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Strengthening its foothold in Bahrain, global hotel management company Swiss-Belhotel International (SBI) will triple its inventory of rooms in the kingdom this year with the opening of two new hotels already under development.
Grand Swiss-Belresort Seef, a 189-key five-star luxury resort, will be ready by the last quarter of the year and there is a new residential property in Juffair in the final stages of being branded as Swiss-Belresidences which will open doors in December.
These two new properties will be joining the existing award-winning Swiss-Belhotel Seef that has contributed to the group’s ‘strong reputation’ in Bahrain and received several accolades including the ‘Best 4-Star Hotel in GCC’ at the recent Food & Travel Awards.
Gavin M. Faull, chairman and president of Swiss-Belhotel International, said: “We are pleased to expand our footprint in Bahrain where we have enjoyed great success with our flagship property Swiss-Belhotel Seef.
“The new developments are in line with our multi-brand growth strategy and reinforce our commitment to Bahrain where we continue to see a strong demand. We look forward to a long-term partnership with our valued owners and associates.”
Bahrain is making significant investment into its tourism-related infrastructure, including a $1.1 billion airport expansion, and the kingdom also has plans to expand its current exhibition centre to accommodate large-scale events across all categories. The annual grand prix and testing sessions continue to grow in popularity and fill hotel rooms with F1 drivers, their support teams as well as visiting fans.
Speaking at this week’s Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Laurent A. Voivenel, Swiss-Belhotel International’s senior vice president, operations and development for the Middle East, Africa and India, added: “The tourism industry in Bahrain is growing rapidly with the kingdom expecting to welcome 15.8 million annual visitors by 2018.
“This has significantly pushed the demand for quality hotels. We understand the needs of our customers and are confident both Swiss-Belresidences Juffair and Grand Swiss-Belresort Seef will perfectly complement our existing hotel in Bahrain, as well as supporting our wider expansion plans and growth strategy in the region as a whole by diversifying our product offering.”
