A BD10 million resort being built on the Manama coast should be ready to open in the first week of February.
The Novotel Al Dana Resort had originally been scheduled to open in September, but workmen are now adding the final touches to the four-star hotel.
Itis already accepting bookings from February 15 and a surge of interest means itis already fully booked for March.
The opening date may yet be brought forward if work on the village theme resort iscompleted ahead of schedule.
"Rightnow we are doing the landscaping and by the end of the month it should bepretty much completed in terms of hardware," said general manager PhilippeMontaubin.
"IfI am sure we will be ready for the first week of February, then I will bringthe date forward."
The 174-room resort has been developed by Al Jazeera Tourism Company, at thesouthern side of the Manama-Muharraq lagoon.
It will create 190 jobs for staff from 25 different countries - 20 per cent of them Bahrainis.
The traditional Arabic and Western design is drawing interest from both the local population and overseas visitors, he said.
"The hotel has generated a lot of curiosity, both among the local community and the expatriate community," said Mr. Mantaubin.
"We have found the local people to be very proud of it because it captures their heritage."
"Everything has been reproduced as it would have been a couple of thousand years ago."
But although the resort carries a four-star rating, Mr Montaubin says its facilities are closer to a five-star hotel.
He says this was a deliberate decision taken after the company identified a gap inthe four-star market in Bahrain.
"Alot of people are concentrating on the five-star market, but not everybody canafford it," he said.
"That is why we are coming in with a four-star hotel. We are a deluxe four-star."
"Technically,it is a five-star and was built with five-star standards in mind."
"Butwe believe that middle-rated four-star and three-star hotels have a niche here that has not been tapped."
TheNovotel Al Dana Resort boasts three restaurants including L'Alize, which is ina threatre-style open-air setting and La Perle, which is a seafood restaurantoverlooking the beach.
One of the main objectives of the hotel management has been to create a distinctly family atmosphere.
"Whatis going to be attractive is the family feel," said Mr Montaubin.
Inkeeping with the family image, the resort also provides guests with a nursery,where parents can leave their children while they pursue other activities.
Additions which were not included in the original plans are squash courts, tennis courts and a diving centre.
Meanwhile, the resort also boasts a 500-cubic metre swimming pool, three gyms, a private beach, water sports, shops, boutiques and a business centre.
"Itis a resort in the centre of the city. At the same time, it is a business hotel."
"It will attract businessmen in the week and families at the weekend," said Mr Montaubin.
Novotel comes under the umbrella of parent company Accor Hotels, which operates 3,800hotels worldwide.
Seventeen of those are located in the GCC and Mr Montaubin says the company plans todouble that figure over the next four to five years.
This means there is a good chance its other hotel brands - such as the five-star Sofitel and four to five-star Mercure - could appear in Bahrain in the near future.
ByRobert Smith
Gulf Daily News - Saturday 21stDecember, 2002
