INTERNATIONAL hospitality giant Marriott is bringing a new brand to the Middle East with the launch of its first Residence Inn in Bahrain at the end of the year.
The property, which will run alongside the existing Marriott Executive Apartments, Manama, will feature a total of 81 keys – 26 studios, 17 one-bedroom suites, 36 two-beds and two three-beds.
It has taken three years to build at a cost of around $20 million.
Promising space to work, eat and relax, the suites range from a generous 46 sq m for the studio to 180 sq m for the three-bedroom.
Diane Mayer, vice president and global brand manager for Residence Inn by Marriott, paid a flying visit to Bahrain to check out the new property prior to its opening.
Explaining the decision to launch the brand in the island kingdom, she said: “It’s funny how it happens, we have been looking at international growth for quite a while now. Residence Inn is similar to Marriott Executive Apartments (MEA) and we have done a lot of research into the extended-stay sector.
“Globally, extended stay makes up half of all business – the industry standard in considering extended stay is anything above five nights in one place.
“We know from our research and our own experience that needs change when you are in a place for a longer time and visual separation from bed to relaxation or work area and eating space becomes more important.
“Examining the market has shown that there is a great demand for this type of accommodation here in the Middle East.
“We have come into the market in Bahrain with Marriott Executive Apartments, which is the high-end, five-star offering. In most markets outside the US and Europe, the high-end and the budget offering develop first and then comes the mid-market range but for us here in Bahrain, and throughout the Middle East, we are seeing a rapidly expanding demand for this upper-moderate sector.
“We have been lucky to find a partner here who really understands the concept of long-stay accommodation – we have worked with the same owner as for the Marriott Executive Apartments.”
Sam Campenhout, general manager for both properties, added: “I would like to thank our owner Sheikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, chairman of ITICO (International Trading & Investment Co), he and his team have been instrumental in developing a great product for us to work with.”
 |
|
Spacious bedrooms at the new Residence Inn Bahrain |
And addressing the ongoing political situation in Bahrain he said the Marriott property has been relatively unaffected – reinforcing the decision to launch the new brand in the venue.
“The Marriott brand is well known and a major element of our name is guest security so, in fact, if anything we have benefitted from the situation here in Bahrain because of our positioning when people wanted to move out of other areas.”
Mayer explained the differences between the MEA and Residence Inn brands saying: “The MEA is the higher-placed tier with more luxurious finishings and its own food and beverage outlet which is aimed at what is known as the ‘marathon business travel’ this is the sector in which people stay for months and sometimes even years – such as those on relocation or fixed-term contracts.
“The residence units are slightly smaller, the finishes, while still very high quality, are more suitable to the mid-range and the general atmosphere is more informal, relaxed and casual.
“This is aimed at what is known as the ‘sprint’ level of the market, people who can be on the road and moving for weeks at a time from venue to venue. When you are travelling like that you don’t want to be eating out all the time so all the suites have fully-functioning kitchens, as well as a delivery service from the Sky W@lk Café at the MEA, with a 24-hour market on-site and breakfast included.
“The layout of the suites has been very carefully thought out, you don’t want to be staring at your bed all the time so we have made sure there is separation of space to give a real home-from-home appeal, you can put your feet up on the couch, watch TV or catch up with your emails and, of course, both properties have a great location right in the heart of Juffair.”
The Bahrain property is the first Residence Inn in the Middle East with another planned for the Saudi Arabian province of Jizan on the Red Sea coast mid-next year and a third due to open in Algiers in 2014.
The brand is the third largest in the Marriott portfolio and there are further expansion plans in the region particularly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai with Mayer added: “The region is going to be very important for us, for travellers from outside the GCC it is quite a long haul so people don’t tend to come for short trips which makes our brand a very attractive proposition.
“Residence Inn is a major part of the Marriott portfolio, it has been in operation for more than 35 years and we have done extensive research to ensure we are offering our long-stay guests what they want, this has been adapted to bring our concept in line with Middle Eastern demands and we feel the brand will be successful here.”
And further demonstrating Marriott’s commitment to Bahrain, the group has just signed an agreement for a 376-room JW Marriott to be built in Bahrain Bay with construction beginning in 2012 in partnership with Bahrain Qatar Khaleeji Capita.
By Liz O’Reilly