For the duration of the interview, Centara Mirage Beach Resort Dubai GM Sebastien Scheeg had a smile on his face. After all, Scheeg is leading what is aiming to become an entertainment hotspot and the region’s best family resort, with water park areas, rock climbing and enviable beach space.
The second hotel on the new Deira Islands project, Centara Mirage Beach Resort Dubai has landed in the emirate to show the immense potential when family-friendly hospitality is put at the forefront. A father of three himself, Scheeg spoke to Hotelier Middle East about what makes his hotel the most thought-out family destination in the city.
“Hopefully you can see it when I talk but I can’t stop smiling when I talk about this hotel. To be GM here is a true passion project,” he began. “To open this hotel has been such an amazing personal development for me and many in my team. Yes, being a parent has helped me with this hotel. As a parent, I have shared all my parenting experiences with my heads of departments when creating this hotel.
“We have everything we need to be successful. We’re the first Centara Mirage in the Middle East and we’re here to develop the brand in the region. Centara Mirage is very well known in Thailand, it’s our signature family entertainment brand.”
Centara Mirage Beach Resort Dubai appeals to every age group
First opened in the middle of October, the GM revealed the 607-key resort is nearly at full capacity when we meet. Speaking to us on the terrace of Mirage Family Lounge, we were surrounded by laughing children in the waterpark, excited teenagers on the rock climbing wall, and snoozing parents in the lazy river.
For the GM and his team at Centara Mirage Beach Resort, thinking about every age group and every family member has been key to their success. Scheeg explained: “We thought about every single touchpoint through the eyes of a parent. In today’s world, children would like new experiences every half an hour these days. That’s exactly what we can provide here. Across the entire day, we have many experiences and entertainments to deploy. It’s not just about adding kids clubs, slides or even a water park, it’s about thinking how people will use the hotel throughout the entire day.”
He continued: “The enjoyment has to start at breakfast and has to sustain throughout the entire day. Children look for continuous experiences, and if the experiences are the same every day, they will get bored. Centara Mirage Beach Resort needs to constantly refresh and come up with new innovations.
“We have treasure hunts, clown shows, illusion shows, outdoor activities, bouncy castles, everything. That’s what success looks like to me if you are able to provide continuous enjoyment throughout the day right from morning to evening.”
Continuously innovating
With families as Centara Mirage Beach Resort’s primary target audience, the GM explained that innovation is vital for the hotel. In fact, innovation and constant entertainment are so important that the GM doesn’t see his property as a hotel, he sees it as a theme park.
He continued: “Another tagline that is important, I don’t think of this property as merely a hotel, I see it as a theme park. It’s a full experience here. For us, we maximise this hotel through the experiences. We cannot spend one week here not thinking about what to do next, it’s always about new activations here.
“We always have to look ahead, we think in advance, six months ahead already. If we stop for one moment, someone else will go ahead of us. That’s a great approach for Deira Island too – we’re constantly innovating and really helping to push the destination forward.”
Combining comfort and entertainment
Surrounded by laughter and activity, it is clear the GM and his team of 400 staff have got the entertainment aspect down to an art at Centara Mirage Beach Resort. Equally crucial for the property’s success is the comfort and relaxation aspect.
Again, Scheeg’s own experience as a parent came into play; aware that parents should feel as relaxed as possible while their children are having fun.
He explained: “Centara Mirage Beach Resort has three kids clubs, and really fathers end up taking their kids there to play video games with them. We have an integrated kids club in our all-day dining restaurant. When the parents are having breakfast and the kids get agitated, it can be quite uncomfortable. But here, the kids can just go run around in the integrated kids club, while the parents can still keep an eye on them.
“In today’s world, you constantly entertain your guest, it’s a real challenge. This is where we’ve really been successful in our positioning. Even our spa, there are facilities for children. While mum and dad go for their Thai massage, the kids can do the same.
“Normally, in 99 percent of hotels, you need to leave the kids in the kids club while the parents enjoy the spa. That can make the parents quite stressed, but here, that doesn’t happen.”
A unified goal
Able to balance relaxation for adults and entertainment for children, the GM and his team have set their sights on one goal: To become the region’s best family resort.
Scheeg concluded: “When you’re main source market is families, you also have to think about different age groups and different types of families. In Dubai, most hotels try to be a bit of everything, here, we’re only focused on one identity. We have a core concept: We want to become the best family resort in the Middle East, it’s that simple.
“Every activity we do is for that goal.”