One&Only Seef Bahrain is on track for its targeted opening by the end of 2017, general manager Jerome Colson confirmed during an interview with Hotelier Middle East at the 2017 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai.
"We’re targeting on opening for the end of the year and progress is absolutely moving along, from a construction standpoint. Fit out is being completed at the moment and OS&E is on the way," Colson revealed.
He continued:"With regards to recruitment as well, we’ve had a lot of progress. I’ve been on site since August 2016 and already started bringing my executive committee by early December. We currently have my full, multicultural executive committee on board. We’ve got seven nationalities, all with a true luxury background and some that actually transferred from other One&Only properties so everyone is very familiar with the One&Only brand. This is for the core team. We've got 32 people on board now, with another 20 scheduled to arrive within the next few weeks."
When questioned as to how the property plans to stand out, with the volume of luxury hotels in active pipeline across the region, Colson replied:"The key differentiator for us is providing an extra luxury experience. We have something quite unique in Bahrain – a private lagoon the size of which is the equivalent of three soccer fields and around the lagoon, we have 10 mansions which are ideal for families. Each mansion has eight bedrooms, including an executive suite with a private pool so it’s the perfect accommodation for large families but also for the Middle East market. The space and the privacy that we have at One&Only Seef is extraordinary, 175 rooms, suites and villas over 72 acres on our property."
Colson expressed his bullishness for the resort's business prospects upon opening, citing Bahrain's steady visitor arrival figures,"Bahrain had a 6% growth from the year before; it is not a huge number but it’s not negative and it is actually growing slightly, going in the right direction. For this year, the government is looking at a growth similar to last year which is 6% and it's probably going to be higher than that. What we are looking at – and here is where our resort can probably help to achieve that – is the length of stay of visitors to Bahrain. It is difficult to increase the length of stay of visitors if you don’t provide them with the right facilities."
"One&Only Seef will also help to position Bahrain internationally as a travel destination; Bahrain has been in need of an ultra-luxury resort," Colson said.
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