Hospitality Business ME | Issue 40 - 2015 by Hospitality Business ME

ISSUE 40

NOVEMBER 2015

TRENDING…

GETTING CLEANING SORTED

SOCIAL MEDIA

DEVELOPING TALENT

MASTERPIECE TASTE IN

PDO European Cheese Europe certifies its best products

EDITOR’S LETTER

MANAGEMENT Dominic De Sousa Chairman Nadeem Hood Group CEO Georgina O’Hara Publishing Director Paul Godfrey Group Director of Editorial

Editor Dave Reeder dave.reeder@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9163

Deputy Editor Beth Burrows beth.burrows@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167

ADVERTISING Business Development Director Elaine McCarrick elaine.mccarrick@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9112

DESIGN Head of Design Glenn Roxas Senior Graphic Designer Froilan Cosgafa IV Production Manager James Tharian Data Manager Rajeesh Melath

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Head Office PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0) 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 (0) 4 447 2409

Don’t be a scammer O

f course, your hotel and its staff would be above any of these scams which are becoming increasingly prevalent in the US, but even you could be a victim when travelling abroad. So make sure you stay safe on your travels and avoid the risks of sophisticated scams that start right inside the hotel room. Travellers are often seen as easy targets, so scam artists keep looking for the easy way to part them from their money. Whilst scams start as soon a people arrive in a city - yes, taxi drivers, we’re talking about you! - here are three hotel scams that everybody needs to be prepared for as they travel. Scam 1: Fake hotel food delivery. It’s not uncommon to find a number of menus in a hotel room for local dining options. Or they are slid under the door. However, wehile the menu looks real, it may be a restaurant that doesn’t exist at all. Here’s how the scam works: the scam artist creates and prints a menu that looks realistic. Once created, the menus are slid underneath the doors of hotel rooms, inviting guests of the hotel to order in. However, the restaurant doesn’t exist. Guests ae asked to pay for their order by credit card and, of course, the food never arrives but the scam artists have the guest’s credit card information. So guests should make sure that the restaurant actually exists, either via a simple Net search of restaurants in the area. The front desk should also hold a file of any restaurants that deliver to the hotel.

Scam 2: Fake front desk charges. Many high quality hotels are trained to make a phone call to your room 15 minutes after your check-in, just to make sure that your room is perfect. But for other reasons? The front desk call scam starts with a call to the room phone from someone claiming to be at your hotel’s front desk. Often times, they will claim that the hold on a credit card was declined and they need to reverify the card number. As a convenience, they are more than happy to take the credit card information over the phone… A real member of staff should never ask for credit card information over the phone but should invite the guest down to reception. Scam 3: Free WiFi connections Nobody enjoys paying for WiFi Internet access at hotels, which makes the free hotspot popup even more tempting. This is a growing problem that targets guests through the promise of free Internet access. Common at hotels and other public places, like coffee shops and bus stations, the scam works by setting up a ‘free’ WiFi hotspot, usually aptly named to get people’s attention. Though the Internet connection will be free to access, customers’ data can route through several points, including a scam artist’s computer. Because they are hosting the connection, they can see all data transmitted through their WiFi signal, including Web sites, usernames and passwords used. Make sure your property name is in the network ID and advertise your WiFi network on printed materials.

Dave Reeder dave.reeder@cpimediagroup.com

© Copyright 2015 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

CONTENTS TASte NEW ZEALAND UAE-based ptrofessional chefs - it’s to start thinking about New Zealand produce and products ready for the annual competition.

MANAGEMENT 6 Emiratisation in the

hospitality sector

There are an estimated 3,160 Emiratis, in the hospitalty sector. Is that enough?

Promoting key staff

The future of budget and mid-market hotels

Many businesses simply promote their talented or top performing staff at random.

The UAE hospitality market remains near-saturated with luxury resorts, however there’s an ever-increasing need to develop and grow the midrange sector and budget resorts.

Cultural differences with local meetings The concept of time in the Middle East is generally seen as fluid but it’s still important to always be on time.

DESIGN 20 Fitout first Saad Moaswes is part of the father-son team that has brought many great interiors to hotels all over the UAE.

Design focus: wood

Safety first

Access for all

We talked with industry experts about the recent focus on wood in hotel design.

The UAE is a good option for career focused expats with the bonus of it being an extremely safe place for children.

How can hotels do their part to help disabled guests?

TECHNOLOGY 34 Getting more social Here are top tips for hotel social media marketing.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

COVER CONCEPT If the Middle East has one thing in abundance, it’s tall buildings. What are the best solutions for cleaning all that glass? And how do cleaning teams ensure guest privacy?

CONTENTS

36 Come dine with me

In a competitive market, how can you ensure that your outlets receive their share of tourists and residents?

38 The shift to cloud

Technology is critical in the hospitality industry.

40 Show time!

The Hospitality Technology Forum was well attended by many senior level executives from the hospitality industry.

HYGIENE 42 Cleaning up in public The region’s hospitality industry is known for its high service standards in housekeeping.

the Burj Khalifa a 44 Keeping shining jewel Window cleaning in the UAE is one of the most challenging jobs in the cleaning sector.

48 Best practice: chemical storage

44 58

Safe chemical storage and handling are paramount to maintaining guest and staff safety.

THE PRO CHEF 52 Taste New Zealand The annual Taste New Zealand competition for chefs is due to be announced in detail at The Pro Chef ME Awards. Here’s a taste of the mystery box of ingredients.

art of plating 58 The Chef Alex Barrera lends some Latin flair to his Peruvian dishes and Chef Wolfgang Puck gives a healthy twist to two US classics.

enough to eat 64 Good Restaurants need to think about more than whether to add pretty pictures when they’re designing a menu.

local, if possible 68 Buy How do chefs buy local in a desert climate?

Italian 70 Iconic Chef Alfredo Russo of Vivaldi by Alfredo Russo reveals the key to modernising Italian cuisine.

last word 72 The Marjorie Silverman rose in her chosen career to become chef concierge the Hotel InterContinental Chicago.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

Developing local talent

Who are the future executives?

Meeting objectives

HOTEL MANAGEMENT

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Emiratisation in the hospitality industry Tourism is a central pillar of Dubai’s economic growth and diversification. The key objective of Dubai’s Tourism Vision for 2020, approved in May 2013 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, is to attract 20 million visitors per year - that’s doubling the number welcomed in 2012.

he UAE’s holiday market is huge. Tourism and aviation is expected to account for 47% of Dubai’s GDP by the end of this year. And the hospitality industry has reacted with gusto. Last year 46 new hotels opened in Dubai and, as of January 2015, a further 626 properties are in the pipeline for the Middle East and Africa. Indeed, it is becoming hard to move for all the 5- star skyscrapers lining the Sheik Zayed Road. From the hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector, an estimated 3,160 are Emiratis, according to Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). An Emiratisation Task Force for Tourism and Hospitality was established in 2002 to encourage more Emiratis to join the sector. But what discouraged many from working in the sector were factors such as a lack of awareness about the opportunities available to them and long working hours. But an implemented plan was put in place to increase the number of Emiratis in the sector by 15% a year until 2020. For decades the UAE authorities have used the oil industry to fuel its economy and develop its nation with the help of foreign expatriate workers entering the country in search of jobs and better standards of living for themselves and their families. This approach has caused UAE citizens to be unemployed largely as a result of their lack of skills, knowledge, and experience in leading industries. Therefore, the Emiratisation programme was launched with the aim to educate and train local inhabitants in order to be qualified for the replacement of expatriate employees. In 2014, travel and tourism directly supported 291,500 jobs, or 5.3% of total employment, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s report on the UAE. The number is expected to rise by 5.7% by the end of this year. The pressure is on hotels and the hospitality sector to hire more trained staff. According to The National newspaper, Vagelyn Federico, the director of human resources at Dusit Thani Dubai, commented that it is a common trend, not only among Emiratis, that more people tend to go into the job market with a bachelor’s degree rather than with vocational training such as in hospitality. She added: “One of the other reasons as well is that the working hours in a hotel, since it is a 24 hour operation,

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

The main benefits of Emiratisation to the tourism and hospitality industry are that it adds to the sustainability and growth of hotels when a core part their workforce is made up of UAE nationals and it enables hotel guests to interact directly and experience UAE culture.

require an employee to work in different shifts, depending on the operational requirements.” Emiratis are significantly more likely to work in administration than any other role, suggests a recent survey report on Emiratisation by Oxford Strategic Consulting. The Emirati Employment Report 2015 states: over half of the 300 working Emiratis polled, opted for a career in administration, however engineering, accountancy and banking and finance were also popular career choices. The main benefits of Emiratisation to the tourism and hospitality industry are that it adds to the sustainability and growth of hotels when a core part their workforce is made up of UAE nationals and it enables hotel guests to interact directly and experience UAE culture. It alsi allows hotels to contribute to the learning and growth of UAE nationals for the benefit of UAE human capital development. In order to help implement Emiratisation several hotels have made steps to aid the task. Starwood Hotels and Resorts is one in particular. They joined TCA Abu Dhabi’s Khibrati programme to provide part time jobs to undergraduate UAE nationals. The Khibrati programme is designed to encourage nationalisation of careers in the hospitality sector by providing students opportunities for training and part time positions in the industry while they continue their studies. Commenting on the operator’s participation in the programme, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide regional director of human resources Middle East,

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Stuart Thomson said:“We look forward to our collaboration with Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority on the Khibrati nationalisation programme. We will be working alongside TCA to put together a programme plan that would best suit undergraduate students during their fulltime studies. “Specially tailored part time jobs are being developed aimed at yielding rich experiences for the participants with one of the leading hospitality brands in the world, as well as motivating and educating them about the hospitality industry.” Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) have established a longterm strategic partnership to encourage young nationals to join the hospitality sector and will add to TCA Abu Dhabi’s Khibrati programme. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed ADNH board member and managing director Hareb Al Muhairy and TCA Abu Dhabi standards regulations & licensing department director Nasser Al Reyami. Under the agreement, TCA Abu Dhabi will encourage Emirati students in the Khibrati programme by co-ordinating the recruitment process and the relationship with colleagues and universities. ADNH will also offer internship programmes at its hotels, which include The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, Le Meridien Abu Dhabi, Hilton Abu Dhabi, Hilton Al Ain, and Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah beach. ADNH aims to retain the trainees enrolled in the programme once they complete their formal education.

http://enjoyeuropeanfood.eu

HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Promoting key staff Many businesses simply promote their talented or top-performing staff at random, if and when there’s a creditable achievement or a record of success. Yet there’s another approach that’s better-aligned with business needs and can be a powerful factor in fuelling company growth. It’s one that places people at the core of the business and sees their development as a key strategic directive. Senior Editor Paul Godfrey investigates…

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

n old adage says “Fail to plan and you plan to fail”. This is exceptionally true in the context of staff recruitment and promotion. While you may think that the region is full of people who can meet your requirements for senior staff and fill top positions as and when required, according to the global personnel agency Manpower Group , interviewing and recruiting people from outside the business is five times more costly than training and nurturing the ones you already have. Moreover, the facts show that external recruitment is very hit and miss, with the right talent scarce and most businesses getting through two to three unsatisfactory appointments before finding the top performer they wanted all along. Not only is it a good idea to focus on the people you already have, but it makes good commercial sense to create a structured personnel promotion plan that ensures strong and productive throughput and progression for the people who will make a difference to your business.

Recruitment, development, maturity A proper plan will tackle each end of the recruitment and rewards process. It will • Describe an effective process for recruiting employees • Have a clear, crisp template for developing skills and abilities • Prepare staff for more senior roles • Have a powerful retention capability to ensure a return on the organisation’s investment. It will be effective because it is rooted in a deep and considered understanding of company culture and day-to-day behaviour. So it will pride itself on • Understanding the organisation’s long-term objectives. • Identifying people’s real developmental needs. • Second-guessing workforce trends. • Being aware of the skills pool created by existing employees. • Considering the impact that not promoting would have on the current workforce. • Analysing the cost of recruiting and training. Note that this Is not intended as a strategy only for elite staff or for director-level retention; rather, it can be an effective blueprint for all levels of personnel and become an organic part of the company’s structure and forward planning. The idea here is to provide a holistic approach that recruits the right people from Day One (ie, both in terms of skills and ‘cultural’ fit), then moulds them in a way sympathetic to the business’ longer-view requirements. It means that whatever the strategic ‘forks in the road’ that

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

You will only be able to reap the benefits of these key approaches if you manage them properly and take the necessary steps that will lead to action. In other words, you need to put in place a regime that practices what it preaches!

the company may be facing - going for an IPO, breaking new markets, launching a new product, committing to a better online presence, etc. there is always a people solution to support the necessary operational decisions. When to promote - the role of good timing Having a structured plan will only work if the right people are promoted into the right roles - and at the right time. Promotion is a serious decision with financial, personal and cultural ramifications, and it pays to consider a variety of factors before making any moves that it may well be impossible to reverse. You will need to keep in mind the following • Make sure you develop a comprehensive set of benchmarks for key positions so that everyone’s performance can be properly evaluated against the job competencies required. • Identify the exact levels of competence (and strengths and weaknesses) for each member of staff, so that there are no errors or misjudgments about who can be placed where. • Having more than one candidate for each key job is important. Success happens most often when there are choices between two or more qualified people. • Build a list of relevant seminars and workshops for employees to attend. Their keenness (or not) to learn is a great indication of eligibility for promotion. On returning from training/seminars, employees should be encouraged to share what they have learned with other staff. • Arrange a series of interactions between promising, up-and-coming staff and top management. This can not only isolate and identify potential weaknesses but groom the employee on preferred behaviour and the management’s view of objectives. • Employees can be tested and assessed against both the agreed benchmarks and evolving management expectations to see how well

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they match the profile of a potential manager. • Give candidates a ‘ghost run’ at key management tasks – this will allow you to properly gauge performance capability and potential (and avoid disasters later on). • Tell everyone through your internal media platforms what the requirements for promotion actually are. This creates a level playing field with all requirements out in the open. But remember the essentials… You will only be able to reap the benefits of these key approaches if you manage them properly and take the necessary steps that will lead to action. In other words, you need to put in place a regime that practices what it preaches! There are three key initiatives that should be your HR mantra, namely - • Whatever your raft of other activities, be sure always to follow the progress of individual staff and be aware of any problems/ roadblocks they encounter. • Use your knowledge of the business to be aware of the key gaps in talent - and take action to make good any shortcomings asap. • Live in the real world and make sure the incentives and bonuses on offer are tied to the parameters for promotion. There is no better way to invite scorn and lose organizational credibility than for repeated ‘wins’ to have no good consequences at all. Following these steps means that there is always smooth transition into key roles - helping both the organisation and the individual and ensuring that the personnel appointed are ready and well-qualified. Remember as well that there is nothing more disruptive to the organization than either making the wrong appointments or having to live with the empty gap when no replacement can be found at all. Think of personnel recruitment and promotion as a core part of business opportunity and these scenarios need never arise.

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

The future of the mid-market and budget hotels The UAE hospitality market remains near-saturated with luxury resorts, however there’s an ever-increasing need to develop and grow the mid-range sector and budget resorts in the Emirates because the growth of these establishments are essential to the success of the UAE’s tourism vision. Considering improved airport capacity and infrastructure, expanding airline networks that include low-cost carriers, emerging source markets in Africa and Asia and the addition of new family tourist attractions, there is massive demand for affordable options.

he Middle East is a global tourism and leisure entertainment destination withten large theme parks, two sa-fari parks and three international museums being developed in the UAE at present. Other places soon to be accessible are: Dubai Parks and Resorts opening in 2016, Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi opening in 2017 and Dream Island, Ras al Khaimah launching in 2018, among many others. Potentially, UAE attrac-tions can achieve 18 million theme park visits alone by 2021, in comparison to Singapore’s 6.7 million and Hong Kong’s 15 million today. The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing strategy plans to attract 20 million annual visitors to Dubai by 2020. The emirate already welcomed 13 million in 2013 so it’s a realistic figure. It’s expected that by 2021

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the addressable UAE leisure market will have increased by 70% on 2015 figures to 45 million peo-ple including 31 million international tourists, with residents, their relatives and friends, a further 14 million. With these figures, it appears that there’s space for new mid-market and budget hotel options. The most prominent hospitality trend emerging is the growth of mid-market hotel options for families and low-budget travellers. Investors aim to fill Dubai’s mid-market need. In fact, the midscale segment accounts for 10% of the rooms projected to open until 2018. Incentives, such as waiving the municipality tax on 3- and 4-star hotels, are spurring development. Hotel developers must move quickly to capitalise on a new financial incentive from Dubai Municipality and Dubai’s DTCM to develop more

Location is essential in selecting new projects. Economy hotels typically fetch around AED 400 in terms of ADR, but prime locations can double that figure during peak demand although land in prime areas is hard to come by and expensive.

HOTEL MANAGEMENT

mid-range hotels in Dubai. In a move to swell the emirate’s supply of three- and four-star properties, eligible hotels will be granted a concession on the 10% municipality fee which is levied on the room rate for each night of occupancy. According to DTCM director general, HE Helal Saeed Al Marri, the initiative is designed to incentivise hotel owners to bring forward their construction timelines, creating more mid-range hotel rooms in Dubai more quickly. The sooner the developers bring these hotels to market, the sooner they will benefit from the incen-tive. Of the 21,856 rooms scheduled to open in the United Arab Emirates by 2018, the midscale segment ac-counts for 10% (2,157 rooms) and the budget segment accounts for 9% (1,871 rooms), according to the HVS “Middle East hotel development cost trends” survey,

published in March this year. The numbers are still considered low and investors are generally favouring luxury hotels over the others. The Emirates can sustain many mid-range to budget hotels and the more high quality and affordable ones are made the more attrac-tive the region will be for a wider guest base and this will allow ambitious growth targets. The market needs midrange to be sustainable and the government is incentivising them. The supply of hotels in this sector is undersupplied. Dubai’s existing, branded budget and midscale supply includes offerings from Gulf Pearl Hotel and Panorama Hotel which both offer great service at inexpensive prices. Premier Inn, Ibis and Holiday Inn Express are also chain brands that fit this market and are leaders in the economy sector. InterContinental Hotels Group

also aims to increase its footprint of more Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels in the region within the next two to four years. The Dubai government has economy and midscale hotels very much on its radar and is aware of the gap in the market with the increasing demand for quality affordable hotel rooms into the emirate. The municipality fee waiver partially mitigates other things, such as escalating construction costs. Sources mentioned, in-creases in construction likely will correspond with increases in construction costs. Building a midscale hotel in Dubai would cost approximately AED 600,000 per key, according to the HVS Middle East cost trends re-port. Premier Inn expects to reach 30 properties in the GCC by 2020; this includes 372-key Premier Inn Ibn Battuta Mall, 200-key Premier Inn Al Maktoum International Airport, 215-key Premier Inn Dubai Healthcare City (DHC) and 300-key Premier Inn Al Jadaf. Location is essential in selecting new projects. Economy hotels typically fetch around AED 400 in terms of ADR, but prime locations can double that figure during peak demand although land in prime areas is hard to come by and expensive, leaving smaller players and high-net-worth individuals to look in secondary loca-tions. Areas in Dubai like Dubai Investments Park, Motorcity and DuBiotech are attractive to many as other locations are now either established or growth areas. Dubai Silicon Oasis is an example of an area that’s now delivering excellent returns on what were low cost investments. One main issue to consider is that under the proposed rules three-star hotel rooms must be a minimum of 28m² and such a size is simply unsustainable, as it increases construction costs by anything from 15 to 30 per cent depending upon the brand. DTCM have not discussed the draft regulations so far but they’ve con-firmed that room size would be more important. In the process of developing the new hotel classification framework the size of rooms should have an effect on the star rating. Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO Strategy and Tourism Sector, DTCM, said: “The development of the classification system has taken place over a couple of years, allowing for deep consultation with the industry both within Dubai and internationally, and at various times throughout this process different sizes of rooms per star rat-ing have been suggested. We are currently finalising what those will be but the figures quoted are not accu-rate. One of our top priorities is the development of the mid-market segment and we will continue to work with the industry to ensure that the classification system helps, rather than hinders this.”

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HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Cultural differences with local meetings The Gulf is a global hub where different cultures meet. Respecting cultural differences in the meetings involves time management but there’s also emphasis on personal pleasantries prior to meet-ings. The concept of time in the Middle East is generally seen as fluid and many Middle Easterners are more relaxed about when an appointment or event ends or begins, both at work and at a social gathering but it’s still important to always be on time.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

n the Middle East, doing business revolves much more around personal relationships, family ties, trust and honour. It is therefore important that business relationships be built on mutual friendship and trust. As a consequence of this, if you have friends or contacts in the right places, rules may be bent or things may be done more quickly. The system works on the basis that favours are recip-rocated and never forgotten. Hospitality is held in high regard throughout the Middle East and people will take great pride in lav-ish shows of hospitality. Initial meetings are all about relationship-building building trust and es-tablishing compatibility. Age, money and family connections are all key determining factors of a person’s status. Who you are is usually more important than what you have achieved. It is there-fore not uncommon to find many members of one family working for the same company. This differs very much to Western meetings; but there are common threads. Bear in mind that first impressions do matter, know your audience, preparation for your presenta-tion, get tips on leadership qualities and highlight strong listening skills and maintain structure and efficiency with meetings. It’s important to ask yourself: “what is the desired outcome” and “what are the key

decisions to be made?” The reasons for the meeting is to: provide information, solicit information, answer questions, get group options, brainstorm ideas, resolve problems, network and sell ideas, products or services. The point is also to gain acceptability and support for an idea, pro-gramme or decision. It may be a meeting to train people, to reconcile conflicting views or to com-municate essential information to a group. Issues can arise with meetings. Some problems that arise are the there are too many of them that don’t actually achieve enough results - meetings can be long and agendas can contain too much. If there are too many participants meeting may not be as personal or effective and it’s important to end a meeting concluding the business at hand if possible, however, sometimes bureaucratic is-sues can delay the process in the Middle East so patience is so essential. But what makes a good facilitator are: open mindedness, having a good understanding of the meeting tasks and long term goals of the team, to have good listening skills, have good insight into attendees personalities. Key positive character traits is to have a degree of confidence, being as-sertive but not aggressive and have good team and observation skills. And after meetings, one should track progress of things decided from the meeting and evaluate the value of the meeting.

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HOTEL DESIGN

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HOTEL DESIGN

Fitout first Saad Moaswes is part of the father-son team that has brought so many memorable interiors to hotels all over the UAE. He sits down with HBMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sarah Williams to talk smart design and staying at the top.

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HOTEL DESIGN

In addition to its skilled craftsmen and production facilities, Bond also has a small team of in-house designers to help implement the design using the best materials and production methods -- which includes lifecycle planning and sustainability.

ond Interiors has been fitting out hotel interiors since Dubai was a little place in the Middle East that few had heard of. Having served the hospitality industry for over 30 years, the Sharjah-based company now counts some of the UAE’s most luxe hotels amongst its clients and, according to managing director Saad Moaswes, business is only getting better. In addition to recently completing the Sheraton Dubai Deira’s refurbishment, Bond is also completing fit out projects for Palazzo Versace, one of Dubai’s most anticipated hotel openings - scheduled to finish before the end of the year. Other notable projects include Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island resort, Ritz-Carlton JBR, JW Marriott, Crowne Plaza and the Oberoi hotel in Ajman’s

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upcoming Al Zorah Development. Hailing from Jerusalem, Palestine, Moaswes has worked in the UAE since 1986, bringing with him a prestigious education at the University of Southern California, where he completed his Masters in Construction Management. Now with over 2,000 employees and 150,000 square feet manufacturing facilities, Bond Interiors provides hotels with most of what they need without a large subcontract or supply chain. “One of the reasons we built our production facilities is to improve our delivery time,” explains Moaswes. “Depending upon the sub-contractor wasn’t the most efficient way to do things for our clients. “There are companies in Europe or the US that are specialists – they are experts

HOTEL DESIGN

A lot of our hotels which are updating their interiors have expanded the washroom in the rooms rather than the bedroom or ‘living space’ – this is something we’re seeing a lot more of.

who only manufactur certain items. In Dubai, it’s not like that, so those specialist manufacturers can be hard to find. “I tell clients, ‘It’s important to remember that this is Dubai – everything is imported, including people!’”, he laughs. “That’s one of the reasons we realised we needed to provide all the production facilities for the products clients want most. So when they come to us for a fit out project, we are doing roughly 90% of it in-house and buying the rest usually from Dubai or the GCC. That’s how we cut down on delivery time and get the best quality.” “Sometimes a client or designer has specifications for imports, and we do that if it’s necessary, but often we can advise clients or even designers on better materials and shapes to make the hotel

interior more practical, durable and sustainable for the long-term,” Moaswes explains. “Because we also manufacture soft furnishings and produce materials ourselves, we can give better advice on costs and which items to choose.” In addition to its skilled craftsmen and production facilities, Bond also has a small team of in-house designers to help implement the design using the best materials and production methods -- which includes lifecycle planning and sustainability. As Dubai in general and hospitality in particular gear up for 2020, Moaswes predicts that sustainability will become more and more important to hotels. To serve that need, Bond Interiors has recently formed a partnership with a Swiss company called Energy 8, which specialises in sustainable energy. “Energy efficiency is the biggest thing for hospitality right now,” he says, “and will become increasingly important. We look at every possible way to reduce consumption of energy when we’re implementing designs for our hotels.” Speaking about other trends in hotel interiors, Moaswes said that for public areas, there has been a renewed focus lately on the use of wood. “The ability to create what clients want with wood has always been an important part of interiors here, but even more so now with this new trend in hospitality,” he explains. “That’s why our joinery facilities were the first focus for us – working with wood is the hardest part of many jobs to get right – if you don’t get it right the first time, then it’s impossible to repair. You just have to replace it. So it was important for us to get that right.” The other recent trend that Moaswes is seeing in his work with the region’s leading luxury hotels is the importance of bathroom design, particularly in refurbishment. “A lot of our hotels which are updating their interiors have expanded the washroom in the rooms rather than the bedroom or ‘living space’ – this is something we’re seeing a lot more of,” he says. And it’s a trend he can see the value in: “Guests care about the bed and the washroom – that’s what matters in the specifications of a hotel room.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MIDDLE EAST

HOTEL DESIGN

Design focus:

Wood

HBME talked with industry experts about the recent focus on wood in hotel design and how hoteliers can make best use of one of earth’s oldest building materials

s hotels in the region catch up with the rest of the world on sustainability, hotel design has seen a new focus on earthy interiors and natural products which blend with the surroundings, and the use of wood is a natural by-product of this. “Most people believe that sustainability pertains only to architecture,” says Clint Nagata, founder and senior creative director at Singapore-based design firm Blink Design Group, “However, a hotel’s sustainability also relates to the interior design.” Speaking about the trend toward wood in hotel design, Bass Salah, GM, hotels and hospitality for construction company ISG, says, “I think the trend is more about being sustainable, earthy and for softer materials and that’s where we’re seeing wood being used more often.” Because of this, says Christian Merieau, founding partner at MMAC Design Associates, “raw materials such as wood are no longer hidden under layers of varnish and paint. The

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sense of authenticity and the natural air of nobility provided by the wood allows for a fare more minimalistic design that remain warm and comfortable.” Saad Moaswes, MD of fit out company Bond Interiors has been working with hotels in the region for 30 years and says that wood has never been more important in the region than it is now: “The ability to create what clients want with wood has always been an important part of interiors here, but even more so now with this new trend in hospitality,” he says. HBME sat down with these design experts to ask the big questions about working with wood, its pros and cons and out the design tips for hotels to keep in mind.

qualities of the wood are now being celebrated. Designers such as Vincent Van Duysen, David Chipperfield or John Pawson are at the forefront of this recent trend.

HBME: What are some trends you’re seeing in wood-based design lately?

Merieau: Completely, but wood is now being juxtaposed with other materials such as concrete, bricks or stone and used in its simplest form.

Merieau: The usage of wood is now more about the raw beauty of this material. The veins, the color, the texture and the mechanical

Salah: We are seeing wood replace some of the more expensive finishes that would have been used previously. We are seeing hotel bathrooms with timber veneer cladding instead of stone finishes, we are seeing timber floors instead of stone, porcelain or ceramics in lobbies and receptions and we are seeing timber used to soften the industrial look of aluminum and steel. HBME: Some designers say that wood is the material of the moment. Would you agree?

Salah: I think there always phases or fads in design and we are probably seeing a shift

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too sensitive to weather changes. We’re working hard with our suppliers and our professional association to provide in-depth education that will allow this amazing product to be used properly. HBME: Where in the hotel buildings is wood being used most often? Merieau: A big jump in wood manufacturing technologies has allowed for a much wider usage of wood. The interior finishes can now overflow onto the facades. The floors, the walls and the ceiling can be treated more dramatically in the same sensual wood finish. A good example of a project where we’ve used this technique is the upcoming Edition hotel project in Dubai. Salah: We are seeing a shift towards reconstituted veneers and man-made products like veneered medium-density fibreboard (MDF) timber floors instead of solid timber, which are more sustainable products. We’re also seeing a move away from stone finished towards timber, which is generally cheaper. HBME: What are some features which suit wood best?

towards wood based products but we are also seeing a big shift towards upholstery and wall papers. HBME: Which wood is most popular right now? Moaswes: Of all the wood finishes, walnut is riding highest on popularity within the current interior design trends in hotels. This wood is used mainly on case goods and as wall panels in hotels. Walnut has a straight, patchy grain, so if you add the perfect stain, walnut can effortlessly add a regal touch to any ambience. Merieau: Natural white oak and American walnut are still used very often. Some new finishes such as weathered float wood, reclaimed woods and deep smoked or oven baked woods which can be used indoor as well as outdoor are starting to be used more regularly. They enhance the sense of authenticity and natural theming within a design.

Salah: That’s hard to say because it is all about personal preference and is very subjective. Oak, teak, macassar and ebony are some of the favourites but increasingly so are the equivalents in reconstituted wood, such as zebrano. HBME: What are some of the cons about working with wood? Moaswes: Working with wood is the hardest part of many jobs to get right – if you don’t get it right the first time, then it’s impossible to repair. You just have to replace it.

Salah: Timber paneling on walls, doors, floating floors, screens, mashrabiyas...the list goes on. The only caveat to this is that you should avoid using timber in wet areas. Merieau: Fitted furniture, flooring, moldings, doors and wall paneling. Given that there is low wastage owing to the repeated use of the same material throughout a project, it provides hotels with a cost effective option which is also a longlasting and durable solution for our clients. HBME: Which wood is your favourite to work with?

Salah: Because it is not as hard wearing on industrial as things like ceramics or stainless, it should be avoided in back of house areas like corridors or kitchens or wet areas.

Merieau: I’m a big fan of oak for its light color and its straight grained texture, its color consistency, its reasonable cost and its good availability. I also like wood with character such as birch wood, tulip or acacia because these woods have such a strong presence that very little needs to be added.

Merieau: Our local clients in the region remain to be reassured about a large usage of wood. It is still perceived in the region as a material difficult to maintain and

Salah: Teak is still my favourite, as it has this great boating tradition and is easily maintained with some simple oiling, even in the harshest environment the sun and sea.

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Safety first

Living in the UAE is appealing for expat parents largely due to the fact that there are high salaries and tax-free benefits. According to HSBC rankings, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hot destination for families to live and 91% who are very happy about their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and safety in the region. So it seems that the UAE continues to be a good option for career focused expats who also enjoy a high quality of living with the added bonus of it being an extremely safe place for raising children.

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HOTEL DESIGN

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HOTEL DESIGN

Childen’s furniture designs are ever-expanding to be bigger and better but safety is always key.

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ith the continued influx of families nesting in the region, it’s worth investigating indoor and outdoor activities, for children, when it comes to entertainment spaces that include creches, child day care venues, nurseries, commercial organisations and leisure entertainment. One company to consider is Moon Kids. They are a design company dedicated to developing fun and educational environments for children and parents. Initially they provided bespoke soft furnishing such as cushions, tepees and beanbags but they later expanded their products when they recognised there was a gap in the market for developing tailormade play areas and sensory play products. Their designs are carefully constructed using architects, designers, project managers, textile engineers and craftsmen. The development of child-friendly forward-thinking furniture and spaces have won over clients like Etihad, Hilton Hotel Dubai, British Airways, Monte Carlo Beach Club, Du Telecommunications, House of Fraser, Lady Bird Nursery, Pearl School Abu Dhabi and Zaya Nurai Island Abu Dhabi to name a few. Director Phil Moon said: “We just want to make our clients happy, so we take into account their thoughts and ideas and mix them with ours and start making their fantasies come to life. The unique thing about what we do is we keep everything in house, from the design to the manufacturing, and because of the passion we have for our work it is very successful.” The company’s work has included the development of nurseries, play centres, day care centres, schools and education facilities from play area design, interior and exterior fit outs, landscape design, bespoke manufacture of furnishing equipment, mechanical works and electrical works. An example of a project they have been working on is a play area they are developing at The Golden Mile on The Palm in Dubai. The idea was to create a play area that is multifunctional for children as well as parents. Some play areas only cater for the children and not so much for parents so there’s no real interaction between children and parents. They’ve adapted their concept to create a play area which improves social interaction between the adult and child in their community. The special features here include a bespoke made climbing frame

maze, bespoke realistic play houses, soft play area for babies and toddlers, party room and a rustic French inspired café. To design something like this, from scratch, takes approximately over a month and the development time will be around 10-12 weeks on site. According to Moon, he concluded: “Bespoke designs for children will always be popular and will keep on getting more and more elaborate and interesting especially in the UAE as competition here to be grandiose is constant.” Other note worthy children design areas in the UAE are Faby Land at Deerfields Mall in Al Bahia, Abu Dhabi. It’s 60,000-squarefoot of entertainment space that caters for 800 children. There’s an indoor surfing pool, a football zone, a clip-and-climb wall and adventure rides for teenagers. There’s also an arts and crafts corner, bumper cars and a family swing ride. Action Zone at Boutik Mall on Reem Island is also one of a kind. It was recently launched during Ramadan. Situated on the first floor of Boutik Mall in the Sun and Sky Towers, Action Zone has a bowling alley, foosball and pool tables, a giant trampoline, a SpongeBob SquarePants bouncy castle, bumper cars, electronic games for kids (and adults) as well as an impressive 4-D roller coaster simulator. So there is clearly a demand for bigger and better designs to please children in the region. Putting outdoor design and entertainment aside, it’s also worth considering design and safety indoors at home for children. About 2.5 million children are injured or killed each year by dangers right in their own home, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). That’s why it’s so important to carefully childproof your home. Outlets selling childproofing products have recorded a significant rise in enquiries. Duma Safe was established in 2009 and it was the first child safety (and baby proofing) company in the Middle East. It offers families child safety products and services to help create a safe, comfortable and practical environment. The product range covers difference parts of your home from kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, lounge area like cabinet lockers, oven knob covers, fridge lock, socket cover, finger pinch guard, edge and corner guards, sleep positioners and bed guards, to external areas such as the garden, pool side fencing and even cars.

HOTEL DESIGN

Access for all How can hotels do their part to ensure that disabled guests can take part in everything the region has to offer?

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he GCC is fast establishing itself as an international hub for tourism and travel, with Dubai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the forefront, hosting Expo 2020, World Cup 2022 and Formula 1 events respectively. And the hospitality industry is a large part of attracting travellers to the region, with luxury hotels in Dubai being some of the world’s most famous properties. Construction is still booming despite the recent dips in RevPAR and more hotels in every category are being added each month. But as much as the region leads the way in hotel construction and luxury, it’s still way behind when it comes to catering to the disabled market. Many hotels don’t have disabled access rooms and often, when they do, the access in public areas such as pools and gymnasiums leaves something to be desired. Bass Salah, MD for construction firm ISG’s Hotels and Hospitality section, has worked with MENA hotels for years and says that though the region is behind the curve, there is still some good work being done. “Generally speaking, the older hotel stock is certainly behind in providing to disabled guests,” he says. “The newer hotels are better equipped with the provision for disabled guests and the standards are comparable to

international standards. “Some of the provisions we’re seeing include access through the common areas of the hotel, tailored rooms for disabled guests and in some cases personal service provisions. However, some of the bespoke bars and clubs are still behind in catering to disabled guests and so are the facilities like spas, pools and beachfronts.” It can be difficult for hotels to know what standards to achieve, as for many larger chains based in Singapore, the US and Europe, specifications are set for them by the government in those regions. But most governments in this region have not yet specified minimum requirements for hotels – which means that regional hotels either need to undertake their own research, or follow the standards used in other countries – often at great expense, and when the competition is saving money by ignoring the disabled guest segment. “In Dubai, the requirements are not really prescriptive as there is no encompassing standard,” says Salah. “There are lots of requirements but you could describe them more as a ‘deemed to satisfy’ solution. DTCM [the Dubai government’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing] only mandates the ratios or the mix of rooms rather than the specific functional or building

HOTEL DESIGN

requirements. And a lot of the older hotel stock was built before the DTCM requirement so it is unlikely to have accessible rooms.” With only about 1% of the population of most countries living with disabilities, it’s not a large demographic – and in the Middle East’s incredibly saturated hospitality market, competitive advantage can come at the cost of CSR and reaching out to smaller demographic groups. Philip Quinlan, founder of booking site disabledfriendlyhotels.com and a wheelchair user who suffered a spinal cord injury in 1999, spoke to HBME about how difficult it is to get hotels to sign up for such niche sites as his. “When we first launched the site, we approached hotels from a CSR perspective, showing them what a great thing they’d be doing to help the disabled community by signing up for the site, but no one was interested. We were telling them, ‘Look, no matter how much money they have, people with disabilities often won’t travel unless they can be sure that every stage of the trip is accessible for them. So help them out.’ But with most hotels only designating about 5-10% of their rooms as wheelchair accessible, the money just isn’t there for them. “We finally figured out how to pitch it: our booking site fills 100% of the rooms we list almost continually – so that was our hook – you sign up your hotel with us and every last one of your accessible rooms will be full.” In order to register on Quinlan’s site, hotels must fulfill 33 criteria: 11 for common areas, 11 for the bathroom and 11 for the bedroom. For hotels that aren’t registered on specific niche sites, Quinlan says there are some easy fixes to do to attract guests with wheelchairs. “It’s incredibly frustrating to go to the Web site of a five-star, international chain and be unable to find out the bed height or if the bathtub and toilet are accessible. What’s even more frustrating is to ring up a hotel’s reception and be bounced around to different people and have everyone you speak to be completely clueless about the issue.” Simply listing the specifications of your disabled rooms on your web site and stating clearly that public areas are accessible is sometimes enough to ensure guests that your hotel is one they should visit. On top of that, a small amount of staff education will do the trick, says Quinlan. Things are slowly but surely improving in the Middle East when it comes to hotels either refurbishing to comply with international standards, or making sure construction of their

Things are slowly but surely improving in the Middle East when it comes to hotels either refurbishing to comply with international standards, or making sure construction of their new hotels includes disabledfriendly design.

new hotels includes disabled-friendly design. Dusit Thani Dubai was initially designed with hallways, entrances and public areas fully accessible to guests of all abilities, says Prateek Kumar, the hotel’s GM. “On top of this, during our recent renovation in October 2014, additional rooms for disabled guests have been added.” Kumar admits that though these rooms are not up to ADA specifications, they are fully accessible for most guests with disabilities. The hotel has also gone a few steps further and, in addition to providing accessible hotel layout, has also undertaken sensitivity training for all of their employees. “We were inspired by Dubai government’s initiative to make the city a friendly place for people with special needs,” says Kumar, “So last April 2014, we collaborated with Ebdaah to enlighten the staff about how to properly cater to these needs.” Ebdaah is a Dubai-based consultancy which delivers disability awareness training and consults on a number of areas which help those with disabilities, such as advising hotels and construction companies on disabledfriendly design. Ebdaah provides training on customer service for disabled guests, building audits for accessibility, and helps hotels to craft accessibility policies. Kumar says, “The training focused not only on guests with physical disabilities but also included giving customer service to guests who have visual and hearing impairment and/ or cognitive and social difficulties. The staff was also taught of proper use of words and

appropriate reaction to difficult situations.” On top of ensuring that guests receive appropriate service once at the hotel, the property is registered on booking site accessallrooms.com, so that travelers with disabilities can find the hotel and be assured exactly what services they will have available to them. Another group doing its share for access is Spanish chain Melia, which offers disabledaccessible rooms in all its hotels. Melia Doha, which just opened this year, has four rooms which have been built to ADA standards. These guestrooms are usually located on the ground floor of the hotel without architectural barriers, including the shower area, wide doors, an emergency alarm system and the possibility to connect to another room. On top of the accessible rooms, disabled guests have priority in Melia Doha on every level with hotel processes made easier for them, such as private check-in and priority access in restaurants and other hotel facilities. Though the building was not purposebuilt for Melia Doha, the chain made some renovations to its designated rooms and public areas to ensure they were ADA-compliant, with special attention being given to the bathrooms, parking and lighting. Kepminski is also ensuring its hotels are enjoyable for guests of all abilities, Salah says. ISG is currently working with Majid Al Futtaim on the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates refurbishment project and says that fully accessible facilities was a chief concern when commencing the project. “We are working with MAF at Kempinski MOE and they are certainly focusing on disabled guest facilities both through some of the common space and also through providing bespoke disabled guest rooms,” he says. “In addition to this project, most of our work that’s in the pipeline is for clients who are refurbishing down the track and are very much incorporating disabled provisions.” The bottom line is that though building or refurbishing with access for guests of all abilities may not be a chief concern in this region, Salah stresses that hotels must consider it as tourism to the region increases. “Of course it’s more expensive to provide disabled accessible provisions and that’s why developers in the past have avoided it,” he says. “The requirements are quite onerous and the ROI’s are obviously not as healthy but it is an important community provision and an antidiscriminatory one. “Ultimately, the end user needs to be comfortable using the space.”

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Getting social

Getting booking up to date

In the cloud

HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Getting more social Here are top tips for hotel social media marketing. We believe that it is the best list of practical ideas that can be implemented right away.

1 - Have a blog to post information on activities, attractions, dining, shopping, nightlife. It allows you to provide your guests with suggestion on what to do. Moreover it is a constant source of content that you can use to spread on other social networks like FaceBook and Twitter. 2 - Manage your on-line reputation, by inviting guests to post reviews on TripAdvisor, Yelp and other review websites. Make sure you also respond to all reviews and that you manage your profile on these sites (description, pictures, contact info). 3 - Invite guests to join your FaceBook page (upload their e-mails) and ask them to post pictures of the hotel and their trip. Panoramia is also a great site to have guest post pics as it is linked to Google Earth & Maps.

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4 - Link local companies and attractions in your Twitter and FaceBook posts by using ‘@’ and their profile name. It will jump start your interaction on-line and grow your sphere of influence. To make it easy, think like your guests. Get connected to cities, tourist attractions and tourist information centers by liking their page. Just start reading and very often the accommodation requests are right there for you to grab. For example on the city page of Amsterdam a young lady is asking for tips on what to do during her trip. Give her a compliment on choosing Amsterdam because it is simply awesome and include a shortened link (goo.gl) to the blog on your hotel Web site that just happens to be about the top ten of things to do during a short break in Amsterdam. (but don’t overdo it). This way you can get the interaction started and after a few messages back and forward she might

book your hotel. If not no worries you just generated a bunch of clicks to your hotel Web site. 5 - Prizes to get the job done. An incentive gets people moving. Give a free weekend in return for the best guest pic of the month … 6 - Local check-in sites can help you gain exposure and promote your F&B outlets. Give a welcome cocktail when checking in on-line if staying at the hotel. Or a free upgrade based on availability - one per day of course. 7 - Find interesting and funny videos of your destination and add them to your YouTube Channel to create a sort of video tour guide. Compliment the ‘producer’ and let them know you put it on your official channel.

HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Conversation? CoMMingle by Lodging Interactive is bringing relevancy and consistency to a hotel’s social media marketing campaign while planning, socialising, engaging and measuring effectiveness Are you participating and/or encouraging conversation on your hotel’s social media channels? Is your social media presence consistent? Do you know the right social networks to target for your audience and social search? If you’re unsure, it’s time to call CoMMingle. An outsourced social media marketing agency from Lodging Interactive, CoMMingle develops customized solutions for hotels, restaurants and spas to help craft their social media marketing messaging to keep travelers thirsting for more informational content . . . more dialog . . . and more fun. “One of the first questions we get asked at CoMMingle is: What social networks do we need a presence on and how do we market to that audience without overselling ourselves?” said Rosella Virdo, Director of CoMMingle Social Media Marketing. “Creativity, posting content consistently, remaining fluid with the ever changing tides of social media, and having a message that is relative to each audience is the key to engagement and social media success. “You don’t have to win a popularity contest on social media to connect with your past, present and future guests,” Virdo said. “Hotels should keep in mind the ‘social’ aspect of social media. In the last five years, social media has evolved from both the user standpoint as well as the business side. People interact on social networks to be engaging, without being bombarded by marketing and advertising.” The question becomes: “How does a hotel share its offerings, promotions, specials, location, etc. without strong

8 - Recycle content across social networks. Your positive reviews should be posted on Twitter and FaceBook, as well as your blog articles. Gather all your guest pics from Picasa, Flickr and Panoramia into one album on FaceBook. 9 - Get a (young) Internet savvy person on your team to work on social media. They are fast in picking this stuff and copying best practices from others. He will be more personal in speaking to your guests. And this is very important. 10 - Be funny and original. A sense of humor works better then a formal and conventional approach. What is the last thing you really click-ed on or read on Facebook? I am sure it was funny or original… it’s what works…

arm marketing?” This is where the softer - or conversational - side of marketing comes in. “We are not standing on top of a mountain shouting our message and expect everyone to listen,” Virdo said. “Climb down the mountain, mingle with the people and talk. It’s simple. Just talk. Now is the time to softly market your property while adding a human voice to the business. These conversations will become an integral part of social search.” CoMMingle serves as a consultant to its customers, advising hotels how to deal with social media, reputation management on review sites, online issues that arise as more social media channels become an extension of customer service, and giving them tools to manage their social presence effectively. For instance, CoMMingle will nip a bad review in the bud by working with hotel management to learn the details of an issue, formulate the response to adhere to third-arty website policies and manage the conversation online for the client. A neglected Tweet can turn into a negative Facebook post and eventually turn into a devastating TripAdvisor review. CoMMingle assists in managing the reputation of the hotel in online conversations and comments, as well as enhancing reputation by addressing issues with the transparency needed on the social networks to remain authentic. “As CoMMingle clients, hotels are not buying Facebook ‘maintenance,’ but rather they receive a vast array of social media and reputation management services that can be adjusted to a client’s specific needs as well as allow the client to stay visible where the conversation is taking place,” Virdo said.

The Four Seasons The Four Seasons has really become the prominent figure in the social media space for luxury hotels.The hotel chain takes advantage of multiple social platforms like Facebook (approx 220,000 fans via various accounts), Twitter (approx 185,000 follower via various accounts) and Google+ , as well as platforms like blogs and its new online magazine. What sets the Four Seasons Hotel apart on social media is its ability to consistently coming up with creative and clever social media campaigns that resonate with their followers. One campaign being the creation of their own personalised four seasons food truck known as the “FS Food Truck”. With over eight destinations, three states and more than 1,000 miles to cover the food truck set out as a mobile stage for the brand’s culinary talent to connect with their local communities. The four seasons social media community had the opportunity to win free food, gift certificates and free hotel nights and was extremely well received. The Four Seasons has one main twitter for larger scale promotion and over 50 localised Twitter accounts worldwide for creating a more personalised guest and cultural experience.The Regent hotel in Singapore is a four seasons property and an excellent example of promoting the hotel itself and all of what Singapore has to offer.

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Come dine with me

In a competitive market, how can you ensure that your outlets receive their share of tourists and residents? One obvious way is to ensure that their details appear on relevant on-line booking systems. We take an overview of this growing trend.

he Middle East is one of the most advance places in the world when it comes to real estate development, architecture, and building hotels and entertainment spots. It’s hard to beat a thriving region where the demand to be bigger and better is possibly an understatement. Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building and they’re still building one to beat that one in Saudi Arabia that will soar 1km into the sky when it’s completed. The UAE also has the world’s most expensive racetrack. The London Eye is a shadow of what will be the world’s largest ferris wheel, off the coast of Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residence. And, not to mention, a AED 1 billion Venice-like canal project in Ras Al Khaimah that will include 150 villas and mansions, European-style architecture and a private beach that has been described by Al Hamra Real Estate General Manager, Benoy Kurien, as a ‘little piece of Venice in the Middle East.’ So when it comes to tourist attractions there are abundant venues and hand-in-hand with these come a plethora of restaurants on offer to please the growing masses. An increase in the UAE’s popularity as a destination for expats and tourists have led to the demand to serve various international cuisines at restaurants throughout the Emirate cities. There’s been a burst of fast food joints

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and a new wave of health-conscious venues that have taken residence in malls and street corners across the region. There are also an increasing flow of new restaurants openings from extravagant fine dining to traditional food establishments and fashionable, trendsetting, culinary hotspots. But for those visiting and passing by, who are unfamiliar to the region, what restaurant bookings systems are available when you don’t actually know where to go? There are several methods we can explore; but good research facilities to book credible options is also a concern. If word-of-mouth recommendations aren’t an option for you, there are guide books. Although the Middle East changes so quickly that these guide books are out of date before the print is even dry. Journalists’ and bloggers are constantly trying out new restaurants and writing about them for reader awareness but even if you do have access to knowing the best restaurants, once people decide where they want to try will still occur huge telephone bills calling from abroad to make a booking. Although many restaurants have direct on-line booking systems or access to e-mail reservations to make a table booking. Internet on-line research using TripAdvisor is an excellent finger on the pulse way to source information. It’s linked to roundmenu. com which is also a great app and on-line

People like the idea of having an app that they can go on at any time and see what’s going on around the world and be able to book entry or access from wherever they are in the world without any hassle.

HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

service used to search restaurants in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates by cuisine, location and theme. Book a reservation and get a promo code for an average of 25% off your meal and some offer up to 40% off. A booking comes with a Dhs 5 fee paid through your mobile. Discounts arrive via text. Other international booking services include Opentable.com which appears to be a good alternative for making a reservation. The site has abundant choice, honest reviews, ratings options and booking services. GuidePal.com is useful for travellers and UAE newcomers. This app showcases what residents feel are their best restaurants in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The app lists several notable casual cafés as well and people’s favourite hotels, activities and shopping venues. With 57 international cities, it’s a good app to use for your next holiday. And for people already in the region, Zomato’s restaurant finder app lets you

browse recommendations, menus, maps and pictures at restaurants in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. You can filter recommendations by cuisine, brunches, outdoor seating, shisha availability and more. Takeaway service is big in the UAE, talabat.com has more than 200 restaurants participating across the UAE in this food delivery app. You can browse by restaurant, location or cuisine; pull up menus and place orders quickly online for a variety of restaurants. FoodonClick.com is similar to Talabat but includes more than 500 restaurants and features more home-grown eateries. Select your region, browse the menu, place your order and pay on delivery. Another efficient method of making table reservations is by joining a luxury concierge service that covers hospitality and entertainment wherever you may travel to. A revolutionary new app often referred to as the ‘Uber of nightlife’ is called InList. This app makes booking upscale nightlife, special event reservation and tables easier

than ever. The app simplifies going out, particularly when you are traveling, by finding reservations when you want them and placing a luxury concierge service in the palm of your hand. Since its New York launch last year, InList has created a cohesive network in 45 cities around the globe that includes: Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Moscow, Hong Kong, Ibiza, Dubai, Milan and Sao Paulo. The app is continually expanding to more locations globally so you can use it to book dinner reservations, tables, tickets and other exclusive events. With the age of technology changing, there’s a demand for products like this. People like the idea of having an app that they can go on at any time and see what’s going on around the world and be able to book entry or access from wherever they are in the world without any hassle. British multi-award-winning nightlife entrepreneur Roger Michael is credited with reviving London’s nightlife scene since the 1980s. He is an advisory board member and city ambassador. He said: “I’m responsible for establishing and maintaining the business relationships, and also make sure the VIP’s have the most seamless experience in London and abroad. Right now we offer our platinum members a variety of services from jets, to villas, to sport and special events. For InList the market is huge. It’s a lot larger than just nightclubs or restaurants. We offer things like party access at the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival; so I think improving on these platinum services are important to help expand our services.” Michael Capponi added: “In a global market drawn together by remarkably advanced mobile devices, a platform like ours is the logical next step for the entertainment and event industries.” Lindy Bradford, InList Marketing Director, concluded: “The types of venues that we have available on the app are very different for every city. Our main offerings include dinner reservations, VIP tables and tickets. Some popular nightclub venues in the UAE include Blue Marlin Ibiza UAE, Podium Lounge, WHITE Dubai and VIP Room Dubai. Some popular restaurants we recommend include Cavalli, Maison Bagatelle and Nasimi Beach. The popularity of our cities really depend on the time of year. For example, Ibiza and St. Tropez are extremely popular in the summer. When December rolls around, Miami is very popular. In the same way, the UAE is big when it is in season and bookings increase during that time.”

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

The shift to cloud

Technology is critical in the hospitality industry, so InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) chose its partners carefully when it moved to the cloud.

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

IHG s moving to a cloud-based infrastructure to deliver services to its properties and their more than 750,000 guest rooms.

nterContinental Hotels Group is one of the largest hotel companies in the world, operating in over 100 countries. Which, said Eric Pearson, Chief Information Officer, is why it is moving to a cloud-based infrastructure to deliver services to its properties and their more than 750,000 guest rooms. IHG relies on its key partners, VMware and CenturyLink, to accelerate the process using VMware’s Unified Hybrid Cloud. “Technology is becoming a much more critical component of the hospitality industry and it hits you from multiple angles, everything from mobile applications to Web applications,” said Curt Smith, SVP, Global Technology Infrastructure & Architecture, at IHG. “And we have to deliver those products in a seasonal business that needs to be able to deliver quickly to compete with a changing industry.” To do so, IHG needed a transformation of the technology at both the enterprise and property levels. “To deliver these critical technologies at IHG we’re making the investments to enable that,” said Pearson. “Leveraging innovative cloud-based technology allows us to virtualise and quickly evolve the technologies to meet the demand of our consumers.” He chose CenturyLink as his hosting partner because it can provide the scale and breadth to handle his needs worldwide. “VMware, is no different in terms of scale and breadth,” he said. “We wanted best-in-class virtualisation capabilities and technology.” Said Jonathan King, VP Platform Strategy & Business Development, CenturyLink, “CenturyLink has a long-standing relationship with VMware. We offer VMware and run VMware in our public cloud and managed hosting environments. We are constantly looking to innovate with VMware and integrate their tools.” That relationship is serving IHG well, according to Pearson. The partnerships are providing the footprint, the expertise, the discipline, the methodologies and the technology to do what IHG couldn’t do effectively on its own. “It’s been a huge progress for us, and a huge win for IHG,” he said.

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HOTEL TECHNOLOGY

Hospitality technology winners Quintessential 4Media, organisers of the Hospitality Technology Forum say that the Dubai event at the start of this month was well attended by many senior level executives from the hospitality industry.

he expected attendance at the Forum was more than 150 senior level executives in the industry, which included hoteliers, government stakeholders, developers, technology vendors as well as consultants. The Forum offered an opportunity to meet, network and share information about industry happenings. The event supported expansion of the number of technology providers, investors, trade and travel and tourism. Dubai 2021 reflects the vision of sustainable and intelligent city planning and the event fit well with that vision. Attendees experienced live presentations, discussions and case studies. The event welcomed hospitality executives and technology vendors, so that an opportunity for networking was enjoyed by those attending the sessions during the day. An important session during the event was the 1st Hospitality Technology Awards, which recognised and celebrated achievements of the hospitality sector and technology innovators in the region. An independent jury of senior leaders in the industry worked with Quintessential 4Media to select the winners. Winners: • Best Use of Technology As Marketing Platform: Courtyard by Marriott, Abu Dhabi • Hospitality Innovator: Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

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• Customer Engagement Innovator: Armani Hotel (tittle ARMANI) • Best Green Technology & Sustainability: First Central Hotel Suites • Most Technology Friendly Venue: JW Marriot Marquis- Dubai • Favourite Technology Supplier - Hotels: Cisco - People’s Choice • Favourite Technology Supplier Restaurants: Zomato - People’s Choice • Best in Digital Technology: Raviz Center Point Hotel

Sponsors included: Emirates Airline: Airline Partner Emirates NBD: Headline Sponsor LG Electronics: Bag Sponsor Bon Appetit Card: Loyalty Partner Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management: R&D Partner Coffee Planet: Coffee Partner Hospitality Business Middle East, Capital Business ME and Teknotel: Media Partners.

Sorting out public areas

Clean those windows

Hygiene & Housekeeping

Cleaning up in public

The region’s hospitality industry is known for its high service standards in housekeeping - how are the region’s top tidiness bosses keeping high-traffic areas clean while not disturbing guests?

ublic areas in hotels see an intense amount of foot traffic and though there are peak times for guests in areas such as lobbies and toilets, hospitality is a 24/7 job, demanding good staffing and thorough housekeeping schedules. As many hotels have experienced, poor housekeeping is one of the fastest ways to rack up guest complaints, in person and on social media, which in turn, affects revenue. “How the public areas appear is vital to guests’ impression of the hotel,” explains Supodge Sanamsorn, housekeeping executive for Dusit Thani Dubai. “It even adds up to the entire guest experience! So my team ensures every area where the public eye falls is more than clean – [public areas must] appeal to all the senses.” Housekeeping in public spaces encompasses so much more than dusting and mopping floors – housekeeping managers are often in charge of floral displays, working with maintenance and engineering to ensure the hotel’s public areas are in good working order and of

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course, keeping out the perennial dust that plagues the Middle East. Timing in cleaning public areas Keeping high traffic areas clean while minimising guest disturbance is a chief concern for hotel housekeeping heads. Tatjana Ahmed, housekeeping manager at Grand Hyatt Dubai found that outsourcing the public areas portion of its cleaning was best in order to keep guests areas clean without disturbance. “The public area cleaning staff is available 24/7, and the staff completes deep cleaning jobs at night. Obviously public areas need attention 24/7, but the use of heavy cleaning machines is restricted to the night time when guest traffic is less.” Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel in Beirut has a pre-set weekly schedule for public areas and doesn’t avoid cleaning them during peak times, as the cleanliness of these areas is of paramount importance. “Our team knows that it needs to focus on the bathrooms and the lobby areas, both of which are high traffic areas,” says Paul Nassar,

HR Manager in charge of housekeeping for the hotel. “It is important that the lobby is spotless as this is the first area that guests see when they come into the hotel. We also work hard to keep the conference rooms clean, which means going in during the coffee and lunch breaks when the rooms are vacant.” For Sanamsorm, the timing of cleaning for high traffic spaces is a challenge he welcomes. “We do not avoid busy peak times; we prepare for them,” he enthuses. “Whenever we anticipate a peak hour, we make sure everything is in its proper place and then we stand by to solve – in stealth – whatever comes our way. I believe it is best to deep clean [public areas] before sunrise and after check-out time. Mornings are crucial because it’s that moment when guests figure out how to start their day.” Cleaning staff best practice In outdated views of hotel housekeeping departments, cleaning staff were considered best neither seen nor heard, particularly in luxury hotels which wanted to present an effortlessly spotless reputation.

Hygiene & Housekeeping

Nowadays, it’s widely recognised that cleaning staff are ambassadors for hotel reputation, just as much as front of house staff. Nassar believes that the appearance of the staff is a big part of how a hotel’s tidiness is perceived: “I think it is vital that the housekeeping team is spotlessly turned out at all times. Uniforms and overall appearance of the employees should be clean and tidy at all times regardless of the work they are doing.” For Ferraro, his housekeeping staff is part of the customer service experience for guests: “I always remind them to never lose their warm smile,” he says. Ahmed focuses on empowering staff through communication: “We hold daily briefings with our public area staff and keep them informed about anything special to pay attention to.” This is particularly important to remember if your hotel outsources any portion of its cleaning, to ensure the supplier keeps up with your own standards. Keeping guests and colleagues safe In hotel public areas, which can’t be closed

Nowadays, it’s widely recognised that cleaning staff are ambassadors for hotel reputation, just as much as front of house staff.

down for cleaning, hotels must keep in mind the safety of guests, including potential guest allergies to certain chemicals or perfumes, as well as accidental ingestion by children (for example, if a mop and bucket are left momentarily unattended). Ahmed says that Hyatt works very closely with SealedAir Diversey, the hotel’s main cleaning chemical provider, to ensure that products used in public areas are safe: “All the chemicals we use are non-toxic and do not cause allergies. We choose chemicals according to their effectiveness on the material and taking into account the area to be cleaned.” “Everything is composed of chemicals and has certain hazards, in one way or another,” says Sebastiao Ferrao, Chief Engineer of Dusit Thani Dubai. “But we make sure we choose the lesser evil of them all. Most of our chemicals are branded biodegradable at use.” “The safety and health of colleagues and guests are very important, so we look for friendly alternative cleaning products to make a suitable work zone for all employees.

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Hygiene & Housekeeping

T Keeping the Burj Khalifa a shining jewel Window cleaning in the UAE is one of the most challenging jobs in the cleaning sector. There are several challenges that the window or façade cleaner faces in course of his work, however, with proper training, a well-executed schedule and equipment, these can be overcome. In a region known for its skyscrapers and harsh weather conditions, safety and care is paramount. Window and façade cleaning is one of the most thrilling yet dangerous jobs. Men work through the day in the heat, humidity, high wind velocity and even sandstorms. They dangle from ropes cleaning buildings inch by inch, window by window.

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he Burj Khalifa is possibly one of the most photographed buildings in the world - not only by tourists but also by media - so one of its biggest challenges is to ensure that the windows are always spotless and gleaming, from inside and outside. The façade of the Burj Khalifa is equivalent to about 17 soccer fields and the standards of cleaning are probably as high as the tower itself! The façade is cleaned in shifts by a 40-member team on constant rotation. Overall, the Burj Khalifa is cleaned by two companies. The Soft FM cleaning team cleans the windows from inside up to 5 metres high. The highest portion and spire is cleaned by the façade cleaning company, while the lower level on the outside is worked on with the help of spider machines that reach all the way up to the third floor – or 36 m high. Highly specialised technicians using stateof-the-art facilities are needed to make sure all 103,000 sq m of glass used for the façade, that make up the exterior of the Burj Khalifa, are cleaned. Access to the tower’s exterior for both window washing and façade maintenance

R O F Y L ON S L A N O I S S E F PRO K.A.C. Prasad Director of Culinary VP Emirates Culinary Guild for East Coast Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort - Fujairah Izu Ani Head Chef La Serre - Dubai Stephane Buchholzer Culinary Director - Complex The St.Regis - Dubai W Dubai, Al Habtoor City - Dubai The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City - Dubai Danny Kattar Executive Chef Intercontinental - Abu Dhabi Atim Suyatim Executive Chef AFHM Hospitality - Dubai

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Hygiene & Housekeeping

is provided by 18 permanently installed track and fixed-telescopic, cradle-equipped building maintenance units. The track-mounted units are stored in garages, within the structure, and are not visible when not in use. The manned cradles are capable of accessing the entire facade from the top of the tower down to level seven. Window washing is done vertically from the top to the ground and it takes approximately four months to clean the whole exterior. In fact, it is rumoured that the highest point of the Burj Khalifa actually sways a little in moderate wind conditions. Heat is probably the worst problem. The higher the cleaners go, the more intense the heat. As a result, the cleaners have to wear special suits and remain hydrated through the day. Moreover, frequent breaks help in work efficiency as well. Apart from this, timing is also crucial. According to safety laws, no two cleaners can work one above the other. Whether it is manual cleaning or automated machines, training is crucial in window and façade cleaning. And with the Burj Khalifa, cleaning contractors’ every step is reviewed,

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Photo credit: shutterstock/robert paul van beets

Whether it is manual cleaning or automated machines, training is crucial in window and façade cleaning. And with the Burj Khalifa, cleaning contractors’ every step is reviewed. whether it is materials that are bought or the method used to put up the rope access. Weekly and monthly meetings keep this in check. All materials must also be certified. Laetitia Lasry, Senior Manager Property Services at Burj Khaifa said: “It is extremely fascinating to work in the tower and to be able to say I’m in charge of ensuring that it remains clean all the time. At any time, the announcement of a special event may require the cleaning team to clean a portion of the façade that was already cleaned during the three to four month cycle, and the request must be accommodated.” The Burj has 900 residential apartments, the Armani Hotel, offices, retails stores and restaurants, therefore the cleaning team must also keep in mind the schedule of the residents and hotel guests. The issue of privacy has been one that has been referred to since quite some time now. One of the most recent inventions that has slowly been making its way into the industry is that of Automated Window and Façade Cleaning Systems. These systems are robotic machines that completely eliminate the

need for manual work. Through its services and technology, Bluray Technical Services aims to increase efficiency, safety and quality of cleaning, maintenance and other technical services, while reducing manpower requirements and damages. These machines have no actual manual method - they are safe and allow residents and guests’ privacy at any time of the day. The automated system is operated by a team of about four to five people on the roof as well as on the ground. The machine can clean an average 40-storey building in 25 days for an otherwise 60 day job. This not only works in reducing manpower but also reduces energy consumption and the overall cost of cleaning the building. The machines are carefully engineered to help cut expenses such as in water and electricity; consumers enjoy at least 20 per cent reduction in the costs as compared to manual cleaning method. And demand for window cleaning in the Middle East is highlighting cleaning equipment manufacturers, such as Baudoin, Ionic, Unger, IPC, Brodex, who are focusing on the region’s growing market.

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Hygiene & Housekeeping

Best practice:

chemical storage Safe chemical storage and handling are paramount to maintaining guest and staff safety, as well as preventing fires, skin injury and inhalation damage. HBME quizzed three heads of housekeeping to find out their best practice in storing and handling chemicals.

HBME: What are some necessary, but potentially hazardous chemicals which hotels use regularly and what are some alternatives? Sebastiao Ferrao, chief engineer, Dusit Thani Dubai: In sewage maintenance, most establishments would use unclogging chemicals for huge drains, which we know is infamously hazardous - we don’t use that. Instead, we prefer lime-based chemicals to unclog drains, teamed up with proper disposal practices.

items. Each item is labelled according to purpose, and kept in different containers. A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is also kept posted to keep track of the chemical usage. Zuhri: Chemicals are stored in a wellventilated room and/or in a cool and dry storage areas per instructions on the label if any. Chemical are stored above floor level and open containers are sealed properly for next use.

HBME: What is your hotel’s standard practice for storing chemicals?

Tatjana Ahmed, housekeeping manager, Grand Hyatt Dubai: Manufacturer guidelines are strictly adhered to when storing and handling chemicals. All chemicals are kept under lock and key. We have a dedicated chemical store from which we issue and return all chemicals. Chemicals are only issued in their appropriate container, labeled correctly.

Ferrao: To prevent incidents, there is a dedicated floor where we store these

HBME: What are some of the hazards if chemicals aren’t stored properly?

Reem Zuhri, assistant GM, Melia Doha: All acidic based chemicals, for example, perchloroethylene in laundry, descaling chemical used for cleaning heating coils and room kettles.

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Ahmed: They can cause air pollution and water pollution if not stored properly. Some of the chemicals can cause damage to surfaces. For example, a toilet cleaner should never be kept on the bathroom floor as any spillage could discolor the flooring. Ferrao: “Leakage from liquid and spray chemicals tops the list. Heavy exposure to such chemicals may sometimes cause skin irritation.” Zuhri: Can result in toxic reactions causing hazards like fire and damage to the surrounding area. Also some chemicals may release some toxic fumes which if inhaled can be hazardous. HBME: What training is given to staff on safe chemical storage? Zuhri: Following the first in first out (FIFO) procedure while storing, ensuring that the surrounding area is safe and

Hygiene & Housekeeping

“Manufacturer guidelines are strictly adhered to when storing and handling chemicals. All chemicals are kept under lock and key. Chemicals are only issued in their appropriate container, labeled correctly.” Tatjana Ahmed, Housekeeping Manager, Grand Hyatt Dubai

checked before placing, avoiding placing items near electrical points. Ferrao: We prioritise our staff just as much as we do our guests. Each container has basic visual manuals on how to properly use, store, and handle. We also conduct trainings every month just to refresh memories on how to handle them. HBME: What training is given to staff on safe chemical handling? Ferrao: We let our product suppliers conduct the training first-hand so that we know the dos and don’ts of their product. I would never allow any of my colleagues to go into practice without proper training. The old staff also ensures and supervises that new staff on correct procedures. Zuhri: Our associates are custodian of guest safety and hygiene. So correct usage of chemicals in the right place is important. Also whenever associates are not clear of

something, we encourage them to ask for guidance. Usage of protective equipment while handling, avoiding direct contact with any chemicals, basic first aid procedures to follow in case of any mishandling, dilution and usage of each chemical, MSDS reading and understanding. HBME: How often should chemicals be disposed of and new stock purchased? Ahmed: We never over-purchase chemicals so that they would need to be disposed of. We buy monthly to stock up for use during this time. DSD: It’s best not to keep chemicals in stock for long. Proper planning of purchase quantity will be the safest and most efficient practice. Zuhri: Chemicals are hazardous and expiry of each and every chemicals should be carefully monitored. Chemicals are disposed as per manufacturer instructions.

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s under the food

Menu design 101

PRO CHEF

Exploring the best of New Zealand’s F&B

The Taste New Zealand chef competition is an opportunity for UAE-based professional chefs to create dishes using a range of fresh New Zealand ingredients. Last year saw a record number of entries and this year’s competition is set to be bigger than ever before.

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PRO CHEF

he Taste New Zealand culinary competition is about to kick off, with UAE-based professional chefs invited to prepare dishes (starter, main or dessert) using a range of fresh New Zealand ingredients at three heats in 2016. Increasingly, New Zealand products are being stocked by local food service companies, largely as a result of the success of the competition which has increased market knowledge of the country’s produce. “The annual Taste NZ competition encourages chefs and buyers to experience the very best of New Zealand’s F&B offering right here in Dubai,” says New Zealand Trade Commissioner to the UAE Haylon Smith. This year, the competition will run in three heats: seafood, meat and pastry, with ingredients chosen by chefs. The heats will run 5th March (seafood), 7th May (meat) and 9th September (pastry). For each heat, a shortlist of chefs will be invited to a live cook-off using ingredients from a black box of high quality New Zealand produce available in the UAE. The judging panel will be made up of winners in The Pro Chef ME Awards for this year, one member of HBME editorial team and a third professional chef. The Taste New Zealand 2016 champion will win a trip to New Zealand to experience the best of New Zealand’s food and beverage first hand.

For more information about the Taste New Zealand Chef Competition please visit www.hospitalitybusinessme.com/ pro-chef/nz-chef2016

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PRO CHEF

“I encourage you to enter the Taste New Zealand Chef Competition it’s shaping up to be another fantastic event with fierce competition and skilled chefs creating spectacular dishes with a range of New Zealand products” Jeremy Clarke-Watson, New Zealand Ambassador to the UAE

“The annual Taste New Zealand competition encourage chefs and buyers to experience the very best of New Zealand’s F&B offering right here in Dubai.” Haylon Smith, New Zealand Trade Commissioner to the UAE

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LAST YEARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WINNER

Chef Chloe St-Cyr was declared the Taste New Zealand 2015 winner at an exclusive awards night held at Purobeach, Conrad Hotel in Dubai. She works at the Dubai Hilton JBR and this was the first time she entered the Taste New Zealand Chef competition. The ten finalists competed in a cook-off using premium New Zealand ingredients at the ICCA, just 48 hours before the awards event. Each of the ten finalists was allowed to bring one chef to assist them in the kitchen on the day of the final cook-off. Chef Chloe was assisted by Chef Mohamad Infaz who works at the Hilton JBR as apprentice chef. Under Chloeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guidance, the pair made a formidable team and took out the top prize.

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PRO CHEF

The art of

plating Every chef knows the value of the right choice of tableware when presenting his or her work and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the understanding of local and global needs that has propelled Emirati tableware giant RAK Porcelain to prominence. We sat down with Sales Manager George Kuruvilla to see how the company stays abreast of trends in the market.

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PRO CHEF

Dammika Herath, Pastry Chef Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

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PRO CHEF

Budi Setiono, Executive Pastry Chef, Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah

What difference does plating make to the overall experience of a meal? Plating is the art of modifying, processing, arranging, or decorating food to enhance its aesthetic appeal. Visual presentation of food is considered by chefs throughout the whole food preparation as the visual sensation of a dish is as important as its flavor. Effective plating involves mastering the techniques combined with an understanding of trends and what diners enjoy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an art form that is always evolving. Are there basic rules about how to plate food? What are they? Plating begins with the plate. The classical plating technique used the three basic food items of starch, vegetables and main in a specific arrangement. However with the evolution of time, variety in dining options

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and high competition in the industry the art of plating has also become very important. Today every chef creates a signature with his dishes. He visualises the dishes even before theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re actually made. They prefer to keep it simple, balanced and to the right portion size. The presentation should never overpower flavor and function and ensure the main ingredient stands out and pay equal attention to the support. What are the current plating trends? And what do your predict they will be for 2016 (shape colour size, texture, finishes etc)? Plating is an art form that is always evolving. Chefs take inspiration from both traditional and trending styles to create their own unique plating style. If the presentation is truly interesting and unique, they might even find diners talking not just

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Elmer Mancera, Chef de Cuisine, Boulvar restaurant, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

“Today every chef creates a signature with his dishes. He visualises the dishes even before they’re actually made. They prefer to keep it simple, balanced and to the right portion size.”

about the food but the visual spectacle as well. Some of the different plating trends currently observed are; 1. Landscape: Taking inspiration from landscape gardens, this linear arrangement of food is usually kept low and long. 2. Free Form: Like many modern paintings, free form plating may seem carelessly strewn across a plate but each stroke and food placement is carefully thought out to create an abstract yet intriguing ‘painting’ on a plate. 3. Food On Organic Materials: Using organic materials such as wood, slate and stone as a plating device lends a more rustic and back-to-nature feel to dishes. 4. Futuristic: Making use of sleek materials like metal, glass and steel, futuristic plating creates a cutting edge and

futuristic look to your dishes 5. Alternative Receptacles: Using unconventional receptacles for your tableware creates a more interesting presentation for your dishes. Some examples include using a coffee siphon to hold broth, test tubes for soup or even something as simple as an airtight jar for food. Some modern plating trends used to create visual and dramatic impact by: • Using large and unusual plates and bowls • Selecting crockery that contrasts well with food- White is very popular • Stacking food high and arranging it in interesting ways • Serving sauces and condiments as part of a dish. These are often placed in a small bowl on the plate or drizzled into the plate for effect

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PRO CHEF

Diyan De Silva, Executive Sous Chef Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

How does plating vary for difference cuisines? For example, seafood, sushi etc. The elements of plating are just one way to whet your diners’ appetites; the styles of plating differ from cuisine to cuisine. Sharing is common in Asian dining. Though challenging to plate, chefs can still use aesthetically pleasing garnishes and interesting bowls or containers to enhance presentation. As more Asian restaurants adopt a more modern style, smaller individual-sized servings are also becoming increasingly common. When plating such dishes a Western presentation technique is adopted. When making sushi, there are three main points to remember: Colour, Flavor and Texture. The sushi tray or plate is almost as important as the sushi. Anything can be used, from a simple mirror to porcelain tableware to an elaborately carved wooden boat. The right plate or bowl is an important plating step when it comes to Seafood. Colours that complement the display and highlight the food can be used for plating. What do you consider when designing plates for professional chefs?

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Nour Almokad, Chef de Partie, Al Maeda, DoubleTree by Hilton, Dubai Jumeirah Beach

When designing plates the most important points that we consider are functionality, ease of use and appealing designs. For a chef ,more than the plate his priority would be his food and the satisfaction it gives to the diner. It’s important to have the right plate to present his dish and it should space the right amount of food at the right temperature and should be easy to use in service. Do you think we are moving towards a time when plates will not be used instead something like silicon sheets? We have seen a big revolution in our industry when it comes to plates. The size, shape, purpose, material composition, presentation and so many other factors decides on what’s being use for food presentation. We have even had a time where gold and silverware were used as plates for food presentation. However it’s always recommended to use porcelain plates as it’s more food safe, easy to wash and store and also it complements qualities needed for food service. So I believe and hope that porcelain plates would still be used at all times.

PRO CHEF

Getting gelato right Choosing the right gelato or ice cream equipment and most of all the right company behind it is a very important decision. Italian Food Masters has decided to join forces with Innova, manufacturer of Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x161; finest and most reliable gelato and ice cream machines, pasteurisers and aging vats. With five years warranty on artisanal gelato machines and pasteurisers and two years warranty on soft ice cream machines thye company is able to offer customers a combination of winning factors: â&#x20AC;˘ High quality, latest technology and the most reliable and durable equipment in the market. All this comes also at a very competitive price. â&#x20AC;˘ Comprehensive trainings courses and classes for both end users and sub dealers = companies like kitchen and hotel equipment suppliers.

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GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

Restaurants need to think about more than whether to add pretty pictures when they’re designing a menu. Culinary Institute of America instructor Ezra Eichelberger offers the results of a quarter century of experience with 11 top tips on menu design.

Culinary Institute of America study showed that if a currency sign is used in the price, diners are more likely to buy cheaper options. It seems these symbols are terrifying to the eye and the wallet. Hence the trend just for numerals with no signifiers.

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The average time a customer spends on a menu is almost two minutes, so here is time for some subtlety. However, it’s important for the guest to see all the menu items at once, so anything more than a tri-fold is too big. If it’s too bulky, the diner won’t be able to process

Stephane Buchholzer Culinary Director - Complex The St.Regis - Dubai W Dubai, Al Habtoor City - Dubai The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City - Dubai

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“The eight biggest allergies are nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat, eggs, fish, shellfish, and soy, so it’s critical to list these in any component dish descriptions.”

it and will give up and order something they don’t really want. They probably also won’t be back. If prices are in a column, it will result in price shopping. So stagger them three spaces from the last letter of the menu description without any dots or dashes to draw the customer’s attention away from the fact of what they’re paying for roast chicken. A dessert menu should always include the five Cs: citrus, coffee, caramel, chocolate, cheesecake. Desserts shouldn’t be on the main menu. If diners see an eye-catching dessert at the beginning of the meal, they’ll often skip an appetizer. So clever restaurateurs know to surprise the diner with a dessert menu after the main course in order to bask in the profits of both appetizer and dessert sales. Don’t CAPITALISE everything. It’s okay to capitalise the dish name but, for descriptions, use lower-case in order to slow down the

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reader’s eyes and keep them from glossing over the whole menu. The eight biggest allergies are nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat, eggs, fish, shellfish, and soy, so it’s critical to list these in any component dish descriptions and equally important to make fun of fake gluten allergies. On a two-page menu, most people will first look just above centre on the right page. Next, people look at the first and last items on the list. Loading these areas with your highest profit-margin foods is a trick, but putting the best dishes in these spots will fool the patrons into really enjoying their meals. Restaurants factor in costs of free items like bread, butter, ketchup and so on. A clever restaurateur will add $.05 for that fancy ramekin of ketchup. A healthy rule of thumb for a balanced menu is ten apps, ten mains and six desserts, with at least one vegetarian app and entree.

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Buy local, if possible ‘Buying local’ has become a buzz phrase over the past few years as our world becomes more and more global. But how do chefs buy local in a desert climate?

he food and beverage scene in the GCC generally and Dubai in particular is thriving, varied and – let’s be honest – overcrowded. For a place with only two million people, Dubai has a surprisingly large number of dining options, with cuisines to suit any palate. But the downside to that for chefs and restaurants is a demanding customer base with international dining taste and expectations as high as the Burj Khalifa. In such a saturated market, restaurants have to balance freshness of produce, customer expectation, cost-effectiveness and environmental concerns. Another worry is competition: do chefs focus on competing with the uniqueness of their menu, which means constant importing, or in costeffectiveness, which means crafting the menu around local produce? HBME spoke to over half a dozen chefs around the Middle East to find out how they balance the needs of the restaurant’s menu with environmental friendliness, supporting the local economy and financial success. Chef Sang Lee, executive chef of Solutions Leisure Group, which oversees Asia Asia, Karma Café, Q43, and Lock, Stock & Barrel (opening in November), is honest about the balancing act required: “I would love to be an advocate of “grow local” but for the style of our dishes we really do need to work with seasonality and specialist suppliers. “Generally, we focus on serving to our customers the best possible products in terms of quality and flavor. This often means following the seasons around the world. As many can appreciate, the UAE landscape does not necessarily lend itself to this.”

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Though most of the region’s produce is imported, quite a bit of produce is grown locally in the GCC, with most vegetables and fruit as well as fish, lamb and chicken available at good prices and with decent choice. However, all of the chefs we spoke stressed that much more produce could easily be grown here, and they’d all like to see local farmers and produce companies expanding their locally grown stock. “Of course, it’s always going to be better and more cost effective to source locally,” admits Food Fund International’s executive chef Chris Graham, “not only for the reduced costs of not having to import twice weekly, but to support your local economy. The more money going to producers and farmers, the more varieties they can grow and the better quality they can produce.” Many chefs in the region feel that while their local suppliers are great, the Middle East has a long way to go in terms of the variety of fruit and vegetables on offer. And though many said that they use local lamb, the lack of consistent livestock quality means even this local meat often has to be imported.

Graham, who runs Meat Co Steakhouse, sees tremendous potential in the region’s agricultural industry. “There is a potential to grow a lot more vegetables, with better quality. The current offering is not very good in my opinion, but you need to take into account that the water used to grow the crops is polluted and often rife with bacteria. A complete overhaul of how farming is done here needs to happen before we can grow restaurant-grade quality vegetables.” And that’s not just our chef ’s opinion – according to independent, non-profit research institute Futures International, the farming industry in the region “cannot support a domestic agricultural sector capable of feeding its population.” One unique solution followed by Dusit Thani’s Abu Dhabi property is to have your own farm – an option which would allow outlets to oversee the quality of their produce and also manage the farming standards. “We get a weekly delivery of organic fruits and vegetables from our own farm,” says executive chef Christophe Gavoi. In addition to quality control and lack of supply chain dependence, this solution also removes the

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STATS

80% - average per cent of their restaurant’s produce imported by the chefs we interviewed $3.54 billion – estimated amount of imported food wasted in the UAE each year 10 million – tonnes of food transported within the UAE each year

frustration of depending upon imports and is a more sustainable alternative. While having a dedicated organic farm may not be an option for many restaurants, a possible solution would be a co-operative farm, with each outlet paying a monthly fee and taking responsibility for their own allotment. It would also allow chefs to share ingredients, cutting down on food wastage, which, according to some industry experts, could be as high as 3.27 million tonnes per year in the UAE alone. Lauren Power, of Futures International, says, “Longterm food and water security and agricultural self-sufficiency are key strategic goals for the UAE government; critical dependency on desalination and food imports exposes the country to risks from global food price spikes and shortages, and geopolitical and environmental threats.” But until the region implements its longterm goals to be agriculturally independent, the local sourcing versus imports debate continues to keep chefs up at night. Local sourcing is a particular issue for specialty outlets, as it’s simply not possible to get everything needed to create the authentic flavours for regional dishes. Graham says, “We try to buy locally when possible, but with our main product being beef, it’s a little bit hard. We do try to purchase local vegetables and fish when the quality is good.” Chef Naruemol Poolkuan of Dusit Thani Dubai, gets about 50% of the produce she needs locally, but due to the unique flavours in Thai cuisine, has to import the other 50%, particularly spices. “These imports include Thailand’s finest curry, mangoes, Thai sweets such as Look Choop, WoonGrob, Med Khan Non, young coconut, rose apple, small dried chili, chicken sausage, chives and other herbs,” she says. “These simply have to be imported to maintain the authenticity of Thai dishes.” Kuwait’s Symphony Style Hotel executive chef Jonathan Spiteri that local sourcing is his hotel’s preferred choice in order to guarantee freshness. However, as with many outlets, his menu calls for things that simply don’t exist in the region. “For example,” he says, “We cannot find sumac in Kuwait to prepare couscous, or the very fine semolina we need to make a specific pasta dough.” The bottom line: in countries as wealthy as those in the GCC, the government has the money to invest in empowerment for farmers and F&B outlets in the region. This would mean a) more money being spent locally and b) less dependence upon imports and c) better environmental rating for the countries.

Head to head Local produce pros and cons: PROS • produce is fresher and lasts longer • many fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish/seafood available • smaller carbon footprint • support for local economy • fresher and more flavourful ingredients CONS • basic products such as beef, certain fruits, vegetables and spices aren’t available • lack of consistent quality, especially during off season • overfishing means local fish (such as hammour and sweetlips), which is preferred by customers, shouldn’t be used • can sometimes be more costly • over de-salinisation is harmful to the environment Imported produce pros and cons: PROS • large variety of items available throughout the world • can be better for farmers as the world’s seasons can be followed • allows chefs to plan a varied and interesting menu • new refrigeration tech such as Emirates Sky Cargo allows for fresher imports CONS • longer lead time on produce delivery/ inconsistency of timing • ingredients lose freshness/flavour in transit • higher carbon footprint • chefs must plan stock further in advance + prepare for shortfalls • stringent customs regulations means imports could be refused/ wait too long in port • in some countries, outlets need import licences, which can be hard to procure • inconsistent supplier pricing structures • minimum quantity orders/delivery delays = more food wastage

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The food of Falasteen Dubai-based chef Dima Al Sharif is about to release a cookbook come memoir about the food of Falasteen (Palestine) - Plated Heirlooms. In this extract, she discusses the background.

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hat can ever be more complex than writing a cookbook about a whole cuisine? Perhaps only if the cuisine in question is that of Falasteen! True to my nature that always chases after challenges, I of course chose to write a book about the cuisine of Falasteen! But even I was neither aware of nor ready for the challenge ahead! I had been eating and cooking this cuisine for years, however, but especially because I never wanted to produce a book that only listed collections of recipes, instead one that reflects the culture from which such recipes came to life, I had, unwittingly, set myself for two and a half years of research! A little about myself. I was born in Jordan to a Palestinian family, where both my mother and father come from four very well-known Palestinian families, all of whom had lived in Falasteen for as far back as can be traced. However, due to occupation, both their families were forced to move from Falasteen to eventually settle in Jordan, where they met, married and where I was born. I was therefore born to diaspora! Perhaps one of the most complicated explanations that one can attempt is explaining the state of being born to diaspora and perhaps the easiest way to go about that is through cuisine - possibly the reason why all the Palestinian people in diaspora learn their identity first by means of cuisine. As such, most of what I have learnt about myself and my family - who we are and where we come from – I had learned in the kitchen over a piece of flat bread with large air pockets, known as Taboon, which was always made in my grandmother’s special oven in her garden, first dipped with our family’s cold pressed olive oil then second dipped in a heap of home-dried then plain ground zaatar – in true purist fashion, plain zaatar, not mixed with anything but seasoned lightly with salt. Without thinking, now most of what I educate my kids about themselves also happens in the kitchen. Most of what I tell them about who we are and where we come from also takes place in the kitchen, over our family’s cold pressed olive oil, grandma’s home-dried zaatar and taboon bread. As a consequence and as time passed, I came to realise that my most prized possessions are my plated heirlooms. Because those are the stories of who I am and who we are as a people. My plated heirlooms were in fact evident narratives about where we come from and the significance of that land to our people and identity. All of my plated heirlooms are the

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same plated heirlooms of every Palestinian and had been passed to us through many generations of Palestinian cooking by means of our great great grandparents. They all have the same narrative, the same identity and thus the same significance. We all pass them on to our children and they to theirs. Therefore - and since this book is essentially a documentation of these inherited recipes and the earth and culture that gave birth to such recipes – the only possible title for the book is Plated Heirlooms. From the beginning, there was no question this book was going to be about old school authentic cuisine, about the old and perhaps forgotten recipes and the ones just about going in that direction. From the start I wanted to portray the factor of sustainability intrinsic to Palestinian cooking, which is dictated by Falasteen’s nature and the living conditions over there. I thought all these elements reflected the beautiful and innately slow nature of Falasteen and consequently its intuitively slow and natural cuisine. All of these elements are extensively covered in the Mooneh/Pantry section, which I believe is the heart of Palestinian cuisine as well as culture, so in that chapter I delved into the world of old school preparation of food for long and unmechanised storage, of course explaining the absolute importance of olives and olive oil to the ancient techniques of bread making, pickling and jamming among many other techniques and recipes. I also wanted to include the famous street food from hummus, falafel, fool, shawerma and so on as well as Palestinian masterpieces from clay pot cooking to allayat (olive oil stir-frys), maqloubeh and musakhan and, of course, the ultimate dish in this cuisine: slow cooked stuffed whole lamb. My versions and additions are included here and there as part of my personal quest for achieving cookery perfection. To the best of what any one book may contain, about specific foods and their stories, to the special and traditional cookware and explaining techniques as well as storage, I have done my best to include within these pages all the essential components and to reflect how these elements are tied to the cultural logic of this country. However, of course, it is impossible to cover such rich culture, history and cuisine in one study and, therefore, I am content in this book being a comprehensive start. It is impossible not to discuss the elephant in the room and although Falasteen’s story has enormous beauty, it also has a deeply unfortunate side. One of the most unfortunate things to Palestinian people – besides all that they have been subjected to since Al Nakbah in 1948 to date – is not only having to stand

witness to the active attempts to completely erase and destroy the Palestinian identity, culture and very existence of Palestinians in their own homeland, but also seeing their identity and culture being actively replaced by stereotypes of violence, bloodiness and all round savagery! All it takes is a simple search online for the unknowing to make up an impression reflecting that forced narrative that could not be further away from the truth. The Palestinian people are human beings like the rest of the world. The country did not create a separate race - there are good, bad, heroic, shameful, honest, deceiving, successes and failures… All that is human resides in Falasteen as anywhere else. However, the Palestinian people have been dealt more than their fair share of hardship and have suffered immensely in the hands of a most cruel and brutal occupation that also happens to be very clever, or perhaps wicked is a better word. The Palestinian people’s suffering never ended, in fact it only got worse as time passed. Since 1948 until 2015 when I finished writing this book, the Palestinian people have repeatedly been robbed, tortured, subjected to countless genocides and ethnic cleansing by their occupiers and their imported settlers. It is not my intention to go into these details here, nor my intention to go through the finger pointing game of who’s right, wrong, first or real owner or any such informational rubbish that I find to be clear as day. However, it is my objective to show the

Palestinian persona, the Palestinian culture and lifestyle as it naturally is. Therefore, I have chosen to focus on the time when despite being under some kind of occupation by the Ottomans and then the British Mandate, before the current occupation in which Palestinians were eventually and unjustly forced into a corner where they were stripped of everything and reduced to only defending themselves, their dignity, their homeland, their freedom and their very right to live all of which are virtues relative and comprehensive to all mankind. Because in such a dire situation, when your basic humanity is being targeted, an uglier reality is created, one in which not all individuals are capable of surrendering to semantics and a higher moral syntax but, rather, at such situations is when one looks around and realises one is only human! With that said, by focusing on the more positive time, on the real Palestinian persona, culture, beliefs and the Palestinians’ original highly tolerant and communal system… by understanding the importance of olive trees, of land and the importance of caring for that land and its yield to the Palestinians perhaps then it becomes easier to understand these people for what they really are: humans, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, neighbours, friends, children, grooms, brides, lovers and all very passionately Palestinian! And perhaps then one may understand the Palestinian people’s plea to the world for their right to live as Palestinian people.

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Industry pioneer dies Marjorie Silverman, who died recently aged 76, rose in her chosen career to become chef concierge the Hotel InterContinental Chicago. She launched her career in the field at age 40 at a time when concierges weren’t at all common at the city’s premier hotels. She did so well in her fireld that she became the first American president of the international concierge organisation, the Paris-based Les Clefs d’Or International.

Aged 40 and with two children at an age when she felt she could return to work, Marjorie Silverman began her career in the hotel industry by looking through help wanted ads. She had useful skills - she spoke French and Italian, had travel agency and PR experience and had even helped plan events as a member of a Governor’s staff. “I was ready for a new challenge. I did research on the whole hotel field and the concierge job interested me,” she recalled back in 1986. “There weren’t many (concierges) in Chicago at that time at the premier hotels. I wrote a detailed proposal and then I saw an ad for a concierge job at the Westin in Chicago. I geared my proposal for organising a desk there.” She was hired. After launching the concierge programme at the Westin Hotel, Silverman served as the chief concierge of Hotel InterContinental Chicago

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for 15 years and later became a consultant and lecturer in the field. “Back when Marjorie entered our field, most people didn’t know what a concierge was, much less how to pronounce the word,” said Elizabeth Wilson, administrator of the Bostonbased Les Clefs d’Or USA. “What she did was a big deal. Our international organisation was very male and European-dominated, so she single-handedly broke that glass ceiling.” “What I loved is that she was filled with surprises,” said her husband of 53 years, Edwin. “Once, during a trip to the south of France, we arrived at our hotel in the middle of the night and, soon after, the power went out. She quickly reached into her suitcase, pulled out a candle and lit it with a match. I thought to myself, ‘She thinks of everything!’” When she applied for the Westin job, she had very specific ideas about how to make

the concierge more accessible to hotel visitors. Long a tradition in Europe’s grand hotels, the position was created at many luxury hotels frequented by business travelers in the US after the 1981 recession, according to the 1986 Tribune story, but Silverman felt strongly that the services should be available to all guests. Over time, Silverman gained notice by how she handled the concierge department and was sent by Westin to help open the Westin O’Hare as well as the Westin in Washington DC. When the Plaza Hotel in New York City belonged to the Westin hotel chain, she was sent to improve the delivery of concierge services. Her workdays typically started with a meeting of luggage attendants to advise them of the arrivals and departures, particularly of large groups. She would also check the VIP arrival list and send those guests a note or, when appropriate, a gift. As business travellers left for appointments, she made travel arrangements and arranged baby-sitting services, dinner and theater reservations. Then she began preparing for the next wave of guests. “I find the pace exciting and I thrive on the constant change and the fact that my job is totally unpredictable in terms of what I’m going to be doing,” she told the Tribune in 1986. “I talk to people from all over the world and have made some very good friends.” She left the Westin to join the InterContinental in 1990, working there until her retirement eleven years ago, though she taught at the International Concierge Institute in Montreal and Fort Lauderdale, as well as conducting seminars for concierge professionals globally. She held every office in Les Clefs d’Or USA and, after the completion of her presidency in 1990 she was invited to be an adviser to the board of directors, a position she held until 2007. Recently she was honored by Les Clefs d’Or USA with a lifetime achievement award.