The lobby of the new Ocean View Hotel in Dubai, which will be the first property to feature the new branding upon opening The lobby of the new Ocean View Hotel in Dubai, which will be the first property to feature the new branding upon opening

UNIFORM APPROACH
The rebranding has been applied to everything from staff uniforms and facilities to colour schemes and in-room amenities, including the introduction of giveaway rubber ducks.

“Element will still be our amenities [brand], but we’ve added a range of fairly interesting and eclectic collectable items to giveaway – one being different kinds of ducks to collect each time the guest comes to stay — we have a big repeat audience,” saysThomson, adding that the company is also revising its loyalty programme.

“The turn-down will be done differently and we’re also going to produce a JA Resorts and Hotels magazine which will be the only magazine that will feature in our rooms. We now have a colour palette so if you’re a resort on the beach you have one particular colour, if you’re a predominantly leisure hotel but not on the beach you have another colour,” he continues.

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But it’s not just the visuals contributing to the new experience of JA Resorts and Hotels, the group has created a new spa concept ‘Calm’, as well as the introduction of ‘Your Space’ lounges to all of its properties.

“We’re trying to make it a more relaxed experience rather than guests feeling they’re being rushed through, we want them to take their time with us and enjoy things more,” says Thomson.

“We have a policy now that guests will be seated on arrival rather than standing at a reception desk. These things aren’t rocket science, just things we want to improve.”

Each hotel will offer an experience desk manned by a dedicated ‘experience manager’ — a new role created under the rebrand.

“Anything guests want to do in Dubai, or elsewhere, or within our own properties they’ll be able to find [details of] there. There will be a lot more associates in lobbies talking to guests, interacting.”

Increased service levels have led the group to recruit around 40 new people in its existing hotels. Changes have also been made to the roles of existing staff: “We found some anomalies across the properties; different titles for similar kinds of role for example, so everybody in our hotels now has the same titles for the same roles,” explains Thomson.

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