REDEFINING AFFORDABLE LIFESTYLE HOSPITALITY IN DUBAI

Exclusive interview with Thomas Kurian, General Manager, LEVA Hotels

1. LEVA operates in a space where lifestyle, affordability, and design intersect, what is the brand really trying to solve for modern travellers?

LEVA is fundamentally focused on addressing the growing gap between affordability and quality-driven hospitality experiences. Today’s travellers are increasingly looking for hotels that offer thoughtful design, comfort, flexibility, and strong locations without the premium pricing typically associated with lifestyle hospitality.

The objective is not simply to provide accommodation, but to create spaces that feel practical, contemporary, and experience-oriented for both short and extended stays. This includes offering functional living spaces, flexible stay formats, and an environment that balances convenience with a more relaxed, lifestyle-led atmosphere suited to the evolving expectations of modern travellers.

• As the General Manager of LEVA Hotels, what does success look like for LEVA beyond occupancy and revenue metrics?

Beyond occupancy and revenue, success for LEVA is measured by consistency in guest experience, operational adaptability, and long-term brand relevance within a highly competitive hospitality market.

Guest retention, positive sentiment, and the ability to create a seamless experience across different traveller segments are equally important indicators of performance. Internally, success also means maintaining operational efficiency while building a culture that allows teams to remain agile, service-oriented, and aligned with the brand’s long-term growth strategy.

• You often speak about transforming business complexity into structured growth, what does that look like inside a real hotel operation?

In a hotel environment, structured growth comes from creating operational clarity across multiple moving parts, from revenue management and staffing to guest services and procurement. Hospitality operations are inherently dynamic, particularly in a market like Dubai where demand patterns can shift quickly between corporate, leisure, and event-driven travel.

Transforming complexity into growth means building systems that allow teams to respond efficiently to these fluctuations while maintaining consistency in service delivery. It also involves using data more effectively to guide pricing, resource allocation, and operational planning, ensuring that growth remains sustainable rather than reactive.

• When guests choose LEVA over other Dubai hotels, what “specific experience promise” are they actually buying into?

Guests choosing LEVA are typically buying into a hospitality experience that combines accessibility, comfort, and lifestyle-driven design in a way that feels both practical and contemporary.

The promise is centred around delivering well-located, thoughtfully designed spaces that offer flexibility and ease without unnecessary complexity. Whether travelling for business, leisure, or extended stays, guests are looking for an experience that feels efficient, comfortable, and approachable while still maintaining the quality and atmosphere associated with lifestyle hospitality.

• How has Dubai’s shift toward experience-driven tourism impacted LEVA’s business model?

Dubai’s shift toward experience-driven tourism has reinforced the importance of flexibility and lifestyle positioning within the hospitality sector. Travellers are increasingly placing greater value on convenience, personalised experiences, and hotels that integrate seamlessly into their broader travel plans rather than functioning purely as accommodation providers.

For LEVA, this has strengthened the focus on curated stay experiences, flexible offerings, and value-added services that support both short leisure stays and longer-term guests. It has also increased the importance of location, design, and operational agility in meeting evolving traveller expectations across different demand segments.

• What is the biggest operational challenge in running a lifestyle hotel brand like LEVA in Dubai?

One of the biggest operational challenges is balancing guest expectations for premium, lifestyle-led experiences while maintaining efficiency and accessibility within a highly competitive market. Dubai’s hospitality sector moves at a very fast pace, with constant shifts in traveller behaviour, pricing dynamics, and service expectations.

For lifestyle hotel brands, this requires maintaining consistency in design, service quality, and guest engagement while also remaining operationally agile enough to adapt to changing market conditions. Managing this balance effectively is critical to sustaining both guest satisfaction and long-term operational performance.