Anniversary spotlight: Four Seasons Resort Dubai

When Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach opened in November 2014, it came at the end of a long road of waiting for what was meant to be the next level of luxury accommodation. At the time, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts regional vice president and general manager Simon Casson said the brand was a “Rolls-Royce type of company” which offered a completely different service.

One year later, I’m seated in the Shai Salon with Casson, trying to find out whether the hotel has met the high expectations people had. Saying the last year has been “phenomenally rewarding”, while “exhausting and exciting”, Casson adds: “We’ve brought something to the market that’s different, and certainly from a location point of view, have been able to establish the first luxury hotel this end of Jumeirah beach.”

Casson adds: “I was very careful, unlike perhaps some of my colleagues in the industry, to not come here before we open and say we’re going to reinvent this hotel market. And I’ve said that before when I opened in other markets. When I opened in Doha I said it because I knew it was a very small market with few hotels.

“I have great respect for the existing hotel product here — or at least for some of the product — and for some of the hoteliers who I think are world class. I knew for us, to really be able to compete at the top level, it would take much more than a location or a physical product. It would take an experience that was developed, and that experiential part of our business is delivered by people. It’s why I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to do in that regard.”

SERVICE STORY

Casson highlights right from the start that he’s proud of his team and the service. Last year, he told Hotelier Middle East that he personally went on the recruitment drive, visiting 20 countries in the process, meeting every single employee who was hired to join the hotel.

Turnover in the hospitality industry is something everyone discusses, and Casson proudly admits the turnover since opening has been around 15%, which he had initially expected to be higher at 30%.

“With that 15%, around 5% is because we wanted you to go, because you either weren’t identifying or weren’t aligned with our values, or weren’t able to step up to what we expected of you. We’re a company that’s built around a very strongly developed people ethos. We look after, nurture and develop people, but that doesn’t mean we tolerate average or mediocre.”

He’s firm about the importance of management and leadership to create an environment of excellence for employees. Casson explains: “If a great employee turns up and you have a manager that’s not inspirational or doesn’t encourage human development, then that employee will shrink into a safe place. They will still do their job, [but] the problem is that excellence doesn’t live there. Excellence is somewhere in that scary firmament out there where you make mistakes, and you’ve got to be a bit crazy sometimes and have fun.”

He stresses that as a general manager, he is out and about the hotel to ensure his employees are happy. Casson gives an example: “Yesterday I came in at 6am in the morning to meet with the night staff because they’re often a forgotten team. We have 30% of our guests check in between 11pm and 7am. If you think of the focus most hoteliers put on the day-time, how it looks, and a third of your guests are coming in the night! So I wanted to make sure that that team felt looked after and had what they needed to do their job, and spend some fun time with them.”

FEEDBACK

Listening to what guests have to say is an important part of the service story. Casson recounts a few guests saying they needed a beach shower on both ends rather than one — this was implemented. Diners asked for French fries and burgers at Shai Salon, which initially didn’t serve these items —this was introduced.

But one of the biggest projects undertaken by the hotel due to guest feedback was the beach. Casson reveals: “What’s more important for the Russians is the beach of a hotel. We’re on a natural part of Jumeirah beach and I was quite proud of that. But what our Russian guests told us is that it needed more manicuring.”

The shells on the beachfront were not appreciated by the guests, who made this known via feedback to the hotel. So, Casson says, the hotel implemented a million dollar beach project over seven days in the summer of 2015.

In league with the Dubai Municipality, Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach sieved 55,000 tonnes of sand from the now closed Jumeirah Beach Park, and transferred the sand to its beachfront.

“What I’m now able to tell my guests is that this is Jumeirah beach sand. I went out to where the trucks were loading it, driving around, and tipping it onto our beach,” adds Casson.

At the same time, in consultation with a marine company, the team carried out dredging, and added a marine jellyfish net so that the entire swimming experience here is guaranteed to be safe.

YEAR IN REVIEW

The hotel’s focus on service has seen it stay steady in a difficult market. While Casson declines to share exact figures, he says in terms of volume and occupancy, the hotel was ahead of its budget expectations. “We were around the 70% occupancy mark. For average rate — and this is where the market has been more challenged — we have been able to hold up pretty well. We’ve been around US $800 on an annualised basis.”

Is he happy with this? “No, of course not! I want more,” says Casson. “I have an ambitious owner who’s invested a lot of money to create something nice. And the moment you stop wanting more, you will immediately get less.”

Casson continues: “Having opened hotels around the world, and spending the last three decades with Four Seasons, I’m very familiar with what hotels in their first year tend to produce. And what Four Seasons Dubai has produced in its first year is among the most successful of any Four Seasons hotel in terms of the cash it’s generated in year one.

“But am I happy with it? No. I think the business has much more potential, and my goal is to make sure we’re squeezing that potential out of it.”

The hospitality market in the last year has seen its fair share of setbacks. Casson says it depends on perspective. “If you’re looking at it from the competitive market environment, we made it worse for everyone else. Because in a market that’s experiencing some contraction, additional high-end five-star supply makes it more challenging.

“From our perspective, when you don’t have anything to compare against in terms of prior history, there’s nothing to be disappointed about.”

He says the Dubai hotel market has had “bountiful years” and “has been very fortunate to have had several years of enhanced occupancies and rates, and I don’t see it as anywhere near a crisis”.

He says: “It’s a natural correction that comes with increasing supply on the micro level, and then macro-economically with the low oil price, you have a crisis in the Russian/CIS markets and you have some currency issues.” This is only to be expected when external factors come into play, he highlights.

“There will be a road through rather than anything more significant, and the reason I say that with confidence is because Dubai, from an infrastructure point of view, is still growing. This is still a destination that’s well in progress. And that means there’s more attraction for tourists, there’s more infrastructure and interest, and support growth.”

GOING FORWARD

So after a year, Casson says the future is positive. “When I said we’re around 70% [occupancy], I would imagine our competitors are all 80-85% and that’s not necessarily because they’re better at what they do. It’s because they have an existing pipeline of business in different parts of the market.”

Casson is confident that business volumes will increase organically through word-of-mouth and return guests.

“There is a flow that gets established with a hotel that reaches maturity, and maturity takes three or four years. What will naturally happen in year two is that everyone that has been here and thinks it’s an amazing place is going to start coming back.”

What Casson thinks will also improve business volumes is market reputation. “I really do think that we’re garnering a reputation for service excellence. I won’t pretend that we still don’t have some ways to go, but from what I hear from our guests, they’re seeing something different. I get letters and emails from people who say, ‘Finally, a hotel in Dubai where we can rely on the service’, or ‘This is what’s been missing’. Those give me the confidence that the team is doing some things right.”

He also believes the F&B and banqueting is garnering repute; the property hosted 40 weddings in the last year. “Part of the attraction for me for living in Dubai is that there’s such a vibrant restaurant scene — and we’ve added something to it.” He credits the hotel’s in-house brands, but also says the Restaurant Village has created its own sense of attraction. “These are some of the hottest restaurants in Dubai at the moment. They’re generally packed all the time. And that says to us, as the landlords of that business, that we made the right choice in terms of bringing the right brands,” he says.

We arrive full circle — not only are the restaurants high-end, but the whole experience is. “The guest that pays several hundred dollars per night has many choices. But no matter how much they’re paying, they know they can’t pay someone to care. They can’t pay someone to genuinely go out of their way to do something special. They can’t pay someone to anticipate their needs. Those human qualities that are highly complex to deliver because they involve how you attract, recruit, and retain staff.

“As a hotelier you have to stay connected to your product — no different than if you’re producing a luxury car. You have to stay very close to what your guests are experiencing,” concludes Casson.

As I leave the property, I spot him in Shai Salon talking to guests. And it is obvious that he practises exactly what he preaches.

Interviews with the excom team...

Mariana Rietmann, chief concierge

Simon Casson emphasises people and service standards all throughout. And the first point of contact for the guests is the front office and concierge team. Rietmann says it’s very important that the team understand what the expectations are from the guests. She reveals: “It’s an exercise I do on a daily basis, that I tell them: who are our guests and what are they expecting.” She explains that the company takes care of its employees. “They have to be happy in order to make the guests happy. How can I take care of you from my heart if I’m not having a good day?” Rietmann keeps an eye on her team, and even practises coaching on the spot if she thinks the interaction between front office and guests isn’t up to standard.

The hotel’s chief concierge has been with the property since pre-opening, training with the teams six months prior to the doors opening. She admits that mistakes happen sometimes, but the method of dealing with them is what makes all the difference. “The good thing is that we look at the big picture and think, what can we do better?” Rietmann, who has 40 people in her team, says her constant aim has been to personalise the service.

Gilles Arzur, executive chef

The executive chef, who has 84 chefs across his team, not only has to worry about competition in the general Dubai market, but also within the hotel premises, with the Restaurant Village housing brands like Jean-Georges, Coya, Nusret, and Provocateur.

Arzur says the response to the restaurants in the last year has been positive, with good feedback from hotel guests as well as the residential community. “The Restaurant Village is competition without being competition,” he says. It offers, he says, choice to the hotel guests. “It’s up to us to demonstrate to the guest that we are as good as the big names, and we’re not shy on our culinary skills.”

He is quick to carry out changes when it requires. For example, Suq still offers all-day dining, but has switched to a la carte menus from buffets for lunch and dinner, which has also helped with food waste at the property.

Admitting a buffet three times a day cost him a lot of money, Arzur adds that it’s important for him as a chef to have top quality ingredients. “We shouldn’t see that going to waste or not used the way it should be used, it’s a shame. By removing buffets, we had some great response on some of the areas like the Indian counter.” He hints at planning something new for the hotel’s seafood restaurant on the beach, Sea Fu. “We will still be serving a lot of fish and seafood but we may work on a different style of cuisine. When I look at the Restaurant Village and what we have to offer in our area, I think we have a niche spot to create something new.”

Hayley Bluett, director of spa

With 10 therapists, eight receptionists and six health club attendants, Hayley Bluett is a busy woman. She says the hotel’s signature facials and treatments are the most popular, and has worked on creating an authentic and local experience for the clientele.

Bluett says: “During our signature massage, we use our signature oil which Sodashi blended for us. We also use oud scent which really speaks to the local culture here. For our signature facial, we use our signature pearl serum which Dr Burgener created for our spa, which was quite nice. We actually pride ourselves that we’re the only ones in the region that house Dr Burgener.”

The ratio of in-house to external guests currently stands at 80:20, with all efforts being made through strategic marketing to create a loyal following among residents in the area.

“Especially with Four Seasons, every single spa is very different and what we’re trying to create is a local, authentic experience and that’s quite easy for the spa to do than any other department. We’ve introduced a date night, where guests will come in and experience different date treatments, and also a camel milk body wrap. That is a trend at the moment anyway,” she explains.

The spa also makes up quite a large component of the revenue that is generated from the hotel as a whole. The department’s operating revenue is generated from spa and salon services, with a significant amount of income derived from spa product sales and other retail sold in the spa and wellness boutique.