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Club Mareva Beirut
The Challenge
The challenge included preserving 49 blog posts, 459 images, and complex event content while creating a luxury digital experience that matched their premium brand identity as the first Cuban Habanos Lounge in the Middle East.
A premier luxury lounge — the first Cuban Habanos experience in the Middle East — was running on a sluggish WordPress site with Avada theme and Fusion Builder. Page load times and a dated aesthetic were undermining the brand's premium positioning.
Reservations were handled through phone calls and DMs. Events for 46+ cigar brand partners had no dedicated showcase — losing potential guests and partnership visibility.
Years of brand equity lived in 49 blog posts and 459 images scattered across WordPress. Any platform move risked losing this archive — and with it, SEO rankings built over years.
The Solution
Built a complete Next.js 16 website with React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, and GSAP/Framer Motion animations. Developed a custom Python migration pipeline that parsed WordPress WXR exports, cleaned Fusion Builder shortcodes, and output structured JSON. Implemented an interactive table reservation system, event management CMS, brand partnership showcase for 46+ cigar brands, and S3-based media asset management. Deployed on Vercel with ISR for optimal performance.
WordPress to Next.js 16 full migration with custom Python pipeline
Interactive table reservation system with real-time availability
Event management CMS with registration capabilities
Brand partnership showcase for 46+ international cigar brands
S3-based media management with ImageKit optimization
Dark luxury aesthetic with gold accents and GSAP animations
The Experience
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The Journey
Month 1
WordPress audit, content extraction pipeline development, design system definition
Month 1-2
Next.js build, reservation system, event CMS, brand showcase
Month 2
Data migration, QA testing, Vercel deployment, DNS cutover
The Impact
Cigar Varieties
Full humidor catalog showcased online
Brand Partners
International cigar brand logos and descriptions
Events Migrated
Blog posts and events preserved from WordPress
Images Migrated
Media assets extracted and optimized via custom pipeline
The Elites transformed our online presence from an outdated WordPress site into a luxury digital experience that truly reflects who we are. The reservation system and event management have streamlined our operations.
Woody Ghsoubi
Co-founder, Club Mareva Beirut
