There has been a significant pick-up in business for Bahrain’s first and leading five-star luxury hotel, the Gulf Hotel, in 2012, says Ian McKie, general manager and area general manager of the Gulf Hotel.
'This is reflected in more robust corporate business and a recovery in the leisure segment. Our food and beverage division is also performing strongly. We expect a revPAR increase of about BD9 ($24) over the previous year,' McKie says in an interview with TTN.
The hotel is going through an expansion process, and on it he says: 'We opened Café Delice our new Deli a few weeks ago and I am pleased to report that it is doing well. Next year we have plans to renovate our apartments as well as our guest rooms in the south wing. We are also in the early stages of planning a new restaurant concept for the end 2013. Looking further afield a Spa is planned for 2014.'
The hotel, which features 357 luxurious rooms and suites, 97 contemporary apartments, and panoramic views of Bahrain’s capital city Manama, in a new strategic move, has joined the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the global community for the meetings industry.
'ICCA brings international market to our finger tips. It makes research easy and will help us to drive long-haul business and assist our efforts to bring events to Bahrain and to the Gulf Hotel,' McKie says.
It will help to put Gulf Hotel on the map as an international Mice player. 'At a moment we are the only hotel in the kingdom to be a member of ICCA. ICCA membership is seen among professional Mice players as a benchmark for quality and will definitely assist us in our goal to drive more business,' he says.
'We actively participate in the international exhibitions like EIBTM, Imex and regional exhibitions like GIBTM. Through ICCA as well as focused PR, marketing and sales activities we aim to be visible to the key Mice players internationally who might consider Bahrain for the events coming to the region and specifically the Gulf Hotel, Bahrain. Additionally we work closely with local tourism associations to strengthen the destination marketing activities that help to position Bahrain as a key Mice destination,' he says.
The Gulf Hotel’s outstanding conference and convention facilities include 29 state-of-the-art meeting venues, as well as the onsite Gulf Convention Centre, which is one of the largest and most prestigious venues of its kind in the Middle East.
The Gulf Convention Centre provides 4,780 sq m of conference, meeting, and exhibition space. The main hall Al-Dana can host up to 2,500 people for a reception, and 1,200 people in a banquet style set-up.
The Gulf Convention Centre has been designed to the highest specifications to provide organizers with a high level of flexibility, in addition to being equipped with built-in projection systems, direct internet and ISDN video conferencing, wireless simultaneous translation facilities, and multiple power and telephone points.
The Convention Centre also includes the Exhibition hall, which features direct drive-in access, and provides 2,500 sq m of floor space with the capacity to fit over one hundred exhibition stands.
The hotel has also recently introduced the Hawar Meeting Rooms, which are five brand new executive meeting rooms that have been designed to the highest specifications. These new meeting rooms are situated on the first floor of The Gulf Hotel and are accessible via a private lift.
The Hawar Meeting Rooms also feature exquisite furnishings and breathtaking views, in addition to being equipped with the latest technology. These excellent features provide clients with the opportunity to host exclusive meetings in a luxurious setting.
All of these facilities, plus five-star catering and exceptional service, make The Gulf Hotel and Gulf Convention Centre an ideal venue for international conferences, meetings, exhibitions and banqueting events.
'I am hoping to bring a combination of experience gained within larger more corporate entities as well as the more individualistic approach of smaller independent style hotel operations and blend them together. My aim is clearly to drive incremental business but also to focus on the means by which we achieve this. Specifically this means winning over customers by delivering outstanding service,' adds McKie.
By K S Sreekumar