Page 23 - November 2021

Chatwal Lodge, New York, US

next 18 months. One will be situated within a beautiful area of wilderness in The Catskills in New York, which is a 90-mile drive from New
York City, a smaller, outdoor retreat version of The Chatwal Hotel in New York called The Chatwal Lodge. The property will open with only
ten rooms, but it will offer fantastic attractions, a wonderful sense of nature with two beautiful lakes nearby, and a series of activities for the
adventurous guest that includes amazing hiking and stargazing, horseback riding, fly fishing, canoeing, and kayaking.
“Outside of the US we have two projects coming up; one of these is situated in Belgium near to where the border of Belgium and France
meet near Lille called Your Nature: An Unscripted Eco Resort Belgium. The eco resort will feature 188 rooms and is expected to open early
next year. We also have the Dream Doha site, which will be an amazing 250-room property with nine different dining and nightlife venues,
including an indoor/outdoor restaurant and lounge, as well as an expansive pool area. Dream Doha is on course to open before the World
Cup in Qatar next year,” explains Stein.
In the future, the brand will continue to look at other international locations, but they have found that in their home market of the US,
opportunities are now presenting themselves in the middle of the country, not just the big coastal cities, allowing the company to grow their
lifestyle concepts among new audiences in new and emerging destinations.
The lifestyle space is constantly evolving, and that effects how the company views new properties and opportunities. Jay explains it as:
“Would our hotel make sense in that area and in that market?” When choosing and working on a new site Dream Hotel Group likes to
partner with other developers, typically one that is local to the market. The market and submarket in that area for any new site is also an
important factor to see if the location suits the vibe they would like to create within their hotels. “It is not just the hotel guests we have in
mind when developing a new site, we need and want the local community to be part of any new scheme too. For example, our food and
beverage program will be designed for the community, not just hotel guests. We want to create great hotels that will attract both the local
consumer and the global traveller.”
As the portfolio continues to grow, maintaining this selection, ensuring they remain attractive and exciting, and building customer loyalty
are ongoing priorities for Dream Hotel Group. They do these things by not resting on their laurels and by always remembering that no matter
how good yesterday was, begin every new day at zero, start again and strive to reach even higher levels.
These targets are being achieved through great people and partnerships to create an environment where guests feel special and by not
being afraid to change how things look. “We are always looking at opportunities to do new things, to add new things to our repertoire, to
better understand what is moving the needle in terms of beverages, food, style and artwork. We think differently and always have new ideas
and sometimes we do it company-wide, other times we do it brand-wide, and sometimes it can even be done just at one property,” says Stein.
As the interview draws to a close, Stein explains that leadership is a key component to building a successful brand. “You have to have great
leaders who can inspire. If you have employees who are not inspired then it is going to be difficult to do great things, but if you give people the
tools and the products to work with and build a highly motivated team like the one we have at Dream Hotel Group, it is almost impossible
to stop them from being hugely successful.”

Dream Doha, Qatar

SEP/OCT 2021 RETail & lEiSuRE inTERnaTiOnal