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Confident hospitality expert Khalid Anib aims to improve the fortunes of the Al Areen Palace and Spa - formerly known as the Banyan Tree - claiming that it is time to look to the future and raise the bar.
Mr Anib has taken over the hot seat as general manager of the resort after Al Areen Holding Company terminated its Hotel Management Agreement with the Banyan Tree Hotel and Resort Holding-Singapore in what appears to be a messy row amid threatened legal action.
It is considered the most challenging role in the kingdom's growing hospitality sector as new five-star facilities open and existing properties invest heavily to compete.
He said: "Our current vision for the Al Areen Palace and Spa is to raise the standards of the resort to fit the product at hand.
"I am glad we have the support of the government in Bahrain because, as you know, the departure of the Banyan Tree was all very sudden. They just went and that was not easy on the people left behind.
"There was a lot of confusion within the team but I am very glad to say that we have already surpassed this painful period and are in the transition stage to really bring the product to the level it deserves."
Hailing from Morocco with Finnish citizenship, Mr Anib, 45, kite-surfs in his free time and once featured in GulfWeekly for helping to pave the way for expats to fulfil their Bahrain dream of home ownership on Amwaj Islands.
He has been in the hospitality industry for more than 18 years working with the likes of the ACCOR Group in high-end hotels such as the Sofitel in Dubai and the Hotel Novotel Al Dana Resort Bahrain.
And the Al Areen Palace & Spa challenge really excites him. Mr Anib explained: "We have such luxurious villas and facilities and excellent finishings, however, in my opinion, the customer service has been lacking which is what we are now working on to address.
"We had received feedback from previous customers about the resort which were not positive at all. For example, some of the previous staff could not communicate with the guests - they didn't speak English.
"Some guests wishing to visit the city centre had to wait 60 minutes for a cab ride, others complained about the type of food on offer, the cleanliness of the rooms and even how they were welcomed.
"These are fundamental issues and very important ... that's why we are working on all these factors. We must deliver what we say we will and even exceed the expectations of our guests.
"We also need to keep our services in line with our customers and ask ourselves; who are we targeting. Already 90 per cent of the guests at Al Areen Palace & Spa are from neighbouring countries and some are expats. They all expect a certain standard of service and treatment.
"We must tailor our new image to address these high standards so we need to redefine the resort and create consistency between the structure itself, its magnificent setting and our customer service."
Mr Anib has already begun the hiring process for the resort, looking to bring in highly-qualified staff, mainly focusing on people with the right attitude and those with first-hand experience in the Middle East.
He said: "We want to be 'Number One' and to do so we have to have the right staff with the right attitude."
A new marketing strategy and pricing plan has also been developed that Mr Anib believes to be both reasonable and now 'more accessible' to new customers.
He explained: "The prices had to be changed because we needed to adapt to the environment that we are in.
"When they opened this resort the rates were completely overpriced in my opinion.
"Even if there wasn't a recession I would say these prices were ridiculous. What is the point of having all these beautiful villas if no one is staying in them because the prices are too high?
"The pricing of our resort is very essential to us."
Right now Al Areen has a number of special promotions on offer to entice guests to indulge in the splendours of the resort.
Mr Anib added: "Today we are on the right track as we have already started hiring and have agreed on a marketing and pricing strategy.
"I give us another three months and we will be completely up to par. Mind you, already we are busy every weekend."
