Centara will make its Middle East and North Africa debut this year, with expansion plans across the region in the offing.
Pitting the Centara Grand in comparison to its surrounding competition, Nielsen says: “The quality of the products and amenities that have been used in our property are top notch, from the furniture to the fit-out levels. When you walk around the other hotels they look quite similar, and don’t offer something particularly different. But that is not the case with us and that is all down to our owners, it’s like their ‘baby’ [being its first venture in hospitality]. It is a matter of pride and our owners wanted a special destination.”
Speaking about the owners, Wilson adds: “This is the first of three hotels that our owners are involved in, so far they have been extremely supportive and it’s been a two-way education. It is in both parties interest that this hotel succeeds. It’s a very positive, open and humble relationship [between both parties].”
Wilson is also confident that the property will be able to break even much before the two to three year mark. “We have 90 apartments in the hotel along with 264 bedrooms. Our apartments allow us to have the long term baseline. We set ourselves ambitious goals, and it would not take us that long to break even,” he smiles.
In terms of its accommodation, the Centara Grand West Bay has eight room categories across its 264 rooms, and three apartment types across its 90 units. Rooms and suites range from 42 - 131m2 while the apartments come with an option of one to three bedrooms providing living spaces ranging from 95 — 193m2. The apartments come equipped with a kitchen including an oven, microwave, fridge and freezer, cooking equipment, as well as a washing machine and a dishwasher.
The Centara in Doha will have a mix amongst its F&B offerings. “We had to have a Thai restaurant given our company’s roots. Suan Bua will serve contemporary Thai cuisine and along with our French patisserie Antoinette — the two outlets will have an element of al fresco dining linked to them,” Wilson says.
He adds: “Our Global Kitchen outlet (which is an all-day dining restaurant) will serve Arabic, South Asian and South East Asian cuisine, along with western cuisine based on the live cooking concept and doing things fresh. We are also going to have a grill room — the Mayfair Grill restaurant and bar — which will be a fine dining concept.”
He also reveals that the hotel will open a rooftop bar, which will be a “chill out zone with views of the corniche”. “That will probably be launched six months after the hotel opens,” Wilson says.
F&B will be a major factor in gaining market share in the face of Doha’s cut-throat competition. And Wilson agrees that it will take some effort to establish the hotel in the market. “Centara is well known in South East Asia but that’s not the case in the Middle East.
“Hence, the most important thing is to create brand awareness for which we are working with third-party companies through the corporate office that will help facilitate our introduction in the Middle East market,” Wilson says, indicating that the hotel is also working with regional experts at the same time.
“It is imperative that we get people to come in to the property because once here guests will be sold. It’s all about getting them through the doors.”
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