Dubai-based Fundamental Hospitality is set to raise the bar for beach clubs with the upcoming opening of Sirene by GAIA in Dubai’s Jumeirah One this September, the CEO told Arabian Business in an exclusive interview.
Spanning an impressive 9,000 square metres along Dubai’s Jumeirah coast, Sirene by GAIA will be the largest beach club ever built globally when it launches in September 2024. Taking over a year to design, the venue will feature over 400 sunbeds, swimming pools, cabanas, and expansive dining areas serving Mediterranean cuisine – a special menu curated by GAIA, one of Dubai’s most iconic restaurants.
“It’s taken us over a year just to do the design. We’ve taken our time, but the outcome is going to be really special,” said Fundamental Hospitality’s founder and CEO, Evgeny Kuzin.
Dubai’s most successful restaurant
GAIA has become Fundamental Hospitality’s most successful brand since launching in Dubai in 2018. The Greek-Mediterranean restaurant now has locations in Doha, Monte Carlo, and London with openings planned for Marbella and Miami this year. Sirene by GAIA will take the GAIA concept beachside, offering sharing plates and larger portions suited for beach days.
Kuzin credits GAIA’s popularity for propelling the brand’s global growth as one of the few F&B concepts to go global in a market which has long relied on exporting dining concepts from all over the world.
“When you get it right in Dubai, it’s quite easy to scale everywhere,” he said, noting Dubai’s diverse crowd exposes concepts to multitudes of cultures. This worldwide appeal was on display as major celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton frequented GAIA restaurants.
Sirene by GAIA is a cornerstone of Fundamental Hospitality’s plans to introduce 14 new brands across Dubai and internationally in the next year alone.
“This year alone, we’re investing over $140 million into the expansion within Dubai and globally. our place is to open between 15 to 20 restaurants a year and we are already planning openings for 2027, 2028, and 2029. Some contracts have been signed, we are opening restaurants in Vegas and Geneva, all around the world,” Kuzin revealed.
The $140 million capital investment program will see venues like La Maison Ani, Shanghai Me and KIGO debut in top global destinations.
For Dubai, Kuzin shared plans to unveil African spot INNA as well as day-to-night venue Evie’s in 2024. “We’re signing one of the top global retail brands to appear at Sirene by GAIA too [but] I cannot announce it yet,” he teased, emphasising the project’s scale and prestige.
The past two years showed surging demand for lifestyle offerings across the Middle East and Europe. This momentum, paired with long-standing client loyalty, gives Kuzin confidence in spreading Dubai-born concepts worldwide.
Sirene by GAIA’s September debut aims to solidify Dubai’s emergence at the luxury hospitality industry’s forefront.
“GAIA is probably one of the best-performing restaurants in Dubai today. People coming to visit Dubai try to get reservations to try it because this brand is not found in many places around the world and we’re very excited about this success because everybody really loves it and the product is fantastic.”
The brand’s growing international footprint solidifies ‘Made in Dubai’ concepts as a force in luxury dining worldwide. “We always go to the market in Dubai with the first one, and so far it’s been received very well and it is the best-performing restaurant in Monaco and now London,” he shared.
“We are from Dubai, we are made in Dubai and we are scaling to the world.”
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