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THE latest high-rise hotel to adorn the Juffair skyline was officially unveiled after its soft opening with senior executives from the hotel operating company flying in from Australia to join in the celebrations.
StayWell Holdings president and director Simon Wan sat next to Park Regis Lotus Hotel owner, property magnate Dr Varghese Kurian for a media briefing, bullish about their plans and optimistic about the kingdom’s burgeoning hospitality sector.
“Opening the Park Regis Lotus Hotel in Bahrain is an exciting achievement for StayWell to further cement its Park Regis brand in the region, with two already operating in Dubai with another one opening later this year and a further three under development in Saudi Arabia,” Simon said.
The 19-storey Juffair hotel boasts 164 rooms, fitness centre, pool and business facilities alongside a steak restaurant, lounges, patisserie & tearoom and a roof top café overlooking the sea to add to the bustling area’s attractions.
According to the four star property’s general manager Naveen Narayanan, the venue, like others in the kingdom, hopes to attract visiting families from across the causeway and built up its corporate business too.
Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority chief executive Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa was on hand to perform the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the newcomer’s arrival, part of a busy schedule in his 2018 dairy with more than a dozen other hotels scheduled to open this year.
With growing competition on the island and Saudi Arabia changing tack and moving towards developing its own attractions to keep the locals playing at home, veteran hotelier Simon, 59, was not too worried, convinced the long term future was rosy as he’d seen numerous global swings as markets open up and then consolidate.
He founded his company in 2006 with five hotels across Australia and has now set his sights on building a network of 100 hotels and apartments within the next decade. The group’s Prince brand portfolio not only operates hotels but also golf courses and ski resorts.
Simon says the company’s good name could help lure tourists too who are familiar and comfortable with the popular brand in their home countries as Bahrain’s grows as a holiday destination.
Varghese, chairman of the VKL Holdings and Al Namal Group, whose business interests include real estate, property development and management, construction, health and hospitality divisions, said the launch was a reflection of the company’s commitment to Bahrain’s tourism sector. Sweet music to the ears of Shaikh Khaled, just like that played by saxophonist Elton Shera at the opening.
“The opening of this hotel exemplifies our commitment towards the travel, tourism, hospitality and investment sectors in the country,” he added.
Both men are keen for the island’s tourism sector to grow and support efforts to encourage visitors to commit to longer stays of three days and more.
The conversation moved swiftly to a ‘destination Bahrain’ theme with VKL Holdings and how Al Namal Group’s plans are progressing on a Hidd waterfront hotel resort featuring an amusement park, water park, cinema, spa and private beach amongst its many attractions.
