Havelock One Interiors implemented the interiors for the Jumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort & spa, a new luxury resort on its West Coast beaches. The Jumeirah Group has opened the doors to its newest project in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This spectacular 196-room property is inspired by the island’s pearl diving heritage and will provide unrivalled Arabian hospitality with a focus on wellbeing. The Jumeirah Gulf of Bahrain seeks to diversify the growing hospitality landscape in Bahrain, by offering a haven on the pristine untouched beaches of the Arabian sea.
Havelock One was retained to deliver the manufacturing and fit-out, resulting in an end project that will allow guests to immerse themselves seamlessly in the luxuries on offer. The scope of the project spanned across all aspects of the hotel, including five types of guest bedrooms and villas, as well as ten restaurant zones, ranging from premium restaurants, family-style dining, and a poolside eatery. In addition, the fit-out of the lobby, meeting rooms, VIP majlis and FF&E for 12-15 zones.
The ID consultant, GM Architects and the concept architect, DSA Arch have designed a magnificent interior for this resort, spanning over 400,000 sq. ft. The use of mother-of-pearl accents and deep blue tones pay homage to Bahrain’s history as ‘the island of pearls’.
The wood works for this project were on a grand scale and included all bedroom aspects; doors, closets, vanity and hanging shelfs which were manufactured and fitted by Havelock One. Bespoke bed bases were created for all 196 rooms in Havelock One’s Bahrain factory, along with poolside cabanas and decorative screens.
In conversation with with Jihad Raad, Division Director Hospitality Manufacturing – Fit-Out Bahrain, Havelock One
Was it challenging to win this project?
There was a lot of competition to win the Jumeirah Gulf of Bahrain project as it’s such a prestigious addition to the hospitality landscape in Bahrain. We were invited to tender by the client and were hugely pleased to win the bid towards the end of 2019.
Why did Havelock One win the job?
The client had confidence that Havelock One, due to our experience and our facilities on the island, would be able to deliver the project on time. Our experience in coordination between trades helped win us the job, as there were so many moving parts and different suppliers involved in creating the finished design. The client was confident we had the contacts and skills to complete the necessary tying up of loose ends and ensure the project ran smoothly to completion.
What’s works did Havelock do?
We were responsible for most of the front of house areas, including supplying fixtures, furniture and equipment (FF&E) for the lobby, all day dining, banquet hall, spa, pool bar, Italian restaurant Due Mari, the main entrance porch, hallway ceilings, private luxury villas and bedrooms.
We completed the majority of the fit-out in all 196 guestrooms, including the ceilings, bedroom furniture, special finishes, mirrors, vanities, bespoke decorative cladding and doors.
We also created custom luxury cabanas for the pool area and an incredible curved ceiling feature in the pool bar.
What were the challenges you faced during the project?
The main challenge for us was joining the project at a later date and coordinating with so many existing stakeholders. We were awarded the job at the end of 2019 just before the start of the pandemic, as such we faced challenges with supply chain delays as well as having to identify new strategies to mitigate Covid cases on site in order to keep the work on schedule.
What’s the highlight for you of this project?
For me it was the enjoyment of working on a variety of themes throughout the project and the vast array of different materials we used, as each zone had its own look and feel.
In the FF&E in particular, there was so much diversity of the models we needed to cater to each functional area. All the variations meant a huge range of materials and details were needed to complete the manufacturing of the designs, which was challenging and stimulating at the same time.
We used different techniques including weaving, oriental patterns and arabesque fretwork made with our in-house CNC machines. In total we delivered approximately 9,000 pieces of FF&E, distributed throughout the guest rooms and 12-15 functional areas including public areas, corridors and spa.
Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?
Yes, we are off to a busy start this year with lots of new and existing opportunities in the hospitality sector. This year we will complete the luxury Raffles Al Alreen Bahrain hotel and we are currently very active in the Saudi Arabia hospitality market. We are excited to have just received the first order for phase one of the public areas of Four Seasons Riyadh.
Other existing projects include St. Regis Riyadh, The Oberoi Madina, Kimpton KAFD and Hampton by Hilton Kuwait.
