GARFIELD Jones, new general manager at the Gulf Hotel, Bahrain, talks to TTN about the changes he has seen over the years and his first WTM as boss.
How long have you been with the Gulf Hotel?
Coming up to 15 years in December. I initially joined the as food and beverage manager and held a number of management positions before transferring to Gulf Hotels Group (GHG) corporate office in 2002, initially as director of operations and then, from 2007, as deputy CEO.
What are some of the major changes you have seen in that time?
I have been lucky enough to head up a number of exciting expansions, not only in the Gulf Hotel but also for the group. My first project was to open the China Garden restaurant back in 1996. At the same time, I was working on the development of the Gulf Convention Centre, which opened in 1997. In 2001 we opened Fusions restaurant and in 2002, we completed the Royal Thai restaurant along with the new swimming pool area. The Takht Jamsheed Iranian restaurant then followed in early 2003. The remainder of 2003 and the early part of 2004 were spent developing the Ocean Paradise Resort in Zanzibar, the group’s second hotel. That was closely followed by the construction of the Gulf Executive Residence, which opened in 2006. Perhaps the most difficult project was the complete internal and external renovation of the Gulf Hotel’s tower block in 2007 which, for business reasons, had to be completed in six months. Luckily, we opened bang on schedule!
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2009 brought the addition of the Margarita Mexicana restaurant, the Gulf Hotel’s ninth fine- dining outlet and in early 2010 we opened the Gulf Executive Offices and 600-bay multi-storey car park.
Last, but definitely not least, I have been working on the group’s third property, the 237-bedroom K Hotel, in Juffair, which GHG will manage on behalf of Mokan and will open in December 2010.
I can safely say it has been an amazing and very busy 15 years!
How do you see the hotel’s current position both on the island and interGulf?
The Gulf Hotel is extremely proud of that fact that it has maintained its position as the leading five-star hotel in Bahrain, selling the most number of bedrooms and serving the highest number of covers in the five-star market. That is no mean feat given that all the chain hotels have global reservation systems and substantial marketing budgets to promote their properties.
The 2007 refurbishment gave us a great boost and the property has since gone from strength to strength, culminating in the award of ‘Leading Hotel in Bahrain’ in the 2010 World Travel Awards, which is based on the votes cast by 180,000 travel industry professionals from more than 175 countries.
The Gulf Hotel is renowned throughout the Gulf region for the quality and diversity of its restaurants and such a reputation would not be possible without a fantastic team of chefs who consistently produce some amazing food.
Running a successful hotel is a team game. You have to be 100 per cent committed, 100 per cent focused and 100 per cent a team player. I’m lucky enough to have 699 committed and focused team players on my side.
Having taken over as GM, what are your plans for the future?
Where to begin? The challenge of running the hotel on a day-to-day basis really excites me as I love the cut and trust of the operation.
On the product, we are ready to roll out a number of customer-driven initiatives which will further enhance the hotel’s service standards.
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On our drive to continue to lead the market, our sales team will be out on the beat, knocking on doors and getting the message across that the Gulf Hotel is THE place to stay in Bahrain.
And on the expansion front, 2011 will see us start the development of an 1,800-sq-m spa which will rival the best on the island, we will add a further five meeting rooms to our already extensive inventory and there may still be room for another fine dining outlet - watch this space!
What is the Gulf Hotel’s message at this year’s WTM and how will you be striving to promote this?
I firmly believe that the Gulf Hotel really does offer the best in Arabic hospitality and, as Bahrain’s only independent, locally-operated five-star hotel, we aim to fly the Bahrain flag.
Our Mice product is second to none on the island and we will be out and about at WTM not only promoting that, but also Bahrain as a destination.
We will also be broadcasting the message that the Gulf Hotel is a ‘one stop shop’ for visitors to Bahrain, offering top-quality, five-star accommodation, unrivalled dining options, extensive Mice facilities, superb leisure and fitness options, luxury apartments for long-stay guests and more than 7,000 sq m of prime office space for rental – all under one roof. WTM is a great opportunity not only to get our message across to a wide, international audience but also the chance to catch up with old friends.