Lifestyle
Situated amidst the heart of Sharjah, Mysk Al Badayer is a traditional resort that projects the Emirati lifestyle with a modern touch.
From sunsets over the endless dunes to a plethora of handcrafted dining options, this resort is backed by an authentic cultural experience for guests to have a complete 360-degree experience.
Whether you’re looking for a refined family escape or a romantic getaway, this property will ensure guests go back in time as each element of the retreat has an ancient story to tell.
To understand more about this sophisticated property, sat down with Shafik Alaaeddine, the Area General Manager of Mysk Hotels.
The general design of the room is reminiscent of caravanserais. What inspired this concept?
The entire retreat was built on the concept of a caravanserai – an oasis nestled in the dunes, a meeting point for travellers to discover heritage, culture and adventure. Our interiors are an expression of traditional architecture, not cliché, yet maintaining elements of the Arabian culture. You can choose between staying in a traditional tent with a private pool or in a heritage room, depending on the journey you would like to foster.
The property is an ode to the Emirati lifestyle. How did you manage to incorporate this throughout the retreat?
Close your eyes and imagine a caravanserai coming from a long way along the Silk Road. That would be the perfect example of what the Mysk Al Badayer Retreat presents. A picturesque desert stop set against the sweeping dunes of central Sharjah. Live in a traditional Arabian castle from the age of times decorated with the comfort of modernity. Rooms are all adorned with Arabian culture and ornaments, leaving you with 1001 memories to reminisce about. The outdoor pool resembles an oasis, where the dwellers of the desert can relax and enjoy the sun.
Mysk Al Badayer offers a traditional culinary experience, can you tell us more about how this has been carefully curated?
Mysk Al Badayer Retreat will offer a traditional culinary experience for in-house guests as well as non-residents. Al Madam Restaurant is characterised by a contemporary design and interpretation of a modern-day eatery with elements of local charm. Al Madam offers a buffet breakfast, either buffet or set menu for lunch and dinner, and an à la carte menu covering international and regional fare. We also have a separate area upstairs, perfect for group seating with tailored menus as per choice, mainly for leisure or MICE groups.
What main aspects constantly draw customers back to the property?
The personal touch. We are a boutique retreat, where every individual guest is personally taken care by our trained staff. Due to the small size of our inventory, we are able to focus on personalised services and guest experiences. Each tent is also equipped with a Morafik that takes care of the guest’s needs 24/7 and it adds up to the overall oasis experience. The professionalism of the staff, their care and attention to detail, and the diversified and handcrafted Mysk Guest experiences are what usually attract customers to come back over and over to the property.
The property offers a host of adrenaline-fuelled activities. Could you tell us more?
Mysk Al Badayer retreat is created as a melting point for heritage, culture and adventure. It offers a lot for adventurers. Spend the day lounging as you enjoy the sun on your skin or go on an adrenaline-fueled adventure exploring the desert’s gems with desert safaris, quad biking, sand boarding, dune bashing, stargazing and falconry displays. Take a stroll along the golden glistening sand as it mystically sets on your vibrant energy with every footprint engraved along its path or go for a hiking trail through the mystique fossil rocks of Al Faya. Mysk Al Badayer has all the possibilities to encounter a raw desert at its fullest forms.
From stargazing to Archery, guests have more than enough to do on the property. What are some of the upcoming activities in the next few months?
We are enhancing the movie under the stars experience while adding more exposure to the zorb ball activity in the retreat and expanding on more Arabian journeys to allow our guests to be fully immersed in the desert experience. We are focusing on more desert F&B experiences as well such as afternoon tea by the dunes, romantic dinner surrounded by the dunes, outdoor pool special menu crafted for a day of fun.
How is Sharjah developing as a hub for tourism?
Sharjah has a unique place in the tourism landscape of the UAE. Sharjah got a great story to talk about heritage, arts, culture and nature. With the recent tourism infrastructure development rolled out under the vision of HH Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah has attained many milestones in the tourism receipts to the emirates. Under the management of Shurooq and similar government-supported organization, many touristic destinations have been opened to the public, to experience the diversity of art, culture, heritage and nature that Sharjah has to offer. Sharjah Collection by Mysk, needless to say, has placed Sharjah on the luxury travel map with its unique experiential retreats and offerings
How has the hospitality industry evolved since COVID-19?
Hospitality has seen a significant change in its approach, both from the providers and the guests. Hotels have embraced new technologies in guest experiences like digital menus, touchless entries and customer engagement and have seen the power of Data and AI in terms of CRM, distribution systems and revenue management. From a consumer point of view, guests shifted their primary preferences to safety, privacy and exclusivity. The guests were ready to pay a premium for these factors and were cautious about the safety and hygiene features each hotel has to offer. Our retreats have performed exceptionally well during this time as our offering is matching the privacy, serenity, and far from the madding crowd attributes requested by the guests.
You have guests from around the globe. How do you ensure a unique experience for each guest?
The retreats are designed around guest experiences and a tailored customer journey. From the time a guest gets inspired and books our retreats, a well-defined customer journey has been curated for every single guest based on their choices and preferences. We use the power of technologies in gathering these data, and also through our trained Morafiks, who accompany the guests on this journey. We enrich their stay with memorable experiences and those little surprises which ensure their repeat visits. All these are handcrafted guest experiences, knitted through our customer knowledge, and get evolved from guest-to-guest engagements.
