The Alila team shot onsite at Vida Hotel, Dubai (from left): Julian Ayers regional VP for ME & India; Mark Edleson, president; Frederic Flaeat-Simon, chief executive.
Alila Group’s president, CEO and regional vice president discuss the company’s first venture into the Middle East, and how this will blaze a trail for future Alila developments in Oman and beyond:
Sharing a plate of lamb biryani at sunset with the village elders in Oman’s Hajar Mountains, the Alila team celebrated the pre-opening of their first, and much anticipated Middle Eastern venture.
The dramatic Omani mountain resort of Jabal Akhdar is set to open its doors in April, and the team are confident that they can extend to guests the type of local destination experience that they enjoyed at this property — and at future openings in the region.
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That said, none have been confirmed as yet, and having already turned down five Middle Eastern projects because they “weren’t in line with the brand”, and with Musandam and Dubai projects still on hold, Alila’s journey to the region has been somewhat tentative.
However, crossing the threshold for the first time this spring, the team is hoping to catch the eye of developers and gradually extend the Alila portfolio throughout Oman and beyond.
“We’ve been working on entering the Gulf region over the last seven or eight years,” explains Alila president Mark Edleson, sipping a cappuccino with colleagues Frederic Flaeat-Simon, chief executive of Alila and recently appointed regional vice president for the Middle East and India, Julian Ayers.
“A number of projects we had in the pipeline for the Middle East didn’t materialise because the global financial crisis hit Dubai quite hard.”
California-born Edleson explains that with backing from the Omani government, while construction of Jabal Akhdar slowed down considerably in 2008, once it started up again it was full throttle for two years and is now set to open in April. “We’re really excited as it’s going to be an iconic product and very much suited to our brand DNA.”
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