Lebanon’s buoyant tourist boom means that more luxury hotels are springing up in Beirut. A Hilton and Four Seasons are currently works in progress and at least three boutique hotels are planned for the downtown area. The sudden vogue for boutique hotel activity might challenge the cozy niche enjoyed by the InterContinental Le Vendôme and the Albergo. Vendôme general manager, Joseph Coubat, who was part of the original team when the hotel opened nine years ago as its financial controller, and then spent four years as resident manager at the InterContinental Phoenicia before moving back to manage the Vendôme, explains to EXECUTIVE how he intends to consolidate the Vendôme’s position at the forefront of Lebanon’s luxury hotel bracket. You are planning a marketing campaign. What are the objectives and how much will you be spending? Communication-wise, we are being a bit more aggressive, to make sure our target knows what
