Towards the end of 2014, Hakkasan initiated a design contest for the new property, providing some direction but asking six international architects to put forth their visions for the project. These were submitted in January and the company will reveal the winning design and plans later this year.
While the specifics remain under wraps, McCabe can confirm that the hotel will be “boutique” in terms of size.
“We’ll probably be around the 100-room mark,” he explains. “It really depends on some decisions we make with regards to the size of rooms and the number of luxury villas we do versus normal rooms. Those decisions are yet to be made.
“Realistically our view is that Hakkasan should have an impeccable service. It should be very personalised, and in order to achieve that you need to keep the room count fairly low.
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“We look to be delivering a level of service that would be common for all our restaurants and nightlife, and it’s working out how we carry that through the hotel and how many we can realistically accommodate, while not sacrificing the service standard.”
The mention of restaurants and nightlife is a reminder of the bread and butter of the company, and one which it entered the region with in 2010, in the form of Hakkasan Abu Dhabi, at the Emirates Palace hotel. With all the attention on the new hotel, where does that leave any prospects for further outlets, in other hotels or developments?
“The hotel is really our entire focus in the region right now,” McCabe explains. “It really is that crucial to our business. We’re not really engaging in any other discussions.”
That’s not to say that F&B is off the radar. If anything, the hotel will significantly increase its activity in this sphere in the region, with the company looking to buck the trend of outsourcing significant chunks to third-party operators.
“Our idea is that if we build a Hakkasan hotel, there’s going to be an expectation of fantastic F&B to go with it. That doesn’t just mean a Hakkasan restaurant. That means for us, leveraging all of the brand-building we’ve been doing in our restaurant and nightlife portfolio,” adds McCabe.
“Making sure that to the extent we can control every single restaurant, bar and nightlife component ourselves. Because we feel like we know our business very well.”
Its rapid growth over recent years means the company has an enviable portfolio of restaurant and nightlife brands it can turn to, including Yautcha and Sake No Hana, dim sum and sushi concepts respectively, which both have their roots in London.
When the hotel does open in 2017, it will be managed by MGM Hakkasan Hospitality, the 50/50 joint venture formed between Hakkasan Group and MGM Resorts International last year. McCabe says having a partner with strong experience in hotels is a major advantage as it feels its way in a new sector.
“The hotel concept was being conceived when we were inking that [joint venture] deal, so MGM has been with us every step of the way,” he elaborates. “They are very much engaged in the process with regard to design, functionality.
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