For now, Safi says he is focused on keeping guests happy and tweaking concepts and menus to ensure the hotel builds a roster of repeat guests when it comes to the hotel's F&B venues.
“During an opening, when we talk about creating value, we let the guests tell us what they really want and what we are doing right and wrong. I can’t say we don’t look at the numbers in the first year, but this is not our main focus – that is to keep the guests happy and have them come back.”
Safi reveals the hotel is also looking at creating a rooftop bar concept, which is only in the planning stage at the moment.
| Advertisement |
“We have a nice space, but this is a longer- term project. I’ve just returned from the Four Seasons in Beirut and the rooftop they have is beautiful. I think we’ll be close to finalising it by the end of 2016 but I’m not sure whether we’ll open next year. It’s still just an idea we’d like to introduce,” he explains.
It’s clear when it comes to the team, the focus is entirely on guest satisfaction and offering a different experience.
“We have a very good property here. It’s a very small competitive set and I think the country was ready for another five-star hotel. I certainly believe it was. I think we opened at the right time. If you see the country year over year, occupancy is growing — growth is coming back since the 2011 drop in business. The airport is expanding right now, other hotels also developing, and there’s a lot of investment going on in the country.
"So, I think we opened at the right time, and I believe we added the right hotel offering the right service level,” Pirkle states.
“Bahrain Bay is a fantastic location. We are going to be a figurehead for this development, which is very nice. When other buildings and hotels get built around us, we will still be the focal point,” he adds.
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
