BAHRAIN’S Gulf Hotels Group will double its representation at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) with both corporate and destination stand representation. LIZ O’REILLY spoke to CEO AQEEL RAEES about what the future holds for the company.
The past months have seen unrest in Bahrain, are things now getting back onto a more positive track?
Civil order has been established and the travel bans have been amended slightly so confidence in the corporate travel segment is gradually being restored. Last week the Saudi Causeway re-opened fully so we have seen an increase in leisure clients that has impacted our weekend business.
We went up to around 40 per cent occupancy which was double the night before.
We are also seeing good signs of recovery in our food and beverage outlets, during the weekend almost all the restaurants were very busy.
It will take time for the exhibitions and conference business to recover – once those events are cancelled they cannot be rescheduled as they take time to plan – but hopefully soon Bahrain will be back to its normal self.
The group’s newest addition K Hotel is now up and running, how is this being received within the market?
K Hotel is a fabulous four star in a unique and contemporary setting, it offers excellent value for money and since its opening occupancies have been very encouraging despite the political crisis as it has outperformed its competitors in the market.
I understand there are further new developments on the cards in the form of a spa and shopping arcade to be added to the Gulf Hotel, what can you reveal about these?
We are committed to our long term development plan for the Gulf Hotel complex and the shopping arcade that we are putting the finishing touches to will soon feature a luxury patisserie, florist, a designer boutique for men, a laundry shop, a male barber shop, newsagent and antique shop. Work on the spa is currently in the planning phase and we expect to complete the designs later this year, barring some technical issues that we are currently dealing with, I would expect it to be operational by late 2012, early 2013.
The spa promises to be a state-of-the-art facility and will be comprised of two floors, an indoor pool, ladies’ hairdresser and fitness centre as well as an array of male and female spa treatments. We are also currently working on a refurbishment programme for our Gulf Executive Residence and our South Wing building which we plan to execute next year.
When you invest it is a long-term decision, in order to take out you must put in and if we want to expand our business we have to invest and we have been looking at expanding the complex for quite some time.
Are any developments/renovations etc planned at GHG’s other property in Zanzibar?
In Zanzibar we are currently in the process of adding a spa which will feature a number of treatment rooms, gym, hot and cold tubs plus sauna, steam rooms and spa shop – we are currently in the tender process and I hope the improvements will be ready by the end of the year.
Zanzibar, like the rest of Africa, was hit badly by the economic downturn but this year it is coming back and we have seen some very positive bookings for the first three months of the year.
What will you be promoting at this year’s Arabian Travel Market and how will you go about getting the message across that Bahrain is still a safe and rewarding place to travel to?
The sheer fact that we are exhibiting again this year, despite the crisis, is proof of our commitment to getting business back to Bahrain. As well as having our own stand, we are also supporting Bahrain Tourism by exhibiting on its stand. It is of vital importance that we all pull together in promoting our destination as a safe environment. Our commitment to delivering this message is testament to the fact that we believe the current situation is short term and that the long-term outlook is more positive.
What do you hope to gain from participation in the show?
Our participation at ATM with our own corporate stand is part of our long-term strategy to further promote our brand. Together with our partner World Hotels and Bahrain Tourism, we will use the event as a platform to increase our database and knowledge of the international market and trends. As an independent hotel, close collaboration with all entities is paramount to developing our reputation as a serious contender on the international arena to play host to some of the world’s most prestigious companies.
We also want to get the message across that we are looking to expand our business into the management side. We have proved ourselves capable in this arena with The Gulf Hotel and we want owners and investors to be aware that we are ready to grow this side of the business – in that regard you just have to keep knocking until the door opens.
How do you expect 2011 to progress for both The Gulf and K Hotels in light of the current situation in Bahrain?
There is no doubt that this is going to be a challenging year for tourism in Bahrain but, as the market leader, we have made a commitment to our clients that, for the Gulf Hotels Group, it is a simple case that we are open for business as usual.
Anything else you would like to add?
This year we have also expanded our business interests by purchasing shares in Bahrain Family Leisure Company, which owns the island’s Bennigans and Ponderosa restaurants, and we will leverage this to expand their restaurant operations and may also, in the future, use this as a vehicle for expanding The Gulf Hotel’s food and beverage offerings outside the hotel.
At Gulf Hotels Group we’re very much committed to Bahrain, we are a Bahraini group with 30 per cent Bahrainisation in our staff and we’re obliged to keep creating jobs and opportunities here, development is always going to happen, that is a natural progression and we intend to keep promoting Bahrain in every way available to us.