VIP Amenities Don’t Always Come with a VIP Pricetag

How do you spoil your VIP guests? Express check in/out, butler service, pampering extras in the bathroom, and daily newspapers are common amenities, but what about adding one more personal touch with a vase of the finest fresh flowers?

A pricey, perishable product, flowers are not a common value-add for VIP guests, especially during the low summer season. Savvy hoteliers, however, know that these special guests not only expect a customized floral piece to be waiting for them when they arrive, VIPs are also very pleased to be lavished with a gesture of appreciation from their temporary “home away from home.” 

Luckily, VIP Amenities from ALISSAR® means that floral tributes are more affordable than you think. 

As a part of its Total Floral Solutions, ALISSAR® offers a diverse variable package for guest rooms that includes a wide range of customized floral arrangements & accessories: From a single rose in an elegant vase placed in the bathroom to a sophisticated flower arrangement brightening up a living room, the possibilities are endless.

So how does it work? First, ALISSAR® works with you to create a floral menu that matches your hotel’s interior, botanical preferences and budget. Then ALISSAR® assigns an in-house florist to keep track of all floral amenities, their production and expiry dates, and a schedule for refreshing each and every stem. And because we maintain a strict cold chain (click here to read about ALISSAR®’s dedication to flowers with a long vase life), we guarantee that our arrangements will maintain their freshness for three days/four nights.

This is how your VIP amenities instantly become more cost effective: Instead of charging a large, all-in-one fee for each arrangement, we simply divide the cost of the flowers over three days/four nights. And don’t forget, ALISSAR rents all of the vases and accessories, only charging you for the flowers themselves.

Contact ALISSAR® today to learn more about how our VIP Floral Amenity system can help your hotel continue to distinguish itself from other properties.

Tracing it to the Source: Kenya

A horticultural powerhouse, Kenya’s fertile soil, elevation and climate have made the country a major supplier of fresh products to Europe and the Middle East.

With high quality products and daily airfreight arrivals to key destinations, it is very clear that the Kenyan flower industry is set to grow from strength to strength.

ALISSAR® imports many of its roses directly from Kenya, which means we can offer the best varieties and the highest quality  flowers to our customers in the region.

Should You Outsource Your Floral Operations?

What does it take for a hotel to “wow” its guests and clients with incredible floral décor? Recruitment, training, procurement, waste management…these are just a few of the expenses a hotel must add to its bottom line when it handles its own floral needs. And that’s not all; other costs include wages, uniforms, accommodation and food allowances, stock of accessories (vases, pots, decorative elements, etc) and stock of perishables (fresh cut flowers and foliage).

Obviously, the total spend for all of this varies from one property to another depending on the size and scope of the work. But the implication is clear: a hotel contributes a sizeable chunk of its money, time and effort when it employs its own team of florists.

But what if a hotel outsources its entire floral operation to a knowledgeable team of floral professionals? “ALISSAR® has developed a total floral solution whereby we take over the entire flower operation within a property,” explains Charif Mzayek, Managing Director of ALISSAR® Flowers International. “We come in with our designers, with the florist, with all the accessories and we blend within the team of the hotel.”

After assembling a team of full-time, professional florists for a specific property, Mzayek explains that ALISSAR® starts with “the designers, the GM and the high level management. GMs are very adamant about what they like and what they don’t like," Mzayek continues. “We take their vision of how they would like their hotel to look and create a product that brings the best out of a property.”

Another benefit of working with ALISSAR® is a constant flow of creative ideas. Where in-house hotel florists working alone often struggle to come up with new ideas, ALISSAR®’s design team is constantly working to find new themes and new trends and sharing them with one another. With the design created, the next step is to install the displays, not to mention ensuring that they last. 

Offering comprehensive services at competitive prices, ALISSAR® provides the best value to outsourced hotel floral operations. We believe that by offering flowers that are fresher and last longer, we are actually more cost-effective than other suppliers. This is something that has resonated well with hotels when they test our cut flowers against the competition. 

“When we put our entire team into a hotel and offer a full package of services, the cost is quite competitive when you compare it to the costs of a hotel hiring a florist and managing its own stock,” Mzayek concludes.

ALISSAR®’s product offerings for hotels:

• Total Floral Solutions
• Floral Supply
• Plant / Pot Supply & Rentals
• Seasonal Decorations
• Design & Training Services (for in-house teams of florists

Fact or Fiction? Flowers with a 12-day Vase Life

Temperature is crucial in determining the quality and vase life of cut flowers when they reach the final consumer. This begins when the flowers are cut and applies throughout the delivery process: Proper packaging is important to avoid mechanical damage, and timely transportation in refrigerated containers results in a longer vase life once a flower is placed in an arrangement. Large deviations have a severe impact and a steady temperature must be maintained for optimum flower performance.

Based at the Dubai Flower Centre’s state of the art facility, ALISSAR® ensures that the integrated cool chain is maintained while processing both inbound and outbound shipments. We are able to shorten the handling cycle and get the flowers unpacked, hydrated and ready for trade in a record time.  Cut flowers are transported within the United Arab Emirates via refrigerated trucks, and we store our flowers in specialized buckets in a solution of water and special environmentally friendly products that properly hydrate the flowers and give them the push to bloom.

ALISSAR® flowers are guaranteed to last a week for private use. In fact, the last vase we sent to one of the housekeepers in town lasted 12 days! How is that possible? Because we work with the best suppliers in the industry and maintain an integrated cool chain.

Flower hydration with special post-harvest solutions and cool chain management are just two ways ALISSAR® goes above and beyond other floral suppliers to provide fabulous products that look great, last a long time and offer the best value.

But seeing is believing, which is why we're excited to share this amazing time-lapse video. There's no sound, so just click "Play" and enjoy.

Let's Party! Why working with a professional event organizer is best for your bottom line

Where Partying is Big Business
Banqueting is unquestionably an important division of any hotel operation. Whether the inventory is big or small, the banqueting venue in a hotel creates a great platform for various additional services that can drive F&B turnover, upsell rooms and promote the hotel itself. It’s not a secret that in well-established properties, the banqueting division generates 20-40% of the total revenue (along with F&B); in some properties it can even reach up to 50%. Business meetings and corporate events contribute to this, but weddings and engagement parties are the primary target of professional banquet organizers in the Middle East. 

In fact, creating a stunning event in a hotel’s banqueting facility is actually the result of the venue’s many divisions working together to provide the final service to a diverse audience, which includes attention to individual needs and the cultural preferences of Middle East residents. 

Generate Revenue with a Professional Event Organizer

While you can impress with the wide range of your F&B from event to event, it can be a challenge to “wow” guests who have already attended an event in your venue, particularly those guests who are looking for something really special for their own upcoming wedding, engagement or other important occasion. This is when a professional decorator/event organizer from the outside can make an essential contribution to selling the hotel’s final package. 

In addition to ensuring smooth customer service by providing the client with only one point of contact (as opposed to four or five suppliers), enlisting the help of a professional event organizer is an opportunity to cross-sell services and generate revenue via a commission-based agreement. It also opens up a wide range of design opportunities within the venue itself.

ALISSAR® Makes Dreams Come True
With its extended experience and lasting partnerships with the most renowned hotel brands in the Middle East, ALISSAR® Flowers aims to bring the highest quality and most innovative ideas to the region’s Weddings & Events market. ALISSAR® provides all the table settings and decor elements: We start with floor decorations and work our way up to transform even the ceilings with stunning accessories. And of course, we design dream bridal bouquets and exquisite koshas, all while making sure each table is magically decorated with a branded monogrammed napkin and that every corner of the ballroom bursts with color.

Ghassan Mzayek, ALISSAR®’s Director of Sales, Weddings & Events, explains that once the venue has been booked, the ALISSAR® Events Team works closely with the client and the hotel to work out a suitable budget, dream up décor ideas and smoothly implement the event so that the hotel’s inventory is safe and the client is completely satisfied.

Innovative ideas, ever-changing designs and a personal approach to every client: ALISSAR® is an excellent partner for organizing any type of the event in your property.

For more details and partnership opportunities, please contact us at info@alissarflowers.com.

Wedding Decorations: Modern Trends

Today’s main trend in wedding and events decorations is the blend of colors in modern designs. Floating arrangements, flowers that cascade from the ceiling and customized table shapes are just a few of the exciting ways couples are expressing themselves on their special day.

The short movie below includes just a few examples of the exquisite items we've already provided at other events. (Note: For best video performance, do not expand to a full-sized screen).

An exclusive touch with remarkable attention to detail: Choose ALISSAR® for outstanding decorations at your next event.

Hydroplants: Clean, Cost-Effective Interiorscaping

Hydro culture literally means “water culture,” which is the cultivation of plants in water, explains Alissar Mzayek, MD and Creative Director of the company: “A plant is grown in an absorbent aggregate and nutrients. It’s roots are in the water (as opposed to soil), and the plant is potted in hydroponic, fired-clay granules. These granules are porous, which means they can both absorb water and transfer it again.”

When ALISSAR® supplies indoor plants to hotels & corporate offices, we are considering many factors in addition to the interior, including venue, light, temperature, air conditioning, etc. These environmental conditions can be challenging, but hydroculture plants are an efficient choice that adapt easily to a wide array of indoor environments. 

Hydroplants are also easy to maintain, as watering and feeding involve just topping up the reservoir with growing solution. A water reservoir and special meter make it easy to see when the plant requires water, adds Mzayek. Easy to care for, hydroculture plants are considerably long-lasting. With so many advantages, hydroculture plants are a winning choice for hotels, offices and other venues with a high footfall. 

Earlier this year, ALISSAR® Flowers launched its hydro products in several five star hotels and corporate offices across the UAE and Qatar. Carolina de Moraes, Sales Manager for ALISSAR® Hotels & Corporate, says: ‘So far we are getting very positive feedback from our clients on hydro plants. We handle the maintenance for all clients who purchased hydro plants and accessories, though self maintenance is also possible when a property has its own team of florists. When a client chooses self-maintenance, ALISSAR® provides a detailed manual on plant care,” she adds. 

To complement its plant offerings, ALISSAR® also supplies a wide range of specialized accessories and designed pots that are available for purchase, either separately or in combination with the plant. “We specialise in floral design and indoor landscaping,” Mzayek concludes. “Hence it is our duty to select the right product that best fits the interior it is meant for.”

Bonsai Secrets

A bonsai is a microcosm containing within it, 
unchanged in everything but size, 
the mystery of the universe.
- Colin Lewis

The Japanese word ‘bonsai’ refers not only to a dwarf tree, but also to the art of growing miniature trees in a tray or low pot-saucer. Originated in China many centuries ago, this art was eventually adopted and named ‘bonsai’ by the Japanese. It soon gained popularity and didn’t take long to become known all over the world.

A bonsai is heavy with symbolism. A self-contained little world, some practitioners believe that a bonsai holds the entire Universe: The world is symbolized by a ‘miniature mountain, ’ the bowl represents ‘learning’ and the trunk with its branches shows “the whole” and “a part of the whole.”

The bonsai has also been linked to various deities: Trees with split or forked trunks are usually chosen for worship. Therefore, trees with those distinctive elements are used by Japanese masters of bonsai in their works as a form-building. 

One of the most important elements of a bonsai is its shape. Pruned into a triangle, it symbolizes:

• The life-giving forces of the Earth
• The sacred Buddhist mountain of Sumer
• The triad of Heaven – Earth – Man.
• The trikayya, or three bodies of Buddha (sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, dharmakaya) 
• Birth – Life – Death
• Body – Mind – Soul

This elegant plant also fits beautifully into any interior. A meaningful gift, a bonsai is considered by many to bring positive energy and good fortune to those who receive it.

ALISSAR® bonsai is available from:

The Flower House, Amman, Jordan 

The InterContinential Flowershop by ALISSAR® (Dubai Festival City)

Galleries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall

Looking for bonsai care tips? Click here!

How to Care for Your Bonsai

Though they are a little more delicate than your average indoor plant, caring for a bonsai is actually fairly simple if you follow a few basic guidelines for watering, fertilizing, positioning and repotting your tree. 

Watering. Water thoroughly once the soil gets slightly dry; never allow it to become completely dry. 

Fertilizing. As Bonsai trees are generally placed in small pots, regular fertilization is required in order to replenish nutrients that are essential to the tree. Using a special ‘bonsai fertilizer’ can be convenient, but any fertilizer will do (be careful not to use too much, though). Follow the instructions as stated on the fertilizer’s packaging regarding quantity and timing. 

Positioning, temperature and sunlight. Deciding on the right location for your tree is crucial for its well-being. First make sure that indoor trees are placed in a warm environment; outdoor trees generally require much lower temperatures and should be placed outside (depending on tree species, of course). Either way, most species prefer a bright spot, with at least some direct sunlight. 

Re-potting. Re-potting your bonsai will not keep it small; instead it will supply the tree with new nutrients that it needs to grow and flourish. How frequently you will need to repot your bonsai depends on the size of container/pot and tree species. Fast-growing trees need to be repotted every two years (sometimes even every year), while older, more mature trees need to be repotted every 3 to 5 years. Re-potting work normally needs to be done during the early spring when the tree is still in dormancy. Repotting in early spring will also ensure that any damage done to the root system will be repaired soon, when the tree starts growing. Choosing the right soil mixture is crucial for the health of your trees; it should drain enough to prevent the roots from rotting, while absorbing enough water to supply the tree. 

Thanks for Visiting us at the Bride Show!

Excited brides-to-be, exquisite fashion and, of course, ALISSAR® flowers: That pretty much sums up The Bride Show, which was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre earlier this month.

It was a big year for the event, which celebrated its 15th edition with 350 exhibitors and more than 16,000 visitors. The ALISSAR® team was pleased to welcome a number of Emirati, Arab and expat visitors to Stand 2B45. Not only that -  we also took time out to enjoy the incredible catwalk shows!

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand and best wishes to everyone getting married this year!

How Flowers Can Boost Ancillary Revenue in a Hotel

Floral décor is a compulsory addition for hotel interiors. But flowers do more than offer aesthetic appeal; in fact, they can actually contribute as an ancillary revenue stream.

How? Well, let’s consider the main operations of a hotel: Rooms, F&B and Banqueting (in this context you could even consider Concierge as one of the main operations as well). Each division serves a specific need for each guest, whether that is accommodation, an event venue or food. Once these basic requirements are met, additional needs will oftentimes arise for things such as amenities, decorations, compliments and gifts. This is the niche for floral sales.

The trick, of course, is knowing how to take advantage of this opportunity. This is where ALISSAR®'s Total Floral Solutions can help: We provide complete know-how along with a trained team of professionals to handle the A to Z of your floral operations. With a deep understanding of the hotel industry and extensive experience in serving the world’s leading hotel chains, we’ve thoroughly analyzed the needs of our clients and found that they enjoy good potential for earning extra revenue when they start including flowers in their offerings.

Our team has created a set of sales tools to enhance demand and increase additional revenue streams from floral products. They include:

Our professional catalogues (complete with photos and descriptions of each offering) will help staff to present and sell floral products to the end customer, thus adding extra value to the services you offer your guests. And all floral sales are commission-based, which provides each division with extra revenue.

Our goal is to build a long-term partnership with each of our clients, and we strive for solutions that benefit everyone. That’s why our hotel services include joint work of all our departments to provide high quality, creative products as well as marketing tools that are customized to each property.

Flowers and Mood

Want to feel happy and satisfied? Then spend some time with a bouquet of flowers.

That’s according to a recent behavioral research study conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, which also discovered that flowers encourage positive social behavior far beyond what is normally believed.

"Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy," explains Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones, professor of psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study. In effect, nature is providing us a simple way to improve emotional health in our high-tech, fast-paced life. 

Researchers also found that:

•  Flowers have an immediate and universal effect on happiness, regardless of whether the recipient was young or old (or somewhere inbetween)
•  Flowers have a lasting, positive effect on moods. Study participants said they felt less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers
•  Flowers bring us closer to our loved ones. Participants also reported that having flowers around led to increased contact with family and friends.

"Now science shows us that not only do flowers make us happier than we know,” Dr. Haviland-Jones concludes. “They have strong positive effects on our emotional well-being."

(To read the full study from Rutgers, click here.)

Visit us at the Bride Show!

The Alissar® team will be on hand to help you plan for your special day during the Bride Show, which will be held April 4 to 7 at the Dubai International Convention Centre.

Visit us at Stand 2B45 to meet our friendly staff and to see samples of the beautiful work we can do for you.