The recently closed L’Hotel Bahrain had been devastated by 2011’s unrest in the country, its general manager Ralph Yazbeck told Hotelier Middle East.
“The decision to shut down comes as a direct result of last year's unrest. Indeed, the hotel suffered major losses, almost 1 million dinars (US $2.65 million),” Yazbeck said.
The hotel, known as 'Bahrain's first luxury boutique hotel', is operated by the owner, Hotel de L’Hotel, a local Bahraini company.
Yazbeck added that the management is currently in discussions regarding the possible re-opening of the property, but its “future should be decided within the next six weeks”.
“There's absolutely no issue about renewing [the commercial registration]. It's simply a question of having the board of directors meet and take a few decisions, such as increase of capital, etc...,” Yazbeck said.
He added that the registration could be renewed within a day, and from the time of taking a decision, the hotel could be fully operational again within 60 days.
He concluded that “staff that used to work at L'Hotel and chose to come back are more than welcome”.