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General Manager Klaus Elftmann of The Wyndham Grand Manama is confident there is plenty of room for quality properties in a country with such a diverse population of residents and visitors.
But his competition couldn’t get much closer, as the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay shadows in the background and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Bahrain, and other five star offerings, are only a short drive away, with more to come.
Klaus, 65, admitted:“I was very surprised at the variety of existing and upcoming international chains available in the country. However challenging it may seem for all of us to succeed, I honestly believe that each of us serves a special customer segment, and, if we excel each in his specialty, there is enough room for everyone to succeed,” he added.
His philosophy is to ‘provide guests with extraordinary hospitality, dedicated unique service and an atmosphere of understated luxury’. The jacket came off, and sitting in the eighth floor operations room surrounded by his senior team, he looked confident.
“We will open our doors for the first customer by the end of the second quarter of this year,” he said. “The hotel will be fully operational with the exception of the ballroom and the concept restaurants, which will be completed by the end of the year “Wyndham Grand Manama is set in the iconic Landmark United Tower at Bahrain Bay, every step of every morning we look for ways to make it special, inside and out. We are proud of our exceptional product and look to amaze our guests with a quality on a similar level. “The Wyndham Grand Manama will be a dry hotel, with an excellent variety of room categories and sizes, which will fill in a required gap for the GCC family traveller.”
The rooms GWeekly were shown around were impressive with comfortable chairs, large beds, walk-in wardrobes, fabulous bathrooms, walls featuring classic wooden cladding and bold, brass fittings with stunning views over the sea and city.
Sitting next to me later in Room 1114, he said: “I’m a firm believer in the saying: ‘action speaks louder than words’. I really encourage people to try us, as we will be working hard to give guests a different experience from your typical hotel. “Everyone refers to our property as the ‘twisted tower’ and we are looking to twist the experience with excellence ... our mission will not stop at giving guests exceptional accommodation. We want to create a fond memory that will stay with them long after they check out.
“We are also planning three restaurants, one of which will be a unique all-day dining concept which will feature a wide variety of live cooking stations. We are moving away from the traditional buffet-style and seeking to have the variety and freshness that today’s customer is craving. “Our specialty restaurants are well-kept secrets for now, as we are looking to bring in a completely new dining experience to Bahrain.”
Of the Wyndham Grand Manama’s 19 floors, 14 will be allocated to 260 guest rooms. Room sizes will range from 42sqm to 86sqm. One clever feature is an easy to operate finger-touch panel for ‘lights, mood, curtains and climate’ choices without any fiddly controls to master.
The hotel is set to feature an impressive indoor pool as well as a sky-high adult outdoor infinity pool, plus a family pool in addition to a separate health club for men and women. As well as the three restaurants there will also be two lounges offering food.
A selection of floors will be dedicated to include 500sqm of meeting space and the 50th floor 900sqm ballroom, again with breathtaking sea views, aims to become a leading contender when it comes to involvement is in setting the correct prospective of the associate selection process.
“I remain closely involved in selecting the right talent for the hotel and personally interview each associate that is shortlisted to become a member of our growing team. “We are also delighted with the high calibre of Bahraini candidates and the interest shown by international applicants from key cities to be part of our team.”
That will be music to the ears of Tamkeen who are encouraging the kingdom’s young to snap up the opportunities the hospitality industry in the kingdom now offers. “I joined the hospitality sector about 51 years ago, with the main purpose of discovering the world and meeting new people!
“I always say that hospitality offers people a great future, the chance to meet strangers who turn into great friends as soon as you get to know them. In my opinion this career field offers the right amount of excitement and challenges that today’s younger generation are eager to experience.”
It can also mean finding love, as Klaus can justify. He met his Austrian wife, Carola, a former director of sales & marketing, thanks to the industry. “We actually met in a hotel about 31 years ago when she applied for a job at my hotel!” he revealed.
The couple have three children, Natalie, 38, a trainer in a pharmacy company, Patrick, 36, senior partner at an international management consulting company, and Lallique, 11 and turning 12 soon, who attends an international school in Germany.
Klaus’ career has taken him all over the world. His recent achievements include opening the five-star Kempinski Hotel Changsha in China, the five-star Novi Spa Hotel & Resort in Croatia, and the first company-managed hotel of the Wyndham Hotel Group in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Not surprisingly, Klaus and Carola enjoy travelling in their spare time too. “We have been to about 110-plus countries,” said Klaus. “I do enjoy reading a book and discovering new animals, normally every year my travel plans include discovering a different animal!”
Having arrived in the kingdom last July and currently living in Juffair, he has yet to sample the delights of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, although in 2018, he’ll be hoping the Wyndham Grand Manama gets a handsome cut of the Formula One cake.
Quite a few Germans have found it a rewarding experience, take the circuit’s legendary first winner Michael Schumacher and last year’s Nico Rosberg, who went on to become world champion too before retiring from the sport. “I do obviously support the German drivers and enjoy watching the races,” said Klaus. “I’m very excited to visit the Bahrain Grand Prix which I believe is a beautiful attraction in the country and was one of the first things to help set up Bahrain on the international tourism map.”
The Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotelier company, signed the agreement in 2012 to manage the building, converting part of it it into the first Wyndham Grand property to grace the island.
Its grand foyer, with shell like decoration at reception looks welcoming and there will be another entrance for office workers sharing the building. Owners Ahmed AlQaed Group is regarded as one of Bahrain’s most active integrated real estate developers, with a focus on developing commercial, residential, retail, hospitality and mixed-use properties.
“It’s the passion for what we do,” said company founder, Ahmed AlQaed. “I’m personally involved at every stage of the developments - we work with complete dedication, commitment and love for each project.”
