Launching of Wyndham Grand Manama in Bahrain Bay coming soon!
Twist and Shout!
A new five star hotel with 263 rooms situated in one of the most iconic landmarks on the Manama skyline is nearing completion and GulfWeekly was granted exclusive access into its interior.
The Wyndham Grand Manama will cover an area of 19 floors of the striking twisted Landmark United Tower, which was originally projected to be completed by December 2013.
Spacious hotel rooms with stunning views are shaping up and an army of workers are putting the finishing touches to the building inside and out with the aim of a soft opening of the property by the end of spring or early summer.
Conducting the operation is seasoned hotelier Klaus Elftmann, a dapper-looking German with a soft voice and a charming personality, who colleagues say leads from the front as a ‘hands-on-manager’.
“We are at the final stages of construction”, said Klaus “and are already starting to set up the rooms and the restaurant equipment.
At this stage it is essential to make sure we have a smooth opening for our first guests and that means undergoing daily testing of our products in every single room, until we come close to perfection.”
If experience counts in the hospitality sector, then Klaus, has it in abundance with a string of global openings to his name and he’ll need to use that nouse to make the kind of impression he desires in a highly-competitive island arena.
Taking shape with grand expectations
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 close, 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 traveler”. [...]
“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. […]
Of the Wyndham Grand Manama’s 19th floors, 14 will be allocated to 260 guest rooms. Room sizes will range from 42sqm to 86sqm. […].
When all areas are operational The Wyndham Grand Manama will have a 350-450-strong team and recruiting is currently on-going.
“Although our human resources director is mainly handling the matter of recruitment”, said Klaus, “my 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. [...]
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 always say that hospitality offers people a great future, a 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 and today’s younger generation are eager to experience.”
It can also mean finding love, as Klaus can justify. […]
The Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotelier company, signed the agreement in 2012 to manage the building, converting part of 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 the 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.”
Source: http://www.gulfweekly.com/
