From having no operating properties in the UAE two years ago, to now opening its third, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has made a firm stamp in the GCC, with six hotels across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, and another in the pipeline for Kuwait.
The Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island opened its doors on May 5, 2016. The 200-room luxury hotel, developed by Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure, is connected to The Galleria, Abu Dhabi Global Market and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and is set to draw both tourists and the local community to its doors.
Its general manager, Sam Ioannidis, arrived in Abu Dhabi on June 20, 2015 from Four Seasons Hotel Baku, his first role outside of the United States. Ioannidis has been with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts since 1998, and started out as director restaurants and bars at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. He has since held positions in Four Seasons hotels across New York, Boston, Houston, Florida and the West Indies.
Speaking to Hotelier Middle East a day before the opening, Ioannidis says he has stayed with the company because of the opportunities to grow and develop.
He says: “Coming to the Middle East has been a great experience. The guests I’ve worked with have come from the Middle East so I understand the culture pretty well, but I’m happy to be in the Middle East where economically it’s vibrant, it’s growing. And especially Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island — this is the heart of the capital.”
And at the heart of the hotel is its art, both internally and externally. PLP Architecture designed the 34-story glass building to the Estidama — Pearl 2 standard for sustainable urban planning. With its pattern of copper coloured “baguettes” inspired by the colourful textiles of the souk, energy is conserved by shielding direct sunlight while not compromising the hotel’s views of the city skyline and Arabian Gulf. At night, a speckled effect is created between the baguettes, with random lighting making it appear like stars from a distance.
Inside, natural light is used in public spaces, restaurants, meeting rooms and guest rooms designed by Richmond International and HBA.
Ioannidis notes: “Abu Dhabi is interesting, the Louvre is opening up, so to be part of the community that is respectful and appreciative of art is really key. We have over 2,000 pieces of art and sculpture. We’ve been focused, through our partners to buy art which is locally inspired, with a modern twist to that inspiration.”
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