Mariette sees the other hotels on The Palm as friends, rather than just competitors. “We are all colleagues of the hospitality industry, but we have a slightly different product. But in terms of positioning, we want to lead in quality.”
True to his word, Mariette said in a recent interview with Hoteliers sister publication Caterer Middle East, that he is not concerned that the soon to open W Dubai will provide competition to his outlets, instead stating that the two will create a “huge F&B destination” for the city.
W Dubai is “catering to a market which is completely different to ours”, he said, speaking to Caterer Middle East, believing that having the two side-by-side on The Palm will “complement each other. “The more noise they make the better it is for this property and vice versa.”
Currently, Emerald Palace Kempinski has 10 F&B concepts, including Mix by Alain Ducasse and Japanese steakhouse Matagi. “The pricing policy of the F&B venues are comparable to the stand-alone restaurants found in Dubai,” he says. Although the Emerald Palace Group Limited oversees the venues, it gives them a lot of flexibility. “We say to them, please develop your local clientele.”
The F&B target market is aimed at those staying at the resort. “The capture rate is important,” he says. The second target are The Palm residents, who he says would be looking for a dining destination. “Once we have built a reputation, we will attract more people from Dubai, who will hopefully stay for the weekend.”
Mariette, in terms of the product concept, puts the Emerald Palace on par with that of “The Four Seasons of this world, the One & Only Mirage, Bulgari properties, Jumeirah Al Naseem, and Jumeirah Al Qasr.”
“My objective in the long- or mid-term is to be not only the leading hotel on The Palm, but the top five properties in Dubai, from a quality point of view, a 5-star point of view,” he says.
Today, the property’s communication team is focused on letting people know that “this is the opening of an actual palace in Dubai.” This was borne out by the fact that on an adjacent table a group of 15 people from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who had flown in for a site inspection, were visiting the property in order to see the villa products on both sides of the resort.
Mariette describes at length the property’s attention to detail – the choice of furnishings, room products, the quality of the hotel, operating supplies and equipment (OS&E), and outdoor landscaping. “The owner – who likes to say that he is the only one to open a true European palace in 250 years – has been involved in everything, together with the operator. I’m pretty proud and happy with the result.”
Hotels opening across the region, and throughout the world, often lean towards contemporary interior designs – clean lines, minimalist and stylized furnishings, which is in sharp contrast to the interior and architectural design of the Emerald Palace.
“The owner really likes this style, and the quality is wow. It is an advantage [from a market point of view], and we are managing a product that is completely different,” Mariette explains. He went on to say how people have an opinion about the design. “This is an advantage, because we are being talked about; the product stands out.”
The hotel service is, according to Mariette, genuine and nonintrusive. “Every morning I tell the team that it is not the quantity of marble or carpets, or the number of palm trees that will make the difference. It is the quality of service we are implementing in the property right now.”
He is keen to maintain the service, and in doing so, makes sure that he meets all new members of staff, in order to access if they are team players. “I want to make sure the team spirit is right, and they blend in with the team.”
“We have opened something completely different; there are not too many palaces like this one in Dubai. Even with a lot of supply, I’m confident that we will get our market share because people will look for such a product.”
For Mariette Emerald Palace Group, any talk of a “saturated market” has passed them by. Speaking about the group’s pipeline, he revealed that there are a number of projects in the UAE within its sights. “In a couple of months, we are opening a 277-key hotel in Dubai’s Business Bay. There are also quite a few projects in Saudi Arabia,” he adds.
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