NEW OPENING: Jumeirah Creekside, Dubai

The management team at the newly-opened Jumeirah Creekside explains why the hotel’s 482-piece art collection forms the cornerstone of its lifestyle focus, which aims to connect and engage with the property’s trendy target market

From its exposed concrete in the lobby to angular furniture in the guest rooms through to its exclusive art collection and media screening room, Jumeirah’s newest addition to its Dubai hotel portfolio is markedly different from the rest.

Located in Garhoud, attached to The Aviation Club and owned by Dubai Duty Free, Jumeirah Creekside is a modern city hotel in the style more often associated with the boutique independents of London and New York than the palatial Arabesque properties of this region.

The design, by Magus Design of Dubai, is refreshingly contemporary, even including a glass bottomed pool that juts out over the lobby, but Jumeirah Creekside is not just a pretty face. It promises a unique experience in Dubai — and I don’t use that phrase lightly.

Jumeirah has clearly identified its latest addition as an “art and lifestyle hotel in the five-star luxury segment” — so just four weeks after it opened on July 1, we paid a visit to challenge this concept.

After all, “lifestyle” is a word used fairly flippantly in the hotel industry; how does Jumeirah Creekside plan to truly deliver this? Are there really segments no-one else has properly tapped into to date? And if so, what can Dubai’s hoteliers learn from the new kid on the block?

Defining a segment
The management team at Creekside is headed by Klaus Assman, who has worked for Jumeirah since 2003 and been in his current role for two years, sticking with the project through four delays because he was so enamoured by it.

The hotel has a chequered past, as it was originally intended to be flagged under Jumeirah’s now abandoned lifestyle brand, Venu, which Assman was heading up when we first met a couple of years back. But, with Jumeirah deciding to focus on its core luxury brand, the Creekside hotel is attempting to carve out a new segment for itself.

“We are proud to be Jumeirah, we cannot be anything else other than Jumeirah, but still, we also like to be ‘boutique-ish’ in a way,” asserts Assman.

For him, the rationale for the approach is simple: it’s about offering a product that suits the style of the hotel, and above all, stands out beyond the competition. With 25 meeting rooms and a 1000-capacity ballroom, Jumeirah Creekside is essentially a MICE hotel.

Yet with the Aviation Club’s leisure facilities that are now run by Jumeirah and choice of F&B outlets, it could also be described as a city resort. But even these attributes combined are not enough to set the hotel apart, says Assman.

“Our drive was there’s too much competition in Dubai who are doing the same, and we’re not in the market to compete with them on MICE, compete with them on corporate, we wanted to create our own segment and our segment is art and lifestyle,” Assman says. “Uniqueness is what in my opinion will drive you to be a trend setter and not a trend follower...we are bringing a trend to Dubai.”

Every facility and service, therefore, is aimed at complementing this heavy arts focus, from the screening room that will be used for press junkets and documentaries to the recruitment of an arts and culture programme manager, who doesn’t just educate guests about the hotel’s 482-piece collection but engages the hotel and its guests with Dubai’s art scene as a whole.

The type of guest the hotel seeks to appeal to is wide ranging in terms of age and nationality — although GCC, India and China are all strong markets for the company at present and Jumeirah historically attracts the Russians, British and Germans — but it will most likely be someone abreast of current trends.

“It’s somebody who appreciates what is happening in the world right now, somebody who has a contemporary outlook”, explains Assman.”

He is conscious, however, of the risks associated with terms such as “lifestyle”, which are used by Dubai hotels already even though they are offering more traditional luxury.

“We feel lifestyle again is a word that’s been used to death and it’s not about the sales or the marketing but what you need first and foremost is positioning. Positioning of a hotel takes place with public relations, we have PR. After that it’s followed by marketing, and that’s then followed with sales efforts,” says Assman.

Article continues on next page ...

Art as a corner stone
Hotel manager Donald Bremner says the “cornerstone” for the lifestyle message from Jumeirah Creekside will be its artwork, with the focus on aligning the hotel with bodies and companies in Dubai that share a similar outlook.

“We have a very different position from any other hotel I know of in Dubai using art,” says Bremner. “Dubai Duty Free has curated 482 pieces specifically for the hotel and so we will use that to leverage our difference and that gives us our lifestyle positioning.

[The hotel is] a little bit more modern and contemporary than others, but then we’ll use the art as our starting point and then all of the food and beverage stuff expands from that, so we’ll go to the Film Festival, Art Dubai, fashion shows, we’ll go into media launches, so we will use those as our cornerstones to expand into a lifestyle kind of segment and that’s how we’ll communicate our story. If we’re constantly in the magazines that are promoting film and art and fashion then that will help us build that position.”

Arts & Culture programme manager Yasmeen Abuamer, who refers to herself as the 483rd piece of art, so absorbed is she in the collection, explains that the quality and uniqueness of the artwork will make the hotel part of the art community in Dubai.

The art collection comprises 482 pieces from 51 artists of 11 wider Middle Eastern nationalities, with 90% of it being commission-based. There are limited-edition pieces in the suites and 79 unique pieces in total; only 10% of the collection has been bought from galleries or art fairs, she reveals.

“I educate guests on the collection and offer them the chance to connect to the thriving arts and culture scene. I’m based in a public space of the hotel, I’m approachable, guests can come and ask me questions, there’s a library with books on art history, contemporary Middle Eastern art, artists in our collection, catalogues from their previous shows. They can ask me for a guided tour ... and I can help them plan an itinerary and send them into the community,” says Abuamer.

Currently, she is in the process of receiving all the artwork — the creators of which have yet to be revealed by Dubai Duty Free and are being kept a closely guarded secret by Abuamer until all the artists can be announced together — and developing guides for her exhibits, but in the future, programming will focus on artists in residency schemes and exhibitions, as well as going beyond the traditional interpretation of art.

“There’s going to be focus on film, fashion, design,” says Abuamer, echoing Bremner. “ There’s excessive programming, we’re planning to use all the facilities in our hotel, the screening room, the outdoor grounds when the weather’s nice for outdoor film screenings, [extending to] the art of cuisine and working with F&B to do activities around that,” she says.

In addition to the art and culture focus, Assman adds that, considering the fact that both the hotel’s owner and operator are home grown Dubai companies, engaging guests with Dubai more generally is also important.

“We want to make sure that when you stay in our hotel it’s not just another corporate hotel, we want to make sure that you connect with Dubai and, therefore, you have a lot of things throughout the hotel which culturally connect you to Dubai.

That goes from the carpets [inspired by] where the Bedouins sat and had lunch and dinner, to the old Arabic doors in some of the rooms over the bed. And that’s very important to us that when you stay as a guest that first of all you call home and say ‘hey darling this is a real different hotel’. It doesn’t matter if you like it or if you don’t, ideally we want people to like it, but it’s different,” says Assman.

“And also on top of that you can say that you learned a bit about Dubai, that you understand that Dubai’s not just the old mud houses with the wind towers like Bastakiya, there’s also a contemporary Dubai, like there’s a contemporary London, New York, there is also contemporary Dubai, it does exist, there’s a huge independent artists scene and that needs to be communicated. We feel it’s our responsibility to do that for Dubai.”

Article continues on next page ...

The software
It’s all very well offering modern facilities, an edgy design and one-off art, but if the service standards and atmosphere fall flat, the impact is washed away. Staff empowerment is the solution says Assman.

“We have a great team, with lots of incentives to do things differently, if you talk lifestyle it’s not only the hardware, it’s the software, how we do things [that’s important],” he says.

“Being four weeks old we’re still in the infant shoes but we’re going in the right direction, we gave tools to our colleagues to empower them.”

The aim is to connect with the guest and learn relevant information about them, he explains.
“We will not ask when you check in ‘how was your flight’ because that’s not relevant to us.
It’s relevant to the airline but not to us. Do we care how you got here, yes we do, but at the end of the day our job is the hotel, our job is to make sure you have a great stay with us.

We will ask ‘I see you’re here for three nights is there anything particular you want to do, do you have a free night, what are you interested in museums, food, art, sports? Why don’t you join us in our cooking school? Or why don’t you join us in the morning, we have a running group doing a 10km run?

“We want to make sure we connect with you, with your style of life,” says Assman. “That to us is lifestyle. How can we overcome all the boundaries, barriers and rules and regulations and how can we bring fun back to the hotel and how can we bring the connection back with our customers. That to us is the key message of how we see the software of lifestyle.”

For this reason, Jumeirah Creekside has overhauled the approach to front office, as director of rooms Nicky Samson explains: “We try not to refer to guest relations or concierge or transportation.

We’re really looking at it as an overall front office and the reason for that is we’re an art and lifestyle hotel and especially lifestyle in trying to adapt to guest needs and not sticking to what’s been done previously.

“I know this is very unlike any other property in the region to kind of merge it all together. It’s kind of a one-stop shop. We do not have to send guests from one colleague to another whether it’s for a restaurant reservation or getting a key made or checking the bill or paying the bill or checking in or getting escorted to the room.

To have the colleagues cross train in all areas so they can assist the guests from a-z — that’s one thing to make it easier for the guests.

What we see as a result of that is guests are much more likely to remember a colleague’s name because we don’t hand them over anymore, it’s not like you spend a minute here or a minute there, it’s really to try and keep as well that memory there for the guest — there’s that one colleague that really took care of them from beginning to end,” says Samson.

The hotel also offers a 24-hour check-in/check-out option for all room categories, but asks for 24-hour notice from the guest to guarantee it, Samson reveals.

“We still have the standard check-in / check-out of 3pm / 12noon if that suits the need of the guest specifically but we are trying to adapt to the guests needs and the modern traveller. Those policies that are in all the hotels worldwide are not something that’s very guest driven.”

She says its about being very adaptable and flexible operationally, reviewing housekeeping processes and typical operating standards to achieve this.

“It’s not been a challenge during the summer due to occupancies but we are making sure that it’s a recipe that works as well once we go into very high occupancy,” adds Samson. Ultimately her goal for front office is that the “service is warm and it’s honest and it’s genuine”.

“It was busy in the first couple of weeks but now it is a little bit slower so we get to go back and retrain the colleagues and retool the areas that need to be retooled and just make them very comfortable with the product, with the facilities, with the service that we offer.

That’s key and part of that is making sure our guest feedback process is also working well, we interact with guests as much as we can, face to face, we record that — positive and constructive,” says Samson.

Offering such personalised service is not an easy task though, admits Assman, especially with a segment that is new to many of the team, 20% of which are from within Jumeirah and 10% of which were working with the Aviation Club.

“It’s very difficult by the way, that’s why we’re bringing a lot of experienced people in because at the end of the day what do you do, reflect back on your college days?

The only thing you now work with is your experiences and your common sense, so in the moment that you come to a segment that is completely new to all [you have to] really occupy yourself with that subject, really investigate and research what does it really mean and then create that intelligence within the team of what we need to do, and then challenge every work aspect,” explains Assman.

“We are Jumeirah, we are proud of being Jumeirah, we are five-star luxury but our ‘stay different’ proposal for this property was the art and lifestyle, and how do you combine that — and that was really the challenge.”

After all, don’t be fooled, he continues: “I’m not delivering the service, Donald’s not delivering the service. Our colleagues are delivering the service. If they are happy my guests are happy. My job is to make my colleagues happy. It’s always a challenge to get there but you know we are aiming to do so.”

Article continues on next page ...

Managers' favourites

Klaus Assman, GM

1. My colleagues: Eventually we’ll have 444 on our team. I have to say I think I have the best team of professionals here, we have a great community, so the colleagues is definitely number one for me.

2. The versatility of the property: From MICE groups and business to the surprise that people have when they walk into the hotel and see it’s really different, with the gardens too, it's all green and lush.

3. The old and new: The third thing I really like is that finally somebody, our ownership, became one of the few in Dubai that managed to combine the old and the new. It would have been so easy to tear down the old Aviation Club and build new but the decision was made to keep it so we are actually one of the few buildings in town that’s combined old and new and I think that’s important.

Donald Bremner, hotel manager
1. The fight that I’m going to have with Klaus about our market segments: I think this hotel has got such a diverse appeal from so many different segments. When Klaus showed me the marketing plan a year ago...the percentage was more focused on corporate rather than leisure.
My personal belief is that there are so many drivers, with the access to Madinat and Wild Wadi, the golf club, Aviation Club, Irish Village, the airport, DAFZA and corporate, the conference and incentive business, the 600 people I can put into outdoor banquet space.

I just think this hotel has so much potential and I don’t think we really appreciate that. I think it will be really interesting to see which segments come.

2. Cu-ba Bar: I have a feeling that place is going to be an absolute gold mine. It’s going to be on this side of town, there’s no competition for that type of space, it fits in extremely well to the hotel, I think the views are spectacular, the layout is excellent and I think that’s going to be a big hit and I absolutely love that space.

3. The superior rooms: When potential clients walk into the rooms they see something completely different from what they were expecting and they absolutely love it. It’s a great selling point to the hotel. I think our base product, our entry product to the market is excellent.

Nicky Samson, director of rooms

1. Red accents: I love the way they used the colour red in all the areas, they’ve done it well where it’s not over done but to get that kind of theme around.

2. Spacious rooms: I like the usage of the space, they’ve done a good job at maximising space by using custom made wooden panels in the rooms so the room and bathroom still gives you all the comforts that you could ask for. You don’t feel restricted, it has that open feeling.

3. Complimentary mini bar: Mini bar soft drinks are complimentary and we replenish that every 24 hours, and in order not to have different colleagues coming in throughout the day we’ve merged it so the housekeeping colleagues take care of that while they’re servicing the rooms.

Chris Bateman, executive chef

1. The Cu-ba Bar roof-top pool: It’s just amazing, the cantilevered pool sticks out over the lobby so you can swim and look down. Get yourself a nice salad and a drink and sit and have one of the best views in Dubai in my opinion.

2. Biscotti: I love the fact that its attached to the meeting rooms, it really offers a whole new element of banquet meeting space that you don’t see too much, we even have a small buffet section so you can have lunch here, trying to stick to the Italian theme of course.

3. Nomad: I love the three concepts in one melding it all together, it’s something new and interesting as well. It's all connected.

Restaurants at a glance

Nomad: Nomad incorporates three diverse dining options including a wine bar, 24-hour deli and a signature Asian restaurant.

Cu-ba Bar: A rooftop bar with refrigerated terrace flooring, Cu-ba Bar enjoys unparalleled vistas of the Dubai Creek.

Blue Flame: From steaks to seafood, this signature grill restaurant puts the emphasis on organic produce and sustainable fish stocks.

Biscotti: An Italian cafe with artisanal produce. Biscotti is located in the Training Academy and serves the entire meetings area.

Plumeria: A zesty cafe serving fresh fruit smoothies, energy-boosting juices, wholesome snacks and tasty organic refreshments packed with antioxidants.

Crimson Gallery: A lounge on the lobby level offering a simple menu of light bites and a cake trolley.

Article continues on next page ...

F&B Focus
The F&B operation was one area that the GM influenced quite significantly; the number of outlets was reduced and more space dedicated to the meetings. “We basically took a non-emotional approach,” says Assman.

“It’s not about ego or who we think we are in F&B, it’s about what is the best decision for the business and where is Dubai going to be in five years' time because you don’t build a hotel for now, you build it for future years to come.

We’re still proud of our F&B operation, we’ve put a lot of effort into it but we said less is more. It has a very good chance to be really excellent in the marketplace.”

It was down to executive chef Christopher Bateman to “fill in the gaps” and develop the concepts, the most exciting of which he says is Nomad, which comprises “three concepts in one”.

It features an Asian restaurant with seating inside for 138 and outside for 100, a wine bar that will offer Asian tapas and seat 92 inside and 60 on the terrace; and a deli with capacity for 22. The other main restaurant is Blue Flame, a steak and seafood grill with a menu using only sustainable seafood.

“It is available in Dubai – you just have to be able to change your menu and we do the printing in house so it’s not a problem,” says Bateman, but he observes that sourcing organic produce is tougher.

“The idea is to use as much organics as we can but that’s proving more difficult in Dubai than the seafood. Even if you go with Abu Dhabi organic farms by the time they drive out here it still has a carbon footprint, there’s nothing truly local.”

Across all outlets, a key focus for Bateman has been to offer menus that are reasonable priced. “It’s more about volume, you look at certain companies that do millions of people, they don’t have a huge profit line but they do so many that their profit is enormous.

It was easy just setting the idea forward of trying to get a five-star sandwich at a simple little restaurant price, that’s the goal, to try and change the game,” he says.

“You don’t need to really push it to sell it, you just need to get people in and show them what we do, have them taste the food — it’s really good and the price is where it should be.”

Director of F&B Domenico Iannone agrees that in addition to the concepts, the hotel had to offer a more fun, independent and affordable feeling to its restaurant service — something more fitting for a lifestyle hotel.

“Deciding the best strategy for a hotel’s restaurant offerings in Dubai is an increasingly difficult decision as there are several factors that we had to consider. As traditional hotel restaurants have proven to be less and less successful, free-standing are currently ruling the dining scene in Dubai.

Even more in this part of town we believe that the more we can run our restaurant like independent outlets the more successful they will be, this included hiring the right restaurant staff rather than hotel staff, empowering them to take decisions almost like it is their own restaurant.

“The concept has a great impact on how successful outlets will be, guests in Dubai really relish outlets with large outdoor spaces, good food and beverages at a good value proposition, this along with relaxed fun dining where the attention is 100% on the guest and that is what we focus on.

With the diversity of our offering, the intensive market and pricing analysis and hiring of the right candidates we will definitely meet and exceed our target market expectations,” says Iannone.

On whether the restaurants will help establish the hotel as a lifestyle destination, he says they incorporate “some pretty sleek add-ons” from the cooking pod in Blue Flame to the private cabanas at Cu-ba with 42” TV and PlayStation and the homogenizer, apparently the first in Dubai, that can infuse any liquid with a flavour within two minutes, such as vodka and passionfruit.

Article continues on next page ...

Rooms at a glance
181 Superior Rooms 42–48m² (130 King & 51 Twin rooms)
54 Deluxe Rooms 49-56m²
35 Deluxe XL Rooms 57-61m² (23 King & 12 Twin rooms)
10 Studio Suites 75–85m²
9 Apartment/Corner Suites 90-110m²
2 Duplex Suites 155-185m² (two bedrooms)
1 Triplex Penthouse Suite up to 380m² + terrace measuring 650m² (3 bedrooms)

All rooms at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel offer:
• 24 hour check in / check-out — guests should give the hotel 24-hours' notice in order to guarantee this.
• Complimentary soft mini-bar offering selected non-alcoholic beverages replenished every 24 hours — housekeeping teams have been trained to replenish the mini bars.
• Complimentary wi-fi access throughout the hotel.
• Interactive 42-inch TV system.
• Business desk unit with multi plug and portal connection.
• Electronic Safe with laptop charging facility.
• Illy coffee machine.
• VOIP phones featuring digital room control.
• Dehumidifier bathroom mirrors.
• Ipod docking station and CD player.
• Free shuttle service to Deira City Centre and Dubai Mall.