RADISSON SAS Amman revamped its image and announced its new brand name Landmark Amman Hotel and Conference Center. Maysa Zureikat spoke to the hotel’s general manager FIRAS MNEIMNEH.
Why the re-brand and name?
Our decision to rebrand was fueled by the need to upgrade our facility. The name “Landmark” was chosen because the name is associated with luxurious services and was appropriate for us to choose it as we aimed to upgrade our hotel to a luxury one. With the new name will come more outlets, conference facilities, upgraded services including free high speed internet, nespresso machines, VIP amenities, LCD screens in rooms etc.
The new image will portray the identity of luxurious services provided inside the hotel from rooms, halls and facilities to the full range of newly added services such as restaurants, leisure and banquet facilities. That is in addition to the new design in the rooms and hotel facade which we began working on from January 15. All in all, Landmark Amman Hotel and Conference Center is a five star hotel identified with locations in different countries such as UK, Ireland, Thailand, Singapore, USA and will reflect a contemporary image with a local twist.
What can customers expect?
We will be opening our new outlets soon, which will include an all day dining outlet Colors, a juice bar under the name of Sugar Bar, the Mint lobby lounge, the Zone bar which will have a sports flair to it, plus the Turquoise fine dining restaurant at the 13th floor, the Ruby private dining, the Glass bar lounge, and the Breath outdoor terrace. For pool lovers, we will have the outdoor Zest swimming pool available.
How do you perceive the future in light of the global economic crisis?
I believe that the global crisis will have a positive effect on the Levant area primarily for the area’s competitive prices compared to the Gulf region and Dubai especially when it comes to the MICE industry which our hotel is targeting as we are becoming the number one MICE hotel in Amman. Furthermore, given the cheaper prices, many companies are planning to shift their headquarters from other cities within the region to Jordan.
How does the Gaza situation affect you?
The Gaza atrocity was a very strong slap for the hospitality industry in Jordan. Due to that, we had a drop of 25-30 per cent in occupancy rate in the market. I believe that the industry will be facing bad times from now until April as many groups will be cancelling their trips to the region due to the current situation, which will also mean that we will not be able to plan for the future.
Do you think that being part of a chain is better than being independent?
I personally believe that people are the ones who make a success from a name. The team and leadership are the ones who bring about success and high revenue to the hotel. As a team at the Landmark, we appreciate challenges and have been meeting all our goals so far. At the end of the day, if you understand your product and the market in which you operate, you will be able to make a success of your entity and you will know how to sell it.
What also distinguishes us is that we are very flexible when it comes to our rates. We also offer very personalised services that always exceeds our customers’ expectations and therefore, which is very important in terms of having repeated guests. We are aware that in the Arab world, personalised service is one of the most important aspects.
What is the Landmark brand all about?
The landmark brand is recognised by the luxurious services provided inside the hotel from rooms, halls, services, facilities, and food. It has a tradition of innovative services that are offered in other Landmark locations including London, Bangkok, Singapore and the US with each Landmark property has its own identity.