Royal treatment at the Meridien en Bahrain sees itself as a hotel for both business people and resort for leisure. This means it can certainly play a role in this drive to be a family destination - we are, currently, the only beach resort on the island and we have wonderful facilities for families with the beach, pools and many water sports and other activities," says Raffaele Solferino, acting general manager of the Le Royal Meridien Bahrain, when asked about the hotel's reaction to the government's push to promote 'family tourism'.
Solferino feels that the push towards 'family tourism' would not have much of an effect on the hotel considering "the hotel has quality entertainment". On the success of the recently concluded Bahrain Summer festival he said that according to the hotel's figures and a comparison with the 2001 summer festival, the hotel did see a slight increase - of approximately 200 room nights - over the two months of July and August. Solferino believes that improvements to the airport and airlines would help the Economic Development Board (EDB) to further promote the festival in the future. Although Solferino feels that Bahrain would not be able to compete with Dubai when it came to beaches, he does feel that Bahrain offers a lot more in terms of culture, history and wildlife. Le Royal Meridien Bahrain is the only 5-star beach resort on the island and has it's own beach and private island. There are 264 deluxe rooms and suites and an extensive range of facilities. There are seven restaurants and four bars/lounges to choose from and leisure facilities including the Royal Sporting Club, Royal Marina and Royal Spa. The Royal Sporting Club has two swimming pools plus the beach, four tennis courts, squash court, gym facilities, hammam, sauna, Jacuzzi, water sports and fishing trips and cruises can also be arranged. The Royal Marina has 22 dry berths and 14 wet berths, and the facilities include individual fresh water lines and electricity supply to each berth, four-metre water depth at high tide, wash-down area, refueling station, catering and housekeeping services, minor repairs workshop and shower facilities. The Royal Spa offers treatments from the La Prairie, Guinot and Espa ranges of products, and it also has unique thalassotherapy facilities, plus a whole range of other massage treatments and finishing touches.