Ciara Wylie commences new agency role

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai has appointed Brazen MENA as its communications partner across the GCC. The agency’s remit spans the full breadth of the hotel: its rooms and suites, restaurants, bars and lounges, wellness offering, meetings and events business, and the collaborations and cultural programming being built around them. The agency is responsible for leading consumer and corporate communications across the region, spanning media relations, brand partnerships and social.

The appointment comes as the hotel embarks on a multiphase enhancement programme, which will see all rooms and suites redesigned, two executive lounges reimagined, and the hotel’s culinary offering transformed through the renovation of legacy restaurants and bars and the introduction of new homegrown F&B concepts and lifestyle experiences. The hotel will remain fully operational throughout, with further enhancements to be revealed in due course.

Karin Cohen, Multi-Property Director of Marketing, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, said: “This is an ambitious moment for the hotel. Our owners are making a significant investment across rooms, dining and the wider guest experience, introducing new concepts that will change how people experience this address and how they use it. Brazen MENA understands luxury in this city and knows how to sustain a story across years of change.”

Louise Jacobson, Managing Partner, Brazen MENA, said: “JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai is far more than a hotel. It is one of Dubai’s defining addresses and one of the largest luxury hotels in the world, and it is about to be transformed. A transformation on this scale is rare, and rarer still in a hotel where there is always something new to experience. We are looking forward to bringing that ambition to a much wider audience.”

SideQuest Worlds has appointed Alpha Story Indonesia as its strategic communications partner. Part of Vista Adhya Paragon, SideQuest Worlds serves as the local operator of Squid Game: The Experience Jakarta, bringing its local venue, commercial and audience network to deliver the experience in Indonesia.

Alpha Story Indonesia will lead communications and media relations for the project across Indonesia, while supporting regional outreach to Singapore and Malaysia. The work will focus on building awareness, strengthening media understanding of the experience, and tracking media coverage and sentiment across key markets. Set to open on 16 October 2026 at Agora Mall, Thamrin Nine, the Jakarta edition will be the first Squid Game: The Experience in Southeast Asia.

“Bringing Squid Game: The Experience to Jakarta is about giving Indonesian audiences a new way to engage with a global story they already know, through a shared, in-person experience,” said Rea Qinthara, Marketing & Commercial Lead at SideQuest Worlds. “As we prepare for the 16 October opening, we selected Alpha Story Indonesia to help build clear, locally relevant communications that introduce the experience to audiences, media, and partners across Indonesia and the wider region.”

Alpha Story Indonesia Country Lead, Leighton Cosseboom, said, “A global entertainment IP needs a local story that people can understand and connect with. With Alpha Echo, our role is to help SideQuest Worlds identify opportunities and apexes that are not immediately apparent, and translate the Squid Game scale and excitement into marketing and communications strategies that resonate with local audiences. We will deliver this while also building public understanding, trust, and anticipation ahead of and after the opening.” 

Anuja Prasad has joined CHU Underwriting Agencies as Senior Corporate Communications Specialist. She takes on the new role after more than four years as National Communications Manager at Property Council of Australia.

Prior to that, Anuja worked across communications, marketing and events for Strata Community Association Australasia and Associations Forum.