Interview with Kerzner CEO Philippe Zuber

"We believe in the resilience of the luxury travel sector"

Innovative, luxurious, sustainable and highly individual - the Kerzner Group has been successful on the international hotel stage for many years with these standards. Even during the pandemic, the Group is focusing on expansion and tapping into new markets with its Atlantis, Mazagan and One&Only brands. In an interview with CC, Kerzner CEO Philippe Zuber is convinced that the luxury travel market will soon recover.


Mr. Zuber, you joined the Kerzner Group in 2015 as COO of One&Only Resorts and became CEO of the Group in July of this year. What achievements are you most proud of in these five years?

Looking back over the last five years, I believe we have really defined the positioning of our three different brands - Atlantis Resorts and Residences, Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort and One&Only Resorts. Through continuous innovation, we have evolved the experience that each brand offers, enriched the market with exciting partnerships and investments in the guest experience, and set a path for strategic growth in the future. Since I joined the company, One&Only has expanded into new markets - we have opened two resorts in Rwanda, One&Only Nyungwe House and One&Only Gorilla's Nest. These openings are fundamental to the ongoing development of the One&Only brand. Long known for our popular beach resorts, we have diversified our portfolio in response to demand from our loyal guests for more engaging and meaningful experiences, introducing resorts in locations of outstanding natural beauty as well as in city centers.

We have also introduced the next generation of the Atlantis brand: in 2018 we opened Atlantis Sanya in China, and in 2021 we will open Atlantis The Royal Resort and Residences in Dubai. I am also very proud to have worked with my team to introduce the new service philosophy "We Create Joy" at One&Only and "Extraordinary - Larger than Life" at Atlantis to redefine the way we treat our guests and colleagues. However, one of the most important elements for me is the continuous training of our colleagues. It is important to me that we develop our team and train them to become the leaders of tomorrow.

"Our new openings are a strong testament to our belief in the resilience of the luxury travel sector."


In 2017, you further developed the portfolio by introducing "One&Only Nature Resorts", "Urban Resorts" and "Private Homes" in addition to the existing beach resorts. Has this differentiation helped you to get through the coronavirus crisis better? Have most of the resorts been operating during the pandemic?

We are delighted that we have been able to reopen all our properties and even open two brand new resorts during this time - One&Only Desaru Coast in Malaysia, the first One&Only resort in Asia, and One&Only Mandarina in Mexico - a strong testament to our belief in the resilience of the luxury travel sector. Certainly, having a diverse portfolio of resorts has helped us as we can offer our guests a choice of experiences - from a secluded beach getaway at One&Only Reethi Rah, located on one of the largest private islands in the Maldives, to our resorts set in incredibly beautiful natural locations, such as Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley, located on a 7,000-acre nature resort in the Greater Blue Mountains in Australia.
Resorts where we have a strong domestic market, such as in Australia and China, have performed well since reopening as local guests are keen to escape and enjoy the space and privacy that our resorts offer. As many international borders remain closed, we have had to tap into new domestic markets and segments that were not previously our main customers. Destinations such as Dubai and the Maldives, where borders have reopened and strict security protocols are in place, are encouraging guests to return and we have seen strong demand for our resorts in these destinations over the festive period.


With One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro, the group has announced its first resort in Europe, with a second to follow in 2021 on the island of Kea in Greece. Do you have other locations in various European countries in mind?

This opening will be an important milestone in our history as we continue to expand our ultra-luxury portfolio into new destinations around the world. We are very excited to introduce the One&Only experience in Europe in response to guest demand. A large percentage of our current guests are from Europe and the opening of One&Only Portonovi will allow them to experience a One&Only destination for a weekend getaway or wellness retreat with a short haul flight of a few hours. Europe remains a key market for our expansion, but we are looking for exceptional locations around the world where we can create unique experiences for our guests.


O&O is active on five continents and is constantly growing. We recently opened a second resort in Mexico, the O&O Mandarina, and a new resort on the Desaru Coast in Malaysia. What is your goal for new developments in numbers?

We are constantly looking for new destinations where we can grow strategically and we have an active pipeline of future projects. For One&Only, our brand definition is about craftsmanship, service and quality, not quantity. Therefore, we will wait until we have found the exceptional One&Only location and carefully consider it before announcing a new development. We are not a big corporate brand that will have hundreds of hotels. We want to preserve the special feeling that each One&Only resort is unique and a tribute to the destination.


In addition to developing new resorts and renovating existing properties, you have also started to offer private residences. Will this area become more important within the group?

Absolutely. This area is of great importance to us and will continue to play an important role as we grow with the Kerzner International group.We have introduced Private Homes under the One&Only brand specifically for guests who want their own piece of the One&Only lifestyle, and we are working on how we can bring something completely new to the property sector. One&Only Private Homes are available to purchase at One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius, One&Only Mandarina, our newly opened resort in Mexico, One&Only Desaru Coast in Malaysia, as well as our upcoming openings in Montenegro and Kea Island in Greece. We are also introducing Residences at Atlantis, The Royal in Dubai. A double first: our first in Dubai and the first under the Atlantis brand.


The O&O brand guarantees great culinary experiences, now the focus on health and wellbeing programs is also growing significantly. At the new resort in Montenegro, they have announced a partnership with the renowned Chenot Clinic and are offering "Chenot Espace" programs. At the new O&O Mandarina, you offer treatments from Tata Harper Skin. Do you think the health and spa business is changing?

We have long recognized that holistic and transformative wellness is a fundamental part of our guests' lifestyle. The partnership between One&Only and Chenot completely redefines the wellness experience at the resort. We offer our guests cutting-edge spa technology within an ultra-luxurious resort setting, in perfect harmony with the service experience for which One&Only is renowned. We will introduce Chenot to other resorts in the One&Only portfolio and also look to create bespoke partnerships, such as with Tata Harper at One&Only Mandarina, based on the character and guest profile of each resort.One&Only resorts are always inspired by their destination and this ethos extends to the wellness offering, from the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, which offers an exceptional, authentic hammam experience, to our two resorts in Mexico, which offer a range of spiritual healing treatments inspired by local indigenous and pre-Hispanic culture, including a traditional 'temazcal'. Wellness will continue to be a focus for us as it is immensely important for our guests looking to unwind from the stresses of everyday life.


O&O is mainly aimed at leisure travelers. Do you expect a significant recovery in travel as early as 2021? What remain the biggest challenges?

According to our observations, the passion for travel, new experiences and encounters has not changed. The desire to travel remains strong, but it is the existing restrictions - government-imposed border closures, quarantines, testing requirements - that are hurdles and obstacles for travelers. With the prospect of effective vaccination programs, travelers becoming more accustomed to the additional requirements for international travel and the introduction of more "travel corridors", I am confident that we will see a strong upswing.
Many guests whose plans to visit our resorts in 2020 were impacted by the tourism restrictions have postponed their trips to 2021 and we already have promising reservation numbers for next year, albeit not at pre-pandemic levels. Where destinations are open and travel conditions are simple and clear, we are seeing guests returning and traveling again, which is a good sign for the industry as a whole.

The Kerzner brands are known for their innovative approach and for pioneering new concepts, enhancing destinations and offering the ultimate, high-quality experiences. We will always strive to create products for our guests that are surprising and new. I can already tell you that we will be announcing a number of exciting new products in 2021 - for both Kerzner and One&Only.

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