🌀 Big Desk Energy

March 20, 2025

Welcome back! Here’s what’s been happening this week:

We crossed 300 subscribers! Big milestone, but if I’m being honest, we were expecting to hit this number at the start of March. We’ve only achieved 45% of this month’s target. Not quite on schedule, but momentum is momentum. What’s giving us the final push? We ran our first paid subscription CTA on Instagram, and it’s helping get closer to achieving our goal (10 more days to turn things around!). Testing things, learning as we go.

The Dyorama is now officially a UAE-registered company. Big step forward. The process? Oddly formal—we had to hop on a verification call, cameras on, holding up our IDs like a virtual security check. Nureen was still in bed at 9 AM. Not her finest hour, but we made it through. An office and a desk next? 

We’re bringing on advisors. Faster connections, stronger credibility, and a real push toward our first industry roundtable. We’ve got a shortlist and will start reaching out soon.

We’re in early talks with a major developer in Egypt. Didn’t expect this so soon, but when the right conversations happen, you lean in. No guarantees yet—let’s see where it goes.

📣 Shoutout to my friend Joe Naaman (ex-Skift). Joe’s feedback has already led to changes—like a new ‘actionable insights’ section under our ‘Takes.’ Let us know what you think.

Socials slowing down? That’s because we’re shifting gears. Less talking, more building. The real-world side of The Dyorama is taking shape, and that’s where our energy is going.

We’ll keep sharing the wins, the struggles, and everything in between. Thanks for being here—this only works because of you.

– Ali

P.S. Want to chat, grab a coffee, or share feedback? Just hit reply—we’d love to hear from you.

Visual Vignette

Lebanon, 1972. The Mediterranean breeze, the hum of conversation, the elegance of a city at its peak. With AI, @pastlooks revives the energy of a golden era, where bustling souks, seaside strolls, and café conversations painted the rhythm of daily life. Credit: @blogbaladi, Instagram.

This Week’s Regional Curation

Fresh Takes: The Concepts and Trends to Watch This Week

🔬 Longevity Wellness Hub has secured $4 million in funding to expand across the GCC, establishing new locations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh. The UAE-based company specializes in frequency-driven wellness, leveraging quantum scanning technology to deliver hyper-personalized health insights and treatments.

🌀 Our Take: The global wellness economy is getting a facelift, swapping out green juices and spa days for quantum scanning and biohacking IV drips. With the biohacking market set to hit $69B by 2030 (19% CAGR) and quantum computing in healthcare growing 42% annually, wellness isn’t just a lifestyle anymore—it’s transforming into an asset class. Longevity Wellness Hub’s $4M expansion across the GCC is a bet that HNWIs will pay top dollar to "super-tune" their biology. And they’re not alone—Clinique La Prairie just launched a €100M Longevity Fund, and Ōura raised $200M at a $5.2B valuation to cash in on the longevity boom. With GCC wellness tourism growing at 17% per year, the market is primed.

🔑 What’s Next?

- VCs and PEs should move early—as pharma, medtech, and sovereign funds will buy rather than build. Backing longevity startups now could mean a premium exit as institutional M&A heats up

- Wellness operators should embed biometrics, AI, and clinical validation into offerings—longevity without hard data won’t survive. The market is shifting, and those still selling "wellness" without science will get left behind.

Source: Waves

⛵ Wego has joined forces with Waves to enhance luxury travel across MENA, giving users seamless access to high-end experiences like private jets, bespoke getaways, and premium yacht charters. As part of the partnership, Wego customers can now book family-friendly yacht trips lasting 2 to 6 hours, accommodating up to 25 guests, with exclusive journeys across Dubai, Kuwait, Jeddah, and Qatar.

🌀 Our Take: Wego isn’t just selling flights and hotels anymore—it’s chasing high-net-worth spend by moving into premium, high-margin experiences. With GCC luxury travelers spending 3-4x more than their European counterparts and Dubai’s yacht rental market set to hit $170M by 2026, this isn’t just about leisure—it’s about owning more of the ultra-luxury wallet share. This also signals a platform shift—Wego is moving from transactional travel to an ecosystem play, where experiences aren’t just add-ons but core revenue drivers. The real upside? Luxury experiences don’t just deliver higher per-transaction value than flights or hotels—they extend customer lifetime value, turning one-time bookers into repeat high-spenders. 

🔑 What’s Next?

- As a travel platform, you’re either selling more than rooms or losing to someone who is. If you don’t embed ultra-luxury services into your stack, expect to bleed HNW clientele to those who do.  

Source: JMJ Group Holding

🌇 JMJ Group Holding has completed The Muse Hotel on Lusail Boulevard in Doha, a boutique property featuring short- and long-term stays, NE’A Spa & Wellness, Lucy’s Rooftop Pool Club, and Casa Verde restaurant, with Mayfair Hospitality overseeing operations.

🌀 Our Take: Qatar’s luxury hotel market has been dominated by five-star chains and mega-resorts, but boutique hospitality remains underdeveloped. JMJ Group is making a strategic pivot into high-margin, experience-driven assets with The Muse, a play on Lusail Boulevard’s ambition to become Doha’s version of DIFC or Al Maryah Island. The numbers back the move—Qatar’s hotel market is set to hit $526M in 2024, and while supply has surged 40% since 2019, the boutique segment presents a white space opportunity.

🔑 What’s Next?

- Investors should lock in prime positioning now—boutique luxury is shifting from niche to necessity, and Qatar’s real estate-heavy conglomerates are moving fast into boutique hospitality. 

- Hospitality operators need to rethink scale and move into lifestyle-driven hubs. The next frontier isn’t oversized luxury—it’s intimate, high-margin properties that deliver curated experiences.

🏛️ Saudi Arabia has launched the Saudi Architecture Characters Map, a nationwide initiative aimed at preserving and promoting the country’s diverse architectural heritage while enhancing urban identity. Spearheaded by the Architecture and Design Commission, the project provides detailed architectural guidelines tailored to different Saudi regions, ensuring new developments reflect local aesthetics and cultural authenticity. By integrating these guidelines into urban planning, the initiative seeks to boost investment appeal, strengthen city identities, and create visually cohesive and historically rooted urban landscapes.

Source: Saudi Architecture

🌀 Our Take: Saudi’s Architecture Characters Map signals a break from the globalized, one-size-fits-all urbanism seen across much of the region. While many Gulf cities have prioritized scale and spectacle, this move suggests Saudi is betting on cultural authenticity as a competitive advantage.

🔑 What’s Next?

- Developers need to align early or risk delays and weak demand as cultural identity becomes central to approvals and marketability.

- Investors should see local identity as a value driver, shaping property demand, tourism appeal, and long-term asset performance.

Global Spotlight

✈️✨ Air France is redefining first-class luxury with Jacquemus-designed pajamas for its La Première passengers. The exclusive loungewear set is elegantly packaged in a red poplin bag shaped like a pillowcase, secured with Jacquemus’ signature “round-square” buttons, adding a couture touch to in-flight comfort. This marks the first time Air France has introduced high-fashion sleepwear onboard, ensuring that even at 40,000 feet, style never takes a day off.

Most airlines talk about a “first-class cabin,” but Air France frames it as a “first-class experience”—and that distinction is brilliant. They’re not just designing seats; they’re crafting an entire journey, both in the air and on the ground. Hotels can take a page from this playbook. 

The Ramadan Edit

🌙 Louis Vuitton has marked its first-ever Maison take-over in the Middle East by transforming Sadeem in the Dubai desert into a branded luxury café. Blending high fashion with desert serenity, the experience offers gourmet indulgence amid LV’s signature aesthetic. This limited-time takeover reinforces Dubai’s reputation as a playground for exclusive, high-fashion hospitality.

The Closing Bell

📜 Retal Urban Development’s joint venture has signed a $120 million MEP contract for two major Al Khobar projects—Retal Rise, a 129-unit residential development, and Nobu Hotel Al Khobar, a luxury destination featuring 101 rooms, 62 serviced residences, and a Nobu Restaurant & Café. The contract, set to be completed within 15 months, marks a key milestone in bringing high-end living and hospitality to the city.

📜 Accor has signed a preferred supplier agreement with Soundtrack Technologies, gaining access to an extensive catalog of over 100 million songs and expertly curated playlists designed for commercial use. By integrating Soundtrack’s AI-driven platform, Accor aims to enhance its brand experience with seamless, customized music solutions across its global properties.

📜 Lokalee founder Samir Abi Frem has successfully exited the company in a $12.8 million deal, marking a major milestone for the Dubai-based travel and hospitality tech startup. The platform, which enhances guest experiences through AI-driven local recommendations, is now set for its next growth phase under new ownership.

On Our Radar

📌 We see you, Brothers Boutique Gym—Dubai’s self-proclaimed first ultra-luxury boutique gym—gearing up to open and taking names.

📌 Dubai Culture and Dubai Municipality have signed an MoU to revitalize Dubai’s historic neighborhoods in alignment with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. The partnership aims to preserve cultural heritage while transforming these areas into vibrant creative and cultural hubs that contribute to the city's future

📌 Sasaki has unveiled The New City – Salalah Waterfront Development, a master plan to transform Oman’s second-largest city into a dynamic coastal hub. The project features residential districts, commercial spaces, cultural attractions, and public green areas, all designed with sustainability and climate resilience in mind. By enhancing coastal access, tourism infrastructure, and urban livability, the development aims to position Salalah as a premier waterfront destination while supporting long-term economic growth.​

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