Talise Fitness, much more than a traditional gym After years of operation in Dubai, the fitness brand of the Jumeirah group, Talise Fitness, is ready to spread its wings in the Middle East and globally. Cedric Betis, Group Director of Wellness for the Jumeirah Group, reveals the brand’s winning strategy and expansion plan.
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n the fast-growing, competitive world of fitness, the recipe for success is only known to a select few. For Talise Fitness, the key lies in the brand’s holistic approach; the synergy created between Talise Fitness, Talise Spa and Talise Nutrition. “Talise Fitness model is based upon people’s aspirations. Our responsibility is to create a support system that will assist people to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Happy members are the best brand ambassadors and we decided to enhance the relationship to a new level,” highlights Betis. “We are now joining forces with our members by taking part with them in the most iconic fitness events, such as the Dubai Desert Warrior Challenge and the Wadi Bih Run. This is also a very good excuse to celebrate and indulge ourselves when our members reach their personal objectives!”
Talise Fitness’s portfolio in Dubai now includes four outlets in strategic locations – Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, and Jumeirah Emirates Towers, as well as outlets in managed properties such as Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. “Talise Fitness is a Dubai-based concept that took its inspiration from New York. We realized there was a lot of synergy between the two cities. Similar to New York, Dubai is a multicultural and trend-setting city where people travel to and live in to achieve their ambitions. That’s how we came up with our New York style loft design for all our gyms.” The year 2013 marked a new beginning for Talise Fitness. The main focus was to gradually exit from the existing ‘hotel gym model’ and transit towards a more com-
mercial approach that would pave the way for future growth. “We wanted to create a strong brand identity that could add value to the Jumeirah Group and generate the highest return on investment for our shareholders. We went through a rebranding exercise, created new processes and implemented industry KPIs,” explains Betis. “Talise is now following the growth and expansion plan of the Jumeirah Hotels. We are following a strategic expansion plan for extending the Talise Fitness footprint both locally and internationally.” To keep up with the latest in fitness technology and innovation, every year the Talise team attends global industry conferences like IHRSA and FIBO in the United States and Europe. Finally, Betis highlights the importance of investing in employees. “We place great attention towards the development of our staff. We collaborated with MefitPro to develop an educational platform and provide our staff with the latest training qualifications.” Indeed, Talise Fitness is consistently improving their operation and recently partnered with industry leaders like Technogym for their fitness equipment and Reebok as their official apparel partner.
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Talise Fitness provides an excellent health and lifestyle program in combination of nutrition, fitness and general health practices to educate and develop a healthier lifestyle for the corporate workforce. To know how you can improve energy levels, concentration at work and social well-being, please contact Judit Toth – Corporate Wellness at Judit.toth@jumeirah.com
20 Cedric Betis