Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort launches 'Chef on Demand'

Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, the upscale lifestyle resort on Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, has extended its facilities to assist business travellers with the addition of Chef on Demand.

The “couture cuisine” service is available for all Club guests, who can choose their menus, as well as their place of dining.

According to general manager Michael Scully, the decision came after extensive research with Club floor guests, of which more than 50 per cent are made up of frequent business travellers.

Scully said: “Today’s business traveller is looking for a hotel experience that fits into his schedule and lifestyle as seamlessly as possible in terms of service offering, but is accompanied by service excellence.

“The Chef on Demand concept allows our guests to make use of the privacy of the Club facilities, but with the bonus of full dinner service in the evenings if required, rather than just the standard pre-dinner canapés provided by most hotels.”

The service is centred around a personal consultation between the Chef on Demand and the guests over breakfast when they can also make use of the Eggs on Demand facility.

Scully explained: “Following discussions with the guests, the Chef can prepare whatever they would like for dinner – and serve it wherever they would like in the evening, whether it’s on their private balcony, in a board room, or on the beach.”

He pointed out that frequent travellers often prefer to keep their routine as close to normal as possible when abroad, to ensure minimal disturbance to their working life.

“That’s one of the principal benefits of this concept, which we feel is like couture cuisine: we can really work around what the customer wants, which is becoming vital in an increasingly demanding marketplace.”

This move is the latest in a series of market-leading ventures at the upscale resort, which saw its revenue outperform every year in its history for 2003.

The property, which underwent significant landscape extensions in 2003, registered a 10.6 per cent year-on-year growth in revenue, and a 16 per cent increase in average room rate for the year.

The programme of substantial renovations is now almost complete, with the principal phase, the increase of conference and banqueting and facilities, and the extension of the beach and marina to reach 1,200 metres, already paying dividends.