The Premier Room offers 180-degree views of the Arabian Gulf. The Premier Room offers 180-degree views of the Arabian Gulf.

Favourite features

George S. Safi, director of food & beverage: “In the gym we have some beautiful features. You can sync the equipment with a phone app to register all your activity on every machine so you can have a target for the week or the month, and use the app every time you use the gym. The Azure pool lounge is also a favourite — there’s a real difference between day and night. During the day it has very relaxing ambience for adults with no kids and in the evening it turns into kind of a nightclub.”

Greg Pirkle, general manager: “We are an iconic tower, and the quality of the finishing on the inside and the outside puts us on the map as one of the best Four Seasons, I believe. I’m happy that the owners were willing to really invest in the nicer things — from high-tech features in the guest rooms, to a wonderful ballroom space for weddings and corporate events.”

Mohammad Barakat, director of marketing: The infinity pool, because when you sit out there and look at the skyline, it’s very relaxing. I also really like the artwork around the hotel, and enjoy the Cut Lounge.

Restaurant Guide

Cut by Wolfgang Puck: The American steakhouse from celeb chef Wolfgang Puck offers the widest and best selection of beef available. From prime dry- and wet-aged beef to shellfish and sautéed and roasted whole fresh fish, Cut’s menu provides broad appeal.

Re Asian Cuisine/Wolfgang Puck: Located on the 50th floor of the hotel, the restaurant offers Asian cuisine in an elegant, art deco-inspired setting, with beautiful views of the Manama skyline.

Bahrain Bay Kitchen: Located in the lower lobby, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant features an international buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. An open kitchen, active cooking stations and a sushi station add to the market-like atmosphere.

Vento: The poolside grill offers Mediterranean light fare prepared by the native Italian chef. A pool deck table offers cocktails prepared by mixologists, while a DJ plays lounge music in the evenings.

Bay View Lounge: The hotel’s lobby lounge serves light international fare or afternoon tea, with live piano music to set the atmosphere. An outdoor terrace and private Majlis can accommodate a business meeting or pre-dinner cocktails.

Blue Moon Lounge / Wolfgang Puck: The Morrocan design-inspired bar and lounge offers a bar menu of Asian nibbles complemented by a wide selection of custom-crafted cocktails.

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F&B Focus

Quality is of paramount importance for the F&B team at the hotel.

However, while the chefs all work on creating dishes that match international standards, George S. Safi says the team has struggled with supplier issues. “We feel when it comes to procurement, Bahrain is an island. I’ve always worked in big cities in the middle of Europe, where everything was available… and it’s difficult to get things over here. It’s complicated to shift things here. There’s a period during summer when you can’t ship things here because it’s very hot,” Safi says.

However, Safi is quick to defend his suppliers, “Since we entered the Bahrain market, suppliers have all been willing to listen, since this would be a big account for them.

“They’re flexible and want to help, but it’s still an island and they suffer as well. But luckily Dubai has everything and Saudi too, and they’re not too far so it’s easy to move things around.”

The lack of availability also increases food costs for the hotel. However, Safi is confident the team will manage this a lot better as time goes on.

He explains: “First, we just buy everything based on what the supplier offers, but we will tweak things eventually. We buy certain things in bulk, because the shipments are expensive.

“For example, when you do a pre-opening, you don’t have the resources or feel comfortable making your own products, like smoked salmon, for instance. We used to buy it smoked, but now we do it ourselves and that has cut the price significantly.”

The Four Seasons App

Developed based on guest insight and extensive testing, the app will provide services that guests have told Four Seasons they want. Some of those features include checking in and out with the app, negating the need to queue at reception, as well as reservation management and special requests. The app is a sort of catch-all travel and hotel app, and combines practical functions that guests consistently need, such as the ability to make and manage reservations in multiple cities and properties at the same time, special requests such as extra pillows, toiletries and more, room service orders straight from the app plus easy-to-book restaurant and spa reservations, golf tee times and leisure activities.

While some guests prefer a traditional hotel service, increasingly, guests want to use their mobile to do everything, especially in the GCC, which is one of the most mobile-saturated markets in the world.

Four Seasons also has plans to provide the app in additional languages in time, starting with Arabic.

At the Four Seasons Bahrain Bay, the app had been downloaded at least 100 times within the first two weeks of opening.