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The Ramee Group of Hotels will introduce a new face to the island's growing hospitality sector with a BD25 million five-star hotel under construction in Seef District.
The Ramee Grand, set to become the island's tallest five-star hotel, will be completed by the end of 2011.
The designers of the hotel, which is being developed by Millennium Middle East Properties, a joint venture between Alireza & Sons Group and Ramee Group of Hotels, say it will 'exhibit a modern contemporary theme with a local cultural touch'.
General manager and project head, Ahamed Nadeem said: "The hotel is strategically located within easy accessibility to major financial and banking centres of the kingdom such as the Bahrain Financial Harbour, the Diplomatic Area, Manama as well as shopping centres such as the Seef Mall, Bahrain City Centre and the souq.
"Once it's completed, the Ramee Grand will also be the tallest five-star hotel on the island. The structure will be laced with lot of glazing and guests will be able to enjoy panoramic views of the bustling Seef area and the beauty of the sea."
The luxury accommodation is being built on a total area of 40,000 square metres and will feature state-of-the-art amenities and services.
Mr Nadeem, 28, said: "Guests will be able to enjoy leisure and recreational facilities which include a spacious outdoor swimming pool which will overlook a relaxing landscape, a fully-equipped gymnasium and a children's play area. There will be an in-house day spa offering all kinds of therapies and treatments."
The hotel will also feature around 1,000 sq/m of meeting and conferencing facilities, executive floor rooms with a private lounge and meeting rooms offering additional privileges. It is being designed for business, leisure and family holidays and its basement car parking area will offer a valet service and 10 elevators will carry guests to their rooms.
The architect and master planner of the hotel is Dr Bruno Leon of the Bahrain Engineering Bureau and the interior design is being carried out by the Design World Partners.
Mr Nadeem added: "We also have several qualified contractors for individual trades who have been managed and co-ordinated by an in-house project management team.
"We will be recruiting more than 300 staff for our new property, out of which 125 will be locals."
For food connoisseurs, the hotel will open four fine-dining restaurants with a variety of themes and an international array of cuisines as well as a Tea Lounge. The hotel's unique feature will be its roof-top lounge bar boasting a 360-degree view of the island.
Despite five-star hotels mushrooming rapidly on the island, Mr Nadeem is looking forward to the challenge from old and new players in the hospitality market.
He said: "Competition is always good for any kind of industry; it promotes best service and value for money.
"The government has been doing commendable work in promoting tourism which is one of the main agendas of the kingdom's national strategic plan, 'Bahrain 2030'. We wish to contribute to it as well.
"We are adapting impeccable construction practices to create a world-class property.
"We are confident that our top quality services, added to a homely comfort, will definitely attract guests."
The company is working on increasing its portfolio by adding two more five-star hotels in Bahrain as well as in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bangalore, India.
Mr Nadeem said: "Being in the market for the past three decades, we have been successful in developing and managing three and four-star properties. We are achieving the vision of Ramee Group to enter the five-star segment and hope to start another success story.
"We are also diversifying our business into the retail and lifestyle sectors starting with a mega shopping mall scheduled to be opened by the end of this year in Chennai, India."
