce and interesting animal facts, ask for a chance to feed the animals, especially the deer, it’s an experience you won’t forget.

What about the food, you ask? One word, Gourmet. For all-day dining overlooking the adult pool is Café Gazebo. Roumoul Cocktail Bar serves aperitifs and nightcaps, Pool Bar has a selection of light snacks and bever ages, Sunset Terrace offers cocktails and mocktails with sunset views, and Gazebo Pool itself serves shisha and cocktails. The Rock Pool has the family covered with snacks and beverages, Hikaya Restaurant is a seasonal out door spot with Arabic bites, and Peaks Café in the lobby is filled with cakes, sandwiches, coffee, and more on the go. And for the ultimate dining experi ence in this hotel, Jeema, the inter

When the sun sets behind the mountains and the air gets cooler, end your day with a walk up the Al Raha Hatta Fort Hill Park point, carve your initials on the wooden fence and stare out at the view, take in the silence, the air, the peace, and the beauty of the gentle giant mountains surrounding you.JA

THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING

If you are not quite ready to leave your private balcony with mesmerizing Hatta landscapes against the resort’s lush lawns, no problem. The room service staff will not only send all your meals to your room, but they will do so in stages ensuring that everything is served at the perfect temperature for you to enjoy. And if you are lucky enough to be served by Ye Thu, he will

national à la carte menu is a must for dinner. This charming restaurant with panoramic views of the mountainous terrain is a sensory experience, and whether you’re in the mood for Lobster, Wagyu, or Butter Chicken, Chef Krishna Pantha will not disappoint.

Hatta Fort Hotel Dubai carries the majestic nature of the Hajar Mountains throughout the fort. This longstanding resort has much to offer, much more than just a great night’s sleep, fun in the sun, and good food. If you ever need to leave everything be hind for a quick trip to reconnect with nature, listen out for the mountains calling your name at JA Hatta Fort.

readily admit that, for this month’s column, I was a lit tle stuck for ideas. Creativ ity is a fickle mistress. My sure-fire way to get unstuck is to decamp to my favourite “third place”, do some peo ple watching, coffee drink ing, and deep thinking. It didn’t fail me this time either and I’m writing this column while sitting in what I would call “a stereotypical Middle Eastern” coffeeshop in the old part of Abu Dha bi. The place is part of a dying breed of old-style cafes, where they still serve shisha and let you smoke inside, and where the menu reliably contains the same dishes regardless of location: A selection of pizzas and sandwiches, a couple of variations on grilled chicken dishes, a grilled salmon dish, and a handful of pasta dishes, one of which is always Penne Arrabiata. Always. Oh, and a line-up of ice teas, one of which must be passion fruit flavoured.

The problem is that, wherever you look, the old places are disappearing and, with them, little pieces of culture and often history, too.

Take my old neighbourhood in Mu nich, Germany, where I recently spent a couple of weeks enjoying the Bavar ian summer. A block or two from my apartment is a housing development that dates back to 1908. It’s beauti ful with big apartments, thick walls, and shady courtyards with old trees. Oh, and like most buildings from that time, it has several retail spaces, one of which has featured a corner pub for as long as I can remember (and prob ably much longer). It’s nothing fancy,

More diversity = more information. More information = better & faster decision - making.

68 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HOTELNEWSME.COM HCNME POINT OF VIEW

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

AN ODE TO THE OLD

“Wind of Change” is playing in the background. It’s a coffeeshop favourite often followed by a Bonnie Tyler song or other classic rock tunes. Wherever I lived in the Middle East, I had a go-to coffeeshop like the one I’m currently sitting in – open late, reliable Inter net, and staff who know what you’re drinking after you visited a couple of times. Nothing fancy, but steady and, somehow, the regional equivalent to a corner bar in a random country in Eu rope. If you know, you know. Perhaps, it’s because I’m approaching my 50th turn around the sun or else because I was born an old soul, but I find steadiness increasingly comfortable. In a world that appears to be more and more unhinged, taking refuge in a steady “third place” is almost a form of mental health self-care.

69HOTELNEWSME.COM | SEPTEMBER 2022 OUTSOURCING REVISITED

but the drinks menu is extensive (and cheap!), and they serve food that, while not winning Michelin ac colades, tastes good and makes you feel good. The place lives of its regu lars, but doesn’t exclude newcomers to the neighbourhood or tourists. Think “Cheers”, but in Bavaria and less full of Americans. In short, it's my go-to place when I want an adult beverage, but don’t fancy getting all dolled up and heading into the city. When I went back recently, one of the regular told me that in a couple of months the entire block of flats will be demolished to make way for new apartment buildings which, if the recently build blocks across the road are anything to go by will not only have sky-high rents, but also no retail or F&B spaces. So disappears another piece of neighbourhood Aculture.couple of weeks later, I was in Stockholm, which is fighting a simi lar battle, but still has ample small restaurants and bars, even in newer residential areas. I stopped by my

Perhaps, though, I’m simply getting old – after all, I can still remember the original Jebel Ali Club, before the fancied it up and turned it around. Does that make me old? They did serve fine pints, though, and you met all sorts of interesting people propping up the bar there. Right now, in my Abu Dhabi coffeeshop refuge, I raise my cup (in want of a better replacement) to old haunts, old friends, and to Trevor, who I first also met at a pleasingly unfashionable, yet very hospitable bar in Dubai. If you know, you know.

“THE PROBLEM IS THAT, WHEREVER YOU LOOK, THE OLD PLACES ARE DISAPPEARING AND, WITH THEM, LITTLE PIECES OF CULTURE AND OFTEN HISTORY.”

local there – a corner pub just down the road from our apartment, and, once again, marvelled at the inclusiv ity of these places. There were people playing backgammon, a guy perform ing magic tricks to the bartenders, an old man who bought a pint of lager for his dog (which was then served in a dog drinking bowl), and a couple of confused American tourists. There are always some confused American tourists. Everybody minds their own business (incl. the beer drinking dog) and the time passes pleasantly.

In Dubai and other cities in the region, we’re fascinated by the new and we seem to constantly chase the latest openings and experiences. I think it’s time to value the old more. The steady. The reliable. The (per haps) somewhat unexciting, but the inclusive, the safe place, the refuge. I don’t mind new experiences at all, but I don’t want to lose the old, because they’re comforting and remind me that there’s more to life than glitzy towers and fancy food and overpriced cocktails.

Rossi is a seasoned hotelier, from his begin nings as a pastry chef in Italy, to his current position as Assistant General Manager at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek. During his career, he has travelled the world and lived in 8 different countries.Starting out in hospitality with a chocolatier apprenticeship in Italy 22 years ago, Niccolo Rossi has since held positions such as pastry chef, sous chef, executive chef, Director of F&B, Director of operations. He now holds the no.2 position at Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek, the oldest five star hotel in the city with 288 rooms, 15 F&B outlets, Spa and health club and

I was born in Florence in Italy and was first inspired by my mother. I always remember her cooking amazing food and organising dinner parties with friends and family. From the age of 6-7 years, I started out with cakes. I can recall not enjoying the cakes I was finding and so I wanted to give it a try and make my own. Later at high school, I was arranging my own dinner parties to cook for friends. Cooking and hosting has been a passion of mine since childhood.

I lived in Kyiv, Ukraine and in Georgia both for around 4 years. I’ve moved with my career, so as new opportunities and promotions became available to me, I have moved on to take them.

I began my professional training in hospitality with a chocolatier apprenticeship at Edouard Bechoux, Belgian Maitre Chocolatier in Tuscany, before gaining my chef certification in 2004. In 2005, I travelled to Barcelona to become a fine dining pastry chef under Jordi Burton Espaisucre, Michelin Star. My first qualified position abroad came with the open ing of an Italian restaurant in the southern part of Poland where I was hired as the executive chef. I had never opened a restaurant before, and I did not speak any polish, so it really pushed me out of my comfort zone.

ONE ON ONEHCNME Q&A WITH SEASONED HOTELIER, NICCOLO ROSSI “MY CAREER IN HOSPITALITY HAS LED ME TO LIVE AND WORK IN 8 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES”

What is it like to travel with a family?

Niccolo

What did you learn about hospitality from the countries you have lived in?

If you have a passion in life, you have to follow it. Of course, nothing is simple, there will always be an element of fear, but if you have passion and integrity and the things that keep you grounded like your family and upbringing then you will be ok. Try to enjoy the best of what each country has to offer rather than trying to compare, and remember, if it does not work out, you can still go home.

Where did you study and what was your first international role?

I think I have learned something from every where I have lived. When I worked in Ukraine, I really noticed the authenticity of the team there and their hunger for learning. The food there was very unique, it made it really hard to be on a diet. In Georgia, I really felt like I was at home. The social food habits are very similar to Italy, there is a real focus on gathering friends and family and cooking at home. Wine is just impor tant to Georgians as it is to Italians. The Dutch really taught me what it means to have pride in your food, yourself and your background. I still dream about Poland and the tasty stew dishes.

a large M&E, Wedding and Catering operation. Over this time, his career has led him to live in 8 countries including Italy, USA, Spain, Poland, The Netherlands, Libya, Egypt, Ukraine, Geor gia, Latvia, Russia, and the UAE.

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I have a wife and son, who both relocate with me and fully support my career. Once you have the mindset that wherever you go you will make it happen together, then it’s not a big deal. My son fluently speaks three languages, with knowledge of two more. He has a paramount of friends all over Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of moving for their career?

Where did it all begin for you?

EIGHTClouds

“Private equity with a difference” he calls it. He says that coming in from the side of somebody who has built businesses gives him the ability to work with the founders instead of just merely taking a stake in the business. “We are not trying to take over their business, we are looking to go in and work with really talented founders and scale their businesses with them.” Says Mark.

LAUNCHES TO SUPPORT HOME GROWN IDEAS AND TAKE THEM ACROSS THE GLOBE

EIGHTClouds provides founders and en trepreneurs with access to capital, resources, strategic expertise, and intellectual capital.

Witnessing the booming F&B industry within the region, the firm’s portfolio includes a newly opened MORE at One Central, Dubai World Trade Centre, serving global culinary favourites with signature local touches for a warm and relaxed casual dining experience. “The MORE café was a no brainer for me, I was a frequent visitor and always wondered why they weren’t everywhere.” EIGHTClouds Private Equity plans to open 10 new locations by 2026.

EIGHTCLOUDS PRIVATE EQUITY

When looking for businesses to partner with, Mark looks for proof of concept, ideally a brand with multiple locations, good data, and a very good product.

THE BUSINESS OF

So, when you’re considering to scale or not to scale could “private equity with a difference” be an option to consider? EIGHTClouds Private Equity believes it very well may be.

MARK AITCHISON, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, EIGHTCLOUDS

Private Equity, a homegrown com pany that focuses on brands within the consumer sector, has launched in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an aim to support entrepreneurs and take local ideas globally. It enters the market with Chaps & Co, MORE and EIGHTClouds Systems. Mark Aitchison, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EIGHTClouds says that he found a gap in the market when he was ex panding his own enterprise, Chaps & Co, and couldn’t find suitable investment that was enough to scale his business. This is when he investigated private equity and realised that there was room to change the way this service was offered to homegrown ideas.

One of the biggest challenges he faces in this business has been educating clients about regions and brands, and of course that this kind of business doesn’t come cheap.

DUBAI, A JEWEL IN THE CROWN FOR GLOBAL BRANDS

Deepak says that the future of hospitality and real estate looks extremely promising especially in the Middle East. He believes that if you have the money to pour into hospitality this is the region to invest in. In the future Deepak will be taking MayFair Consultants to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

There are many factors to consider when choosing to franchise, one of the most obvious is to find the right investors for the right brand. And while that may sound like an easy task, the rules and regulations for foreign ownership are unyielding, there are agency laws, quality control, and risk management aspects to think about, and this is just the top of the list.

is often referred to as the “jewel in the crown” in the Gulf region for iconic global brands, whether it be hotels or F&B. In addition to the incoming brands, it has also seen growth in the number of homegrown brands expanding regionally and international ly. And according to experts, franchising in the Food & Beverage industry has not only proven to be successful but will continue to grow in the Middle East. Dubai is a melting pot of cultures with a prime spot on the world map, a strong global reputation, and a young, fast-growing

We spoke to a consultant with years of experi ence in business development and a database of investors that provides operator search, franchising, and strategic partnership services

population with spending power, making it the ideal home for brands to expand in and out.

DEEPAK JAIN, Managing Director, MAYFAIR CONSULTANTS

Based in London, Dubai, and New Delhi they work with leading industry experts to develop precise, tailored solutions. Their specialised services include detailed market entry studies, owner representation, bidding advisory, opera tor search, hotel management contract negotia tions and F&B franchise consulting across the UK, Middle East, and India.

Dubai

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According to Deepak he has been able to cement himself as the go-to guy for F&B brand franchising in the Middle East and Europe. One of his biggest strengthens is being able to build trust among his client base and always putting the needs of his client’s first. Working with many third-party consultants, Deepak runs a very nimble and agile business.

to the hospitality and real estate market in the Middle East about the role he plays in franchis ing“I’mdeals.ahardcore business development guy” says Deepak Jain, Managing Director of MayFair Consultants. Before starting his own consultancy, Deepak was a part of the core team that built Accor’s $1 Billion hotel platform with over 72 hotels, 14,000 rooms in addition to 4 convention centres across the Indian Sub-continent. After working with some of the best brands for over 15 years he realised that he could be doing much more. He wanted a new challenge, so he started MayFair Consultants, whose purpose is to design innovative solutions for clients that create the future of hospitality and real estate across key markets around the world. The company specialises in helping hotel and restaurant owners, real-estate developers, F&B brands and high net worth clients hone their growth strategy, find an investor, and expand their business through operator search, franchising and strategic partnerships.

• Complimentary access to the Paramount Screening Room every weekend for blockbuster hits

• 20% off on food and beverages across all outlets during the stay

THE STAGE IS YOURS. STAYCATION "STARRING YOU"

• Breakfast for two at the Stage signature restaurant

STARTING FROM AED550

• Early Check-in Late Check-Out till 16:00

www.paramounthotelsdubai.com @paramounthotelsdubai +6777 246 4 971 or +943 03 11 152 97

INCLUDING

Inspired by the rich history of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Hotel Dubai is the perfect setting for your Hollywood escape, with characterized rooms, Californian-inspired cuisine, and unequivocal entertainment. It’s time to script your own story.