Wyndham makes new addition to Bahrain portfolio
Wyndham Hotel Group has announced another Bahrain property; the 162-room Ramada Hotel & Suites Amwaj Island, which is anticipated to open in September.
The hotel is the second Wyndham property in Bahrain to be owned by Mannai Holding Group, which also owns the 450-key Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham hotel under construction in the city.
Mannai Holding Group chairman Salim Ahmed Mannai said: "We are proud to partner with Wyndham Hotel Group to expand the world-renowned Ramada brand in Bahrain, as well as to introduce the country's first Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham hotel.
“Both hotels will help service the demand for quality, branded hotel accommodation in the market upon opening later this year."
During an interview yesterday with Hotelier Middle East at Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai, Bani Haddad regional vice president, Middle East and Africa, Wyndham Hotel Group commented: “With this property we are becoming theleading hotel company in Bahrain.
“We are very happy that Ramada is being trusted again and again in the market and we’re even happier that an existing owner is trusting us again with another asset. It’s a managed hotel so that brings our managed hotel portfolio to four.”
Haddad added that Bahrain, which he believes is recovering quickly following the turmoil of the Arab Spring, is an important market for the operator.
“A few years ago they had some political unrest and we’ve seen it recover quite rapidly so we see this as one opportunity but the other opportunity is the hotel inventory.
“There’s a big gap in terms of new hotels coming online and most of inventory is relatively old. The new products we’re bringing are going to make a real difference; they are all stunning hotels.
“If you look at the last three years, Bahrain has been growing in double digits year on year, and so it is recovering; we expect within the next few years it will be back to the levels previous to the crisis.”
Within walking distance from Amwaj Marina and the Amwaj Lagoon, the hotel is expected to include several food and beverage outlets including an all-day-dining restaurant and lobby café, as well as the city's first Moroccan fine dining outlet, which will be situated on a rooftop terrace with sea views.
Meeting space will accommodate up to 175 people theatre-style, while leisure facilities will include a gymnasium, spa, swimming pool and an indoor Jacuzzi with a sauna and steam rooms.
The operator has also announced Ramada Manama City Centre and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham in Juffair to open this year, as well as Wyndham Grand, to debut in Bahrain in December or January next door to Four Seasons Bahrain.
The pipeline is in addition to the operator’s existing Bahrain portfolio, which comprises Ramada Hotel Bahrain, Ramada Palace Hotel Manama and the Days Hotel Manama.
Increasing its managed portfolio will be a major focus for Wyndham, which has set a target of having two in every three deals in its Middle Eastern pipeline to open under management contracts.
"Managing hotels gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the true essence of our powerhouse brands, engage with prestigious partners looking for holistic operating structures and to get closer to our guests and our customers," commented Dan Ruff,
Wyndham Hotel Group's president and managing director, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Indian Ocean.
"Signing yet another management agreement in the Middle East - this time for the impressive Ramada Hotel & Suites Amwaj Island - just weeks after opening our first managed hotel in Africa, demonstrates both our commitment to the growth of the division as well as the scale of this exciting opportunity."