New look with age-old hospitality

Ramada Bahrain is looking spick and span with a series of new additions as part of its ongoing renovation plans. In December 2014, the hotel unveiled its new lobby following renovations at the back office. Its most recent development is the completion of refurbishing its first floor.

The rooms now have a fresh new look and interiors. General manager Matthias Hellweg explains: 'We have carried out a soft renovation including new lamps, curtains, decoration in all guest rooms, new furniture in the public areas and most visibly a new paint of the hotel façade including new neon signs.

'The feedback of our guests has been very positive; they understand that all efforts were done to make their stay more comfortable, easier and more enjoyable. The new color scheme is soothing to the eyes; the objective was to create a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere. The idea was to create a modern, contemporary, yet timeless design as we cater mainly for a well-travelled international clientele.'

As part of the renovation project, Hellweg explains there are plans on capitalising on the hotel’s Mice facilities. 'There is a demand for our meeting rooms, and the size of 100 people in the main room is ideal, the smaller room for 20 people is then used as a breakout room. The other facilities like pool, gym, massage compliment the offer and make a good package for Mice guests. We are catering experts since 38 years; if the guests don’t want to come here we can come to them!'

Le Rendezvous Conference Room is the bigger facility which is ideal for parties that can accommodate a larger number of people as compared to the smaller Conference Suite 525 located on the fifth floor, which can take smaller groups and offers great views.

Situated in the heart of the kingdom, in Adliya, and neighbouring the iconic Gudaibya Palace, the Ramada Bahrain Hotel has been a popular haunt for travellers for nearly four decades.

'Ramada Bahrain enjoys a very good position amongst the four-star hotels, with very competitive rates. Being one of the first international branded hotels on the island, the hotel is well known for its quality and excellent service.' The hotel is also home to popular haunts such as Le Jardin, an all-day bistro concept and The Exchange English Pub.

Hellweg adds: 'The market in Bahrain got very competitive in recent years, but our hotel stands out because of its excellent location, its caring employees who are striving to make every stay a lasting experience, over and above people trust the international brand we represent.'

Ramada Hotel primarily caters to the business traveller, while also offering convenient accommodation for families and long-stay guests with amenities including inter-connecting rooms. 'Occupancy has been quite stable in the past year because Ramada Bahrain is a well-known product and enjoys a strong base of repeat guests,' Hellweg explains.

He joined the property a year ago, a first one in the GCC and brings to the kingdom and the Ramada 25 years of experience in the hotel industry. 'My first year was extremely rewarding. We have repositioned the hotel in the right place in the market, launched several initiatives and got encouraging feedback from our guests. The Kingdom of Bahrain is a great place to be, the word which describes it best is ‘easy’. Traffic is easy, people are easy and life is easy.'

Key feeder markets of Ramada Bahrain are Europe (mainly UK, France and German), the US and India. 'But our guest reports almost read like the United Nations with 128 countries, truly international,' adds Hellweg.

Off late, the hotel is also active on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, announcing special offers and promotions as well as news bytes.

The hotel is now gearing up to welcome the New Year with better and enhanced services. 'The year 2016 will be entered with the new spirit of a fresh and modern hotel, we will use December 2015 and January 2016 for intensive training of our employees on all levels,' concludes Hellweg.

By Shilpa Chandran