After dropping the ‘hotels and resorts’ line from its brand name and redesigning the brand’s signature, Jumeirah has announced the beginning of a new era as it evolves to spread its reach to a global audience. With its evolution, the brand draws its essence from traditions of warm and generous hospitality deeply rooted in Arabian culture. Originating from a time when travellers on ancient trade routes were offered the warmest of fireside welcomes and the opportunity to converse and share knowledge and ideas, Jumeirah looks to emulate that spirit of connection in their hotels today, as explained by the Chief Brand Officer of Jumeirah, Michael Grieve.
Q: What inspired the rebranding? And why was it necessary now?
Michael Grieve: Jumeirah has been in operation since 1997, and both our portfolio and our brand has evolved in keeping with the expectations of discerning travellers. We felt it was time for our heritage and ambition to translate into a compelling brand offering that resonates with a global audience, which will be key as we continue to expand our portfolio, particularly within international markets.
The reimagining of our visual identity, which we unveiled in May, is the first phase of a wider brand evolution that will be reflected across all aspects of our business. Right now, our new visual identity has been implemented across our digital assets. This summer has seen the launch of our new brand campaign, which translates the essence of our brand into a visual rendition of beautiful hospitality, generously shared.
We want to challenge the status quo and bring a new dimension to our brand that will alter people’s perception, and their experience of Jumeirah. Our aim is to build depth and meaning around the Jumeirah brand which resonates with an international audience, whether they are already familiar with Jumeirah or not. The rebrand is a strategic move to reposition us as a brand of influence, and as a brand that is ready to lead the evolution of luxury hospitality on a global scale.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the redesign of the Jumeirah signature? And why have you dropped the ‘hotels and resorts’ from the brand’s corporate name?
Michael Grieve: Our custom-designed signature draws inspiration from the region, blending elements of Arabic calligraphy with Serif strokes. Both the signature and the symbol have been crafted to reflect and embrace our brand's heritage. In the Arabic signature, we have used delicate brushstrokes to depict simplicity, while also incorporating some bold and joyful shorter strokes to add elements of playful movement.
Put simply, the motivation to remove ‘hotels and resorts’ from our brand name reflects the fact that we now have branded residences in our portfolio with the recent launch of Jumeirah Residences Marsa Al Arab in Dubai.
Secondly, we see Jumeirah hospitality transcending the physical boundaries of our properties. To truly be a brand of influence, we are exploring the value we can create for guests and the community outside of our hotel rooms, suites, villas, residences, spas, and restaurants.
Q: You are currently looking to expand the brand into the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia - what are you looking for in potential properties/owners/operators?
Michael Grieve: Our portfolio currently comprises 26 hotels across 11 countries, and our focus for the coming years is to expand into destinations where we do not have an existing presence, with a particular focus on key European gateway cities and international resort destinations.
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view allWe are fulfilling our vision of becoming the most influential luxury hospitality brand in the world, and to truly achieve that, we are setting certain standards, be that around design, brand rituals, commitment to excellence, or a myriad of other factors. Of course, that will come at a cost, some of which will be borne by the owners and others by us as the operators, but we feel that those costs are justified as we want to offer our guests the best of the best. What we are looking for in potential properties are assets that meet those standards, in destinations designed to inspire with a distinct proposition. It is equally important to find owners who buy into what we want to achieve for their hotel and ultimately for our brand.
Jumeirah is not a cookie-cutter brand. Our intention is to curate a portfolio of properties, each with their own character and charm, designed to cater to each guest’s individual rhythms of life, in destinations that resonate with our global community of tastemakers. At the same time, we aim to ensure that our properties are spaces the community can appreciate and feel proud of.
With our new properties and our existing portfolio, we want to ensure that there is intention behind every act of service, as well as every guest touchpoint, to fulfill a life well led for our guests. We have proven our capacity to deliver exceptional financial results across our portfolio, and yet we still believe there is untapped potential we can unlock through our brand evolution. We look forward to delivering on that mission with new owners as we establish our brand presence in new destinations worldwide.
Q: How do you continue to stand out amongst your competitors in the luxury market?
Michael Grieve: It’s important to consider what a lot of luxury brands are competing on. Product is often a top contender, but increasingly it is the experiential offering. We already have a reputation for operating exceptional properties, however Jumeirah is not looking to define product as its USP, and it won’t be what distinguishes us moving forward.
We aim to build depth and meaning for our brand with an international audience, whether they are familiar with Jumeirah or new to our offerings. To support our positioning as a brand of influence, we are shaping an engagement strategy in the form of a ‘majlis’ of global culture, conversation, and connection. This concept is a key differentiator and a creative territory we are eager to explore and own.
Q: You (Michael Grieve) have an impressive background in luxury fashion - what do you think you can take from your experience working at brands like Gucci to the Jumeirah brand?
Michael Grieve: The synergy between fashion and luxury hospitality lies in the guest-centric approach and engagement strategies across the two industries. Both industries place a focus on creating value beyond just their product, tapping into their clients’ aspirations and forging emotional connections to lifestyle and desirability. While the motivations for the two industries may differ, the rules of engagement and emotional drivers are often very similar.
The Gucci client who I served in my last role is also my Jumeirah guest today. There are elements that translate very well between the two industries, and the cross-collaboration of luxury fashion houses and hospitality brands over the years, proves the close connections between their respective audiences.
By understanding the emotional touchpoints and aspirations that drive our audiences, we can craft experiences that enhance their lifestyle and resonate on a deeper level, much like fashion brands create desire beyond just its garments.
Q: What key source markets will you be focused on when it comes to promoting the hotels, and the new branding, and how important is India?
Michael Grieve: Key source markets for us moving forward include the US, UK, India, China and major European markets such as Germany, and France. India has always been an important market for Jumeirah and will continue to be moving forward, as it is generally the top feeder market to Dubai, as well as serving as a gateway for other key markets in Asia.
Additionally, we will be looking at markets which are home to some of the key industry tastemakers, with focus cities being Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo and London, due to their prominence within the luxury sector.
Disclaimer: This article is a promotional feature and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times.
- FIRST PUBLISHED12.09.2024 | 08:53 PM IST
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