Keep ahead, stay different

I am the brand guardian of Jumeirah in terms of ensuring that what we do as a company supports the positioning of the brand.

At the moment we are putting our efforts into [the] ‘Stay Different’ [campaign] as the essence of the Jumeirah brand.

That is a commitment statement to the market that what we are going to do is genuinely unique and providing an individual experience. We don’t believe you can replicate luxury. A lot of people are trying to define the luxury experience and roll it out, but we constantly evolve what luxury means.

I suppose I am the chief relevance officer; my job is to ensure that the brand is relevant and is what the customer is looking for.

ATN: So how does Jumeirah manage to ‘Stay different’?

There are some exciting concepts coming up, some of which are technology related. We are working on RFID technology to give us enhanced customer recognition.

What we are working on for family resorts such as the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, is giving guests a key card that’s like a watch they wear on their wrist and then they will know the whereabouts of other family members at all times. It’s not Big Brother though – it would be optional.

The other thing we feel very strongly about is in-room entertainment. I think it’s awful at the moment. It’s ridiculous that the entertainment system on board Emirates Airline is better than at most hotels. We need to give the customer everything on demand. I want the customer to dictate the content before they arrive at the hotel.

A perfect scenario would be if, for instance, you were watching Lost before you left home and then when you arrived at the hotel, you could switch on the TV and pick up where you left off.

ATN: What other key philosophies set the Jumeirah Group apart from its main hotel competitors?

Everyone is focusing on growth and opening new hotels, which is great, but as a luxury brand we also re-invest in our existing properties to maintain quality.

For example, we are closing the Jumeirah Beach Club [in Dubai] next year while it undergoes a full renovation.

We are prepared to close businesses and lose a lot of money during the closure period because it’s important to reinvest.

ATN: What can you tell me about Jumeirah’s new spa concept?

Spa development in recent years has all been about the available square footage and maximising that. We are looking about how we can best utilise this space to bring about the balance that the guest is looking for. Some guests will go for a wellness or borderline medical concept, while others will prefer beauty treatments. The way that people look after themselves is highly individual. We are looking for a solution that will allow us to maintain contact with our spa guests 365 days per year and there is technology being launched to enable this. We will be looking after guests’ personal needs on a daily basis. There is no point in guests having a life-changing experience for two weeks and then returning home and not continuing with it. We want to give the customer the opportunity to maintain continuity and momentum.

ATN: What feedback do you receive from luxury travellers?

We do a lot of work with our customers in various forms, through focus groups, innovation sessions and customer satisfaction surveys. Customers are saying that they find a lot of luxury travel companies are trying to categorise them. What they are saying to us is that luxury is an individual interpretation.

This year we spent just shy of US $4 million on the tagline ‘luxury is a personal experience’ for our campaigns in international source markets such as Germany, the UK and the US.

We recognise that the luxury customer has a different set of credentials.

They have money; it’s time that is the most valuable currency they spend.

The time they spend with us is so precious and we recognise our obligation to help them make the most of their time. Many hotels say their job is to deliver experiences to the guests, but I think our job is to create environments where guests can generate their own experiences.

The most important question you can ask a customer is ‘why are you here?’ People don’t want to be categorised anymore.