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.

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

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.

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!

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.