Mutluhan Kucuk, Complex Managing Director, Loews Miami Beach Hotel
In an interview with Invest:, Mutluhan Kucuk, complex managing director of Loews Miami Beach Hotel, discussed how the hotel’s recent transformation supports the effort of providing spot-on services for the guests. “Our reputation remains strong, and our offering remains strong, because we keep on reinvesting in the property,” Kucuk said.
How does the hotel’s recent renovation affect its position within the competitive South Beach hospitality market?
The hotel has been the leader in our industry since we opened our doors in December of 1998. Reinvesting in the property was critical for our ability to have a sustainable competitive advantage. We felt our rooms needed some additional help, and we decided that it was the right year. We put together an aggressive plan, and I’m happy to report we were able to achieve our goal. This transformation was important to us because Miami, as a market, is extremely popular. It was popular even before the pandemic, and during the pandemic, it was supercharged. Every luxury brand started opening new hotels or made announcements that they have plans to open new hotels. For us, to sit back and wait was not going to be a great strategy. We renovated our property in 2016, and that frequency is not that common. Most hotel owners wait a good 15 years, depending on the market, before they reinvest funds of this magnitude into the property. We were lucky. We made a case, our ownership agreed with our case, and we transformed our hotel. This transformation puts us in a position where we can continue dominating the market.
How does the new design reflect evolving traveler preferences?
The design stage is obviously critical in achieving our goals. We wanted to make sure that we partner with a world-class designer. In our short list, we had three different designers and companies that we were interested in. After meeting them in person, we decided that Meyer Davis would be the best choice for the hotel. They put together a design we loved. We gave them feedback from the operational side, just to make sure we had a product that looks great and is also functional. That balance is often overlooked. Sometimes, we see beautiful designs, but not necessarily what the guests want and need. Sometimes, there is a functional product, but it doesn’t necessarily look great. We were able to marry both. That partnership delivered great results in terms of our repeat clients and the feedback we are receiving. The hotel works with Fortune 500 companies on the group side, and we have some leisure guests who have been coming to our hotel since we opened our doors. When it was time for them to come back to the hotel, we made sure they were placed in the model rooms to get their feedback. The overall feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We are proud of the outcome, and now it’s our time to deliver great results for our guests and stakeholders.
How are you refreshing food and beverage to enhance the hotel’s overall experience?
About three years ago, we opened our signature restaurant, Rao’s, originally based in New York. It’s a restaurant that has been around for over 100 years. We are proud to have them here, and we are quite happy with the partnership. They provide a fantastic product and service. When we decided to renovate our rooms, we didn’t want to stop there. There’s an opportunity to refresh our food and beverage offering. We rebranded Bar Collins into Bistro Collins. Bar Collins was already successful, but we felt that investing in that part of the property would allow us to better serve our guests. It’s not a major transformation as we had done in our rooms, but it’s certainly a refresh of the area, as well as a change in service model to a bistro-style service. We also had a great sushi menu as part of Bistro Collins. We gave it a new identity because the results and the feedback we received showed that it carried enough weight to have its own brand name. We came up with the logo and everything else that came with it, and now we have another venue for our guests to enjoy. I enjoy sushi, and I do understand what quality sushi is like. This is one of the best sushi offerings in town.
How do cultural partnerships and artistic experiences fit into the hotel’s guest engagement strategy?
Our PR and marketing executive has been with us for over 10 years, which is a huge advantage. Through her efforts, we integrate well with the city and with the happenings in the city. Art Basel is one of the examples of the hotel’s engagement. We convert our lobby area into an art showcase for the guests. Every year, we partner with an artist to do installations throughout the property. That partnership always delivers great results for us. Our guests look forward to seeing new artworks, and it’s always an exciting surprise. Even on their way to breakfast, they get to see the art pieces, which remind them why they are in Miami and what’s happening outside of the hotel.
Miami is also one of the cities within the United States that will be hosting the World Cup, and we have already started seeing strong demand over those dates. We will have watch parties and a ton of programming throughout the property. During the game with Brazil, we’re going to offer Brazilian cuisine and beverages, like caipirinha. If the guest is not going to the game, but they happen to be at Loews Miami Beach Hotel, they can attend the watch party while enjoying food and beverages specific to those countries they’re watching.
How has the demand for conventions and group travel evolved in the past year?
About 40% of our business is group business. The hotel is unique in the sense that it’s a convention hotel and also a family-friendly oceanfront resort. If a leisure guest comes to our hotel, we want to make sure that they can clearly see that they’re walking into a resort, instead of a convention hotel. If the guests are here attending a meeting, we want to make sure that they clearly see they’re walking into a hotel that’s all about business. Separating those two experiences is important, and I can proudly say that we have mastered that craft. Starting in November and all the way through June, we will be all about Fortune 500 companies that stay and have their meetings at the hotel. That has been going on since we opened our doors, despite the fact that there is fierce competition. Our reputation remains strong, and our offering remains strong, because we keep on reinvesting in the property. We have built loyalty and great partnerships with our repeat clients. Some preferences change, but the basics stay the same. In our industry, we are seeing changes in demand for automation, AI, and robotic options, and we are adopting some of those as an alternative for the guests. We continue offering services that one would expect from a luxury hotel, and we are giving options like a digital arrival experience. We see the changing trends and technology as a supplement to the services our team offers.
What are your top priorities for the hotel in the next few years?
There are other upgrades that we have extended throughout the property, including the food and beverage sections. We just upgraded our team members’ dining space, transforming the entire area into a beautiful restaurant. Overall, there’s a significant investment made in the property. We are primed and situated perfectly to have a great year, knowing that the market conditions look great with events like the World Cup and the G20 in December. Our priority is going to be delivering great results for our stakeholders, including our ownership. We want to showcase how their investment was a sensible and wise decision with the results they’re looking for. The other stakeholders are our guests. Many of them have been loyal to us, and we will remain spot on with our amazing services. Last but certainly not least, our team members must continue enjoying working for Loews Miami Beach Hotel. We want them to be satisfied when they come to work so we can attract and retain the best talent.
