ONE of Brunei’s favourite venues, the Empire Hotel & Country Club, is currently undergoing a major refurbishment and general manager DESMOND ACHESON told TTN what’s in store for the future.
Please give an outline of the resort and its facilities?
The Empire Hotel & Country Club is one of Southeast Asia’s most prestigious beach resorts. This palatial resort hotel, offering 518 luxuriously spacious rooms, is set in its own private 180-hectare estate of manicured gardens and also has an 18-hole, floodlit Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. All guest rooms, suites and private villas have views of either the ocean, the lagoon, the gardens or the golf course. The array of world-class sports and leisure facilities includes floodlit tennis, indoor badminton, squash and raquetball, two state-of-the-art fitness centres, a top class ten-pin bowling facility and a spa as well as billiards and snooker.
How long has it been in operation and have there been any recent upgrades or renovations/additions or are any planned in the near future?
We celebrated our 10th birthday in November last year. We are currently working on room refurbishment project for 196 guest rooms in the main Atrium building. Other additions are the Indera Samudra Grand Hall – our largest meeting venue that can accommodate up to 1,200 people for formal dinners and up to 2,500 for cocktail receptions and which features the latest audio visual technology.
Our Wi-Fi internet system has been fully upgraded across the hotel. We also have other projects in the pipeline such as restaurant renovations and upgrades and the addition of the soon-to-be-opened Empire Delicatessen – which will feature our own handcrafted chocolates, home baked breads, cakes, pastries and even delicious home-made ice creams.
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One of the Empire’s plush villas |
How was business in 2010 and how did this compare to previous years?
Although coming off the world wide recession, 2010 certainly was a better year for the tourism industry as a whole and the hotel overall enjoyed an increase in revenues of 15.4 per cent over 2009 so that is certainly very encouraging.
How are bookings looking for 2011?
As was the case with 2010 over 2009, we are cautiously optimistic for 2011. As the world economy, and particularly Southeast Asia, is slowly coming out of recession, people are traveling and companies are meeting again – so that has got to be good news for us all!
Is the resort popular with Arab visitors, do you have figures for the number of Middle Eastern visitors as a percentage of the whole?
Historically and at the present time we do not have a large number of visitors from the Middle East. However, this is most certainly something that we think we can change. Especially in their hottest months of July to September, we feel sure that the safe, green and fresh environment of Brunei will be appealing to those from the Middle East who, with their families, want to spend several weeks just relaxing and enjoying all that Brunei, the Empire Hotel & Country Club and the immediate region have to offer.
So we are placing a lot of focus on this market and are working hard with our travel partners AviaReps to bring about a significant increase in visitors from the Middle Eastern region.
In 2009 the hotel welcomed 1,051 Middle Eastern visitors and in 2010 the figure was 788.
What are the most popular attractions of the resort for those coming from the Middle East?
Aspects of the local Bruneian culture, sightseeing, jungle exploration and river trips are all exciting things that take place outside of the resort. Iside it, we can offer the ultimate in luxury, service and culinary choices. On top of that, we have a huge array of sporting facilities and activities. And for those who are looking for some serious retail therapy in shopping, we have plans to help them too!
Are you keen to increase the number of Arab visitors and do you have any promotions planned specifically to target the Middle Eastern market?
Of course! We will be releasing a number of suite and villa promotions exclusively for the Middle Eastern market in time for the summer holidays.
Will you be joining in any trade missions or shows to the Middle East region in 2011?
Yes, we will be taking part at the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai this year and have a travel partner located in that region to represent us on a permanent basis, as there is little in ‘being present today but absent tomorrow’. We have to be there all the time and that is what AviaReps will do for us. They know the market, have the contacts and are working diligently to encourage visitors to come and explore Brunei.