Becoming Best: At the Lana, Luxury is in the Details

Becoming Best is a new series from SevenRooms, spotlighting the people, practices and philosophies powering the world’s most exceptional hospitality experiences. As the official booking platform partner of The World’s 50 Best Hotels, SevenRooms is proud to celebrate the operators redefining what it means to deliver personalized service, meaningful connection and guest loyalty at the highest level.

In this edition, we speak with Nicolas Caupain, Director of Food & Beverage at The Lana in Dubai, about how small touches—from à la carte breakfasts to bespoke in-room dining—redefine luxury through thoughtful detail.

Redefining luxury through small, meaningful touches

How do you define exceptional hospitality at The Lana?

Exceptional hospitality is about bespoke experiences and the care and involvement from each of my colleagues when it comes to service.

For example, in Dubai there are very few hotels that offer à la carte breakfast instead of a buffet, which, for me, is the definition of luxury. When you’re staying at this level, you don’t want to stand up and go to a buffet. Instead, we focus on storytelling—pastries made just like at our sister properties in Paris, and butters and jams created by Angelo Musa, our Executive Pastry Chef.

We’ve also placed special focus on elevating our afternoon tea. We serve a five-course, sequenced experience—with over 60 teas on offer—and explain each tea pairing with every bite we serve. We’re the only hotel doing that.

I’m also a champagne lover, and we have one of the largest champagne lists in the UAE. It’s curated to be approachable, but most importantly, for people to enjoy.

All these different touches, with a less-is-more approach, define us.

With eight distinct dining venues, how do you personalize each experience while maintaining consistent excellence?

We offer many different experiences. Starting with The Gallery, which has its own specific menus, and then Veranda, offering an elegant garden setting, we’re able to curate unique experiences for each guest.

With Jara by Martín Berasategui, we worked to create a bespoke dining experience, which extends from the moment they are in Jara to when they’re in their rooms. We also get many requests for special occasions and engagements on our deck at High Society, which has incredible views of the Burj Khalifa—we create custom floral arrangements for those.

"All of these small details help set us apart in Dubai, which is an incredibly competitive market. Many hotels may have the best pool, bigger rooms, more food & beverage venues. We differentiate ourselves with our attention to detail, engaging with guests, saying the right thing at the right time and giving enough space and freedom for guests to enjoy those experiences."

Blending modern tools with timeless service

How do you balance innovation and tech with maintaining the timeless elements of hospitality?

In-room dining is a great example of that. Guests can browse F&B offerings on a tablet with interactive pictures, but the experience is still very human from the moment they place their order.

We deliver the food, explain it, and serve some dishes that are made tableside—which is rare with in-room dining. It’s really elevating the experience, it's not just about removing the food cover, saying “Bon Appetit.” It’s storytelling and it makes you appreciate the dish more because someone took the time to explain it.

When we add the finishing touches, we want to extend the experience and make you feel like you’re inside the restaurant, not just eating a meal in your room. It’s not easy, but it makes the guest feel good. Our job is to give people memorable experiences —and this is what they’ll remember the hotel for.

How do you use technology and data to enhance the dining experience while preserving the warm, human touch that defines luxury hospitality?

With SevenRooms, you can track each guest’s dining preferences, patterns and past visits. But it’s incredibly important to read the guest in the moment, because they’re not always looking for the same experience.

One guest might come with a specific person, order something, and then two days later come with someone else and not want to repeat that experience—or even be recognized from the previous visit.

It’s great to track their dining preferences but it’s not about upselling; it’s about understanding what they want in that exact mood and moment. Sometimes a guest just wants something simple—a dessert, a coffee, a glass of wine—even if they splurged on a bottle the week before.

This flexibility is what defines a luxury, high-tech approach for me.

Building loyalty in one of the most competitive cities in the world

In a competitive market like Dubai, how do you cultivate guest loyalty and ensure that your experiences stay top of mind for both international travelers and local residents?

Dubai is incredibly competitive. When we opened the hotel, we wanted to stand apart from the hotels with 100 pools or 3,000-person ballrooms.

So, we decided to position The Lana as a destination for epicurean travelers—people who value good food, great wine and unforgettable experiences.

Leading with curiosity, passion and purpose

You’ve worked across Europe, the Middle East and Asia with esteemed brands like Jumeirah and Ritz-Carlton. How have those global experiences shaped your leadership approach at The Lana, and what values or insights do you draw from that background to instill a culture of excellence and innovation in your F&B team?

I always try to educate my team to stay curious and hungry to learn. There’s always someone better, always something new to discover. I encourage them to travel, to try new things—even going to a small café or bar, you might learn something about how they peel an orange or serve a drink that inspires you.

All of my trips are like this—constant learning. The travel, the open-mindedness, the fact that I’ve worked in big cities has shaped me in a competitive way. It pushes me to always do better, and I try to bring that spirit to the team.

What advice would you give to the next generation of hospitality professionals who aspire to deliver extraordinary guest experiences?

It’s okay to make mistakes. That’s the definition of experience—making a mistake, and not making it again.

Ask questions. It’s always okay to ask questions. And if you can, travel. Try as much as you can—new food, new places, new ways of doing things.

But most importantly, have fun. Live your passion fully.

Interview has been edited for clarity and length. Images courtesy of The Lana.

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