BAHRAIN would be the ideal location for a catering school to serve the Gulf’s hospitality industry and the island’s government should be doing more to recognise travel and tourism as an income and employment generator for the region’s young people.
That is the view of A Rahman Morshed, CEO of the National Hotels Company, Bahrain, owning company of the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence and Spa, and, until recently, chairman of the island’s five-star hotel committee, who spoke to TTN about his plans for the property and urging Bahrain’s government to prioritise travel and tourism.
Speaking on the possibility of adding a four-star property to the site next to the existing five-star offering he said: “ We are very positive about Bahrain and its future and there is no hesitation from the board about taking the decision to invest in Bahrain but we, as hoteliers, want to impress on the government that Bahrain should be seeking to go back to its leading position and government needs to endorse the work we are doing and the investment we are making.
“We have met with Gulf Air, which is a natural alliance for us being the national carrier, and we agree that we would like to see tourism adopted by the government as a main economy stream and steps taken to convince the population that tourism can create work and business so it will be seen as an honourable profession and one which our young people are keen to be involved in.
“For example there was previously a catering school in Bahrain and this is something that should be reinstated. It could operate not just for Bahrain but could take students from other countries across the Gulf and the various hospitality schools in the region could offer different specialities.
“We also need consistency in government policies regarding tourism. A few years ago the Crown Prince was involved in drawing up a master plan for tourism but this does not seem to be being implemented. I would like to see it resurrected and us all taking ownership of it, with government encouragement through the legal and investment infrastructure, to grow the island’s tourism offering.”
Speaking of his plans for the existing hotel Morshed outlined the work currently underway to produce what he says will be a one-of-a-kind venue, a ballroom in the clouds on the property’s 14th floor.
The Al Fanar restaurant is undergoing a complete BD1.5-million ($3.9-million) restructuring and refit to create a ballroom that can take up to 350 people with a fully-equipped kitchen and a pre-banqueting area, board rooms and flexible spaces.
Due for completion at the end of June it will operate alongside the existing much larger ballroom and is intended to be a high-end banqueting space with a difference.
Morshed said: “We have been successful with the restaurant from when it started and at its peak it was doing very well but it seems that the concept has come to saturation – people have seen it and done it now – and its productivity started to drop, it’s gradual but it has been going down. As business people we have to look at what a square metre is bringing in and we have to look at ways of keeping our space viable.
“Transferring the whole area from a club/restaurant to a high-class banqueting facility, with the latest technology including eduvisuals, which I believe will be unique in Bahrain because of its location, will give us an edge with a more efficient use of our space.”
And a further restaurant is a possibility in the office tower currently being built next to the hotel.
Morshed explained: “A suggestion has been put forward to install a high-class restaurant on the 30th floor as a rooftop venue. This was not the original plan but when it was put to us by an agency which has interest from a big-name franchise, we decided to look at the viability and this is certainly now a possibility for the future.”
The suggestion for the Al Fanar conversion was put forward by the hotel’s operator Radisson and Morshed said the board is so happy with the group’s performance that it is considering using parent company Rezidor should it go ahead with the prospective four star property which is being considered as a Park Inn.
The new hotel would sit right alongside the Diplomat Radisson Blu and, at an approximate 190 rooms, would, Morshed believes, fit well with the existing facilities.
He said: “I feel that to have a four star would complement our five star offering and would also suit what’s available around this area – it would render our situation much more competitive.
“Looking to the future I think there will be a strong demand for four-star properties, particularly as we all look to recover from the financial crisis which has made people think of rationalising their travel spend.
“Rezidor is receptive to the idea and, if we decided to go ahead, the project would take around two and a half years.”