Insider Stories

Cecilia Natalia Hage has been appointed as the new Marketing Public Relations Manager at Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown. Cecilia will lead the team with the wealth of knowledge she had gained while working with big multinational companies in various industries across the world, including Oculus Meta, Parrot, NBCUniversal, Burberry, L'Oral, BNP Paribas, Schneider Electric, and Intercontinental Hotels Group. With this new role at Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown, Cecilia has come full circle since her first internship in 2013 was also at Intercontinental Hotels Group, in one of its most iconic hotels Phoenicia in Beirut. In her new position, Cecilia aims to disrupt the marketing field in the hospitality industry with innovative and bold campaigns. She is looking to boost the hotels business both internationally amongst tourists looking for an exceptional stay, and amongst residents like herself who are eager to live truly unforgettable and shareable experiences. Cecilia has always had a passion for Marketing and Communications and wanted to use her creativity in that field. Determined to make this a career, Cecilia enrolled in some of the best universities in the world; McGill University (Canada) and Bocconi (Italy) for her Bachelor of Commerce, and ESADE Business School (Spain) for her Masters in Marketing Management. She has also majored in Finance and International Business at university to understand all pillars of a business and eventually launch her own brand one day. Cecilia can immerse herself in any professional industry. She really believes that understanding the brand itself, its values, and especially why it exists are the most important things. Once shes aligned with these, she lets her creativity and her outgoing personality operate, all the while being in line with the business objectives. Having traveled and lived in countries all over the world since she was a child (France, Lebanon, Canada, Italy, Spain, UK, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and now UAE), Cecilia is able to draw from different cultures and adapt quickly to new environments. A true multicultural enthusiast, Cecilia learned to speak 5 languages: French, English, Arabic, Spanish and Italian. When she is not working, Cecilia enjoys singing, playing the guitar, blogging, photography and sports. She loves entertainment, discovering new restaurants and places to visit, meeting new people, and most of all, traveling. For more enquiries, visit www.hotelindigodubai.com call 04 210 2222, or follow @hotelindigodubai for the latest updates. About Hotel Indigo Just as no places are alike, no two Hotel Indigo properties are alike. Each Hotel Indigo draws inspiration from the local neighbourhood, culture and popular food, drink and design trends to create a warm and vibrant atmosphere. Our hotels provide a gateway to discover and explore some of the worlds most inspiring cities and neighbourhoods. For more information, visit www.hotelindigo.com.

Caesars Palace is a globally renowned brand, known as the “home of the greatest entertainers in the world” with headlining acts including Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Elton John and Adele. This legacy of entertainment excellence is set to grow in the UAE with Caesars Palace Dubai, spearheaded by Aneesh.   Fuelled by his passion for music and entertainment, Aneesh joins the Caesars Palace team with 20 years of experience in the nightlife and music industry and an impressive track record spanning borders – from long-term stints in the UK and India, working along with the Middle East, Southeast Asia & Europe.  Over his prolific career, Aneesh has collaborated with leading global brands including The Ministry of Sound, UK Trade and Investment - The Exchange, British Council, VH1 Supersonic Festival and W Hotels along with tech giants like Xiaomi and JBL. Working alongside such names, he gained extensive experience in business development, brand building, music programming and curation, events consultation, project management and record label & artist relations.  As an international artist, he has many achievements under his belt including being invited to officially remix 3 different Grammy Nominated Artists, surpassing 5 million Spotify streams as the highest streamed artist of Indian origin for Underground Music, the 1st person of Indian origin to hit the USA Billboard Dance Chart and ranked #4 in Asia’s Top Ten Music Producers.  As Entertainment & Nightlife Director, Aneesh will develop and lead a comprehensive entertainment programme and bring innovative entertainment concepts to life. Aneesh brings his commercial acumen and nuanced insight into the entertainment business to reinforce the resort’s entertainment legacy, elevate brand visibility and create memorable guest experiences that will continue to represent and enhance the resort’s distinguished presence in the region. About Caesars Palace Dubai Caesars Palace Dubai is an immersive luxury lifestyle resort located in the heart of the Bluewaters community. Offering a curated selection of unforgettable experiences for families and couples, the hotel is renowned for its contemporary design and uninterrupted views of the Arabian Gulf and Dubai’s skyline. 

After just over a year serving as F&B director at Nikki Beach Dubai, Matthew Maynard has moved up to the position of general manager of the venue. Nikki Beach Dubai is the flagship outlet of the wider Nikki Beach Resort & Spa. Before heading to the emirate, Maynard spent much of his career in London, including a year as general manager of Plum & Split Milk, a trendy restaurant in King’s Cross. He has also worked with Fortnum & Mason as its restaurant development & training manager before moving up to new business & events operation manager. In his new role, the venue described his duties: “Mathew aims to embrace the brand’s rich heritage and further enhance Nikki Beach’s six core elements of music, dining, entertainment, fashion, film and art. Guests can expect exciting culinary and entertainment updates, as Matthew works together with resident DJ Mademoiselle Sabah.”

Antonio De Luca has been appointed as the new bar manager at cocktail bar Off the Wall at Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown. His role is to conceptualise the drinks menu and oversee all operations. Originally from Italy, his career as a mixologist has seen him travel across the globe as a bartender and gain a wealth of knowledge that he will be bringing to the property. De Luca’s passion for mixology was sparked at an early age by his fascination with the combination of flavours in spirits and their massive potential to amplify the guest experience. This same passion led him to pursue his professional career by enrolling in mixology, cocktail, art and design courses at Planet One. He then went on to continue his education and in 2016 obtained his diploma in bartending from the International Bartender School in Rome. To elevate his expertise even further, Antonio acquired a master’s degree in hospitality from the Flair Bartender School and another one in Bar Mastery from the Campari Academy. His career began in 2015 as bar manager and head mixologist at Mediterraneo Palace Hotel, where his primary responsibilities included menu engineering, managing guests, and meeting financial objectives. This was just the beginning, as he then went on to further his experience throughout various prestigious venues including Hang Loose Beach in Italy and Mimi & Coco Speakeasy in China. During his time in China, De Luca was given the opportunity to speak at the World Chef’s Art Summit, as well as collaborate with Noob Huang as a project partner, and continued to strengthen his portfolio working as head mixologist and bartender at Rosewood Guangzhou and Four Seasons Guangzhou, where they won number one bar and hotel bar of the year at the Drink Magazine Bar Awards, before relocating to the UAE to join Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown.