Tea for two: furniture and afternoon tea set-up provided by the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai. Tea for two: furniture and afternoon tea set-up provided by the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai.


Make-over magic

The starting point for any F&B interior revamp is to select a design company and formulate a plan for the new outlet, creating a balance between accommodating the desired ambience and the necessary practicalities.

Emirates Golf Club’s May explains that the new design for Le Classique employed “warm, neutral earth tones tied into a contemporary design”, to ensure that the refurbishment didn’t simply follow a trend and had a lasting, timeless style.

“Traditional, natural fibres such as wood, leather and plush wool carpets add to this cosy, almost lounge room type setting. However this is contrasted by metallic fleur-de-lis type decals on the windows and a mod-styled backlit glass bar,” May explains.

The Creekside Restaurant at Sheraton now sports a contemporary Asian theme, with a strong focus on Japanese influences.

“What is also more visible now are the live cooking stations, which are a big draw,” adds Wade.

At Al Bustan Palace, Zamora says the new VUE by Shannon Bennett outlet has made an intimate and exclusive addition to the Oman dining scene.

“The décor is just as exciting and intriguing as the cuisine itself,” he comments. “The colourful paintings, Murano glass vases, original chandeliers and hand-painted glass panels that line the centre of the restaurant are extremely unique.”

Meanwhile, the traditional theme devised for Kempinski’s outlets has resulted in “an extraordinarily welcoming and cosy ambience,” according to Garcia Olm.

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But having a clear idea of what your freshly designed outlet will look like — and how successful it will consequently be — does not mean there aren’t challenges to be faced along the way.

“In any renovation, particular with an older building, some compromises need to be made,” warns Emirates Golf Club’s May. “But for us, the biggest challenge of all was the actual closure itself, leaving the club with only two dining outlets to service all of our members and loyal patrons for six months.”

Sheraton’s Wade agrees that a restaurant being out-of-action for a prolonged period is a major issue — and notes that delays, although expected, can be extremely frustrating.

“We experienced delays in deliveries of some hardware as well as encountering some technical issues with regards to ventilation and extraction,” he recalls.

Kempinski’s Garcia Olm agrees that redesign is an unwelcome disturbance for any business.

“The works caused some disruption to the normal traffic of guests through the property; ensuring the understanding from their side was crucial and challenging at the same time,” she says — but notes that the end results were worth the wait.

Another key point that operators must take into consideration is not only their own views and wishes regarding a brand new theme for their outlet, but also the wishes of their clientele.

Al Bustan’s Zamora claims that over the years, the hotel has “become an integral part of Muscat and Oman”.

“It has been a part of the tourism surge and, more importantly, it has been the guest house for many visiting heads of state and dignitaries over the years,” he explains.

“With this in mind we had to ensure that any changes to interior design took into account the views and demands of our loyal guests who continue to stay with us.”