CHALLENGE Keane has worked with W Dubai – The Palm since 2016, when we were brought in to set the hotel’s F&B strategy ahead of opening. W’s brand depends on venues that pull attention, not just hold reservations, and in a crowded market the F&B had to deliver.
POWER OF HOSPITALITY THINKING™
Market research and gap analysis pointed to a two-part answer that has shaped every commission since: bring in a name for instant credibility, then build something nobody else has for buzz. Akira Back, the chef’s first Middle East restaurant, delivered the credibility. With chopsticks piercing the ceiling, an open kitchen and artwork by his mother, it became one of the most Instagrammed restaurants in Dubai.
SoBe filled the gap the strategy identified, earning the buzz as a standalone concept built for the moment: South Beach Miami energy transplanted onto a rooftop with 360-degree Gulf views. Aether carries that same logic forward: a speakeasy engineered to feel like a discovery, the cool bolt hole that only guests who already know the hotel are meant to find. The E-WOW Suites took the W’s energy into the bedrooms, so the room itself becomes part of the experience.
OUTCOME Each commission earned the next: F&B strategy and concept development in 2016 led to the E-WOW Suites, then the lobby lounge and Aether in 2023, now the hotel’s most sought-after reservation.
Miami energy meets Palm Jumeirah skyline
sultry, sophisticated and immersive
Don't just take our word for it
The food menu successfully sticks to South Beach-style cuisine while adding playful touches to its Latin American dishes, and the views are stunning, a rare spot to enjoy a full 360-view of Dubai from every angle.WHAT’S ONSobe
A stunning new elemental-inspired speakeasy.WHAT’S ONAether