Celebrity chefs and branded restaurants are giving customers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai food for thought as they jump on the hotel gravy train.
In August, the British chef Gary Rhodes opened the Rhodes Twenty10 grill at Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort in Dubai, his second restaurant launch in the emirate.
Then in October, Verre by Gordon Ramsay at the Hilton Dubai Creek, which opened in 2001, debuted its "chef's table" as part of a redevelopment.
Soon after, three restaurants were launched at the newly opened One&Only The Palm resort in Dubai under the guidance of the Michelin-starred French chef Yannick Alleno.
"Developing their food and beverage concept is seen as a way for hotels to improve visibility and distinguish themselves," says Chiheb Ben Mahmoud, the senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Middle East and Africa.
But then, celebrity has become chic when it comes to booking that special night out with prices ranging from Dh55 (US$14.97) for a pizza margherita at Frankie's to Dh860 for a 160 gramme portion of Japanese Wagyu ribeye beef at Nobu.
Ask the concierge at a top UAE hotel to book you a table for dinner and they will suggest a Michelin-starred chef or a famous restaurant brand often to be found in London, New York or Paris. Ramsay, the long-established haute cuisine chef in the UK and television celebrity, was one of the first to open a restaurant in the UAE. More recently, Hakkasan, best known for its flagship London Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, has launched an eatery at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, while another famous London haunt, The Ivy, will open a branch in the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai next spring. Other names such as Nobu at Atlantis are already in the UAE.
"Hotels in the Middle East have a unique role in terms of food and beverage experience for various reasons and this gives branded restaurants a special place in Middle East hospitality," says Mr Mahmoud.
Another British chef, Marco Pierre White, who writes regularly for The National's m magazine, expanded his presence last year when he opened a steakhouse and Frankie's Italian Restaurant and Bar at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi. He already had a Frankie's brand in Dubai.
Arshad Hussain, the director of sales and marketing at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr hotel, believes Pierre White's presence has helped generate international exposure and increased bookings. "The benefits also extend both ways," Mr Hussain says.
It is certainly a more cost-effective way for restaurateurs to expand their portfolios.
"It allows the restaurant to benefit from the hotel facilities and infrastructure as well as regulatory framework," says Mr Mahmoud, because the hotel would have already completed most of the complex licensing procedures.
Naturally, the celebrity allure works both ways.
Food and beverage revenue across the capital's hotels reached Dh1.1 billion for the first 10 months of this year, a 13 per cent increase on the same period last year, according to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. That accounts for 36 per cent of total hotel revenue for the period compared with 30 per cent last year. And these big-name brands draw customers.
Mr Hussain says the model for the Marco Pierre White restaurants at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr hotel is based on a royalty fee or franchise system. One of the owners of the property, RMAL Hospitality, has the licence for these brands in the region.
"Both celebrity chef Marco Pierre White and our award-winning executive chef John Cordeaux work together on this fairly straightforward concept of approachable British and grill cuisine," Mr Hussain says. "They collaborate on menus and learning what patrons and guests at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr want from their dining experience."
The move towards branded restaurants gathered pace after hotels started bringing over famous chefs to give their customers the ultimate dining experience.
Gradually, celebrities such as Ramsay started managing their own restaurants. As they became more well known, through television programmes, they expanded their companies and brands.
This meant they could lend their names to eateries, with little real involvement in the day-to-day running beyond advising on menus.
"The change came when we moved from the gastronomy itself to a more general 'concept of culinary experience'," says Mr Mahmoud. "A great effort has been put into creating a lifestyle experience."
The Ivy in Dubai, which will replace a restaurant called Scarlett's, will do just that when it opens at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, according to Phil Broad, the managing director of Jumeirah Restaurants.
"I think we'll get … people travelling staying in the Emirates Towers because they can dine in The Ivy," he says.
Of course, the brand strategy is not limited to luxury hotels. In a similar fashion, Premier Inn has also sited Costa coffee shops in two of their hotels in Dubai.
"There's no question that people like brands," says Darroch Crawford, the managing director of Premier Inn Hotels. He says having Costa coffee shops does bring people into the hotels who would not go in for an unbranded cafe. "Brands are only brands if you can trust them. You know it's of a certain quality and its consistent. It's just a great partnership."
