Dubai: Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island will be the site of the first Mandarin Oriental hotel in the region, with the opening scheduled for late 2013 or early 2014. This will be followed by one in Doha.
"We are still more of a boutique hotel group with just 26 properties around the world and this property [in Abu Dhabi] will be a milestone for us as a brand," said Christoph Mares, director of operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. "We are very excited about our Middle East properties."
The hotel on Saadiyat Island, being developed by Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), will feature 195 rooms, including serviced apartments, and 50 residences, a signature spa and a host of food and beverage outlets. Talks are on to finalise the architects and interior designers for the property. "The architectural plans have not been finalised yet as we will hopefully be appointing architects and interior decorators in the next few weeks," said Mares.
"I haven't seen the cultural directions in the interiors of the property, but I'm pretty sure it will be in keeping with Mandarin's policy of ‘place-focused architecture'. We don't do cookie-cutter hotels that look the same.
Local environment
"We make sure our designs are adapted to the property's local environment as we've done in Bangkok, Hong Kong, New York and London. And Abu Dhabi is so culture-oriented what with all the museums coming up on Saadiyat Island alone. The property will be built keeping in mind the combination of tourism and culture."
Mares, who has been with the operator for over 11 years, joined when it had a portfolio of 11 properties of which only two were "abroad" — in San Francisco and London and the rest in the Asian heartland. "Today, we are 26 operations and by 2014 we will be 42, if not more as this only includes the ones that have been announced," he said.
"We are now recognised as a global hospitality brand and the interesting part is that the core team that started out under the new CEO in 1999 is almost intact even today. One of the important reasons for our growth was the acquisition of the Raphael group which brought us a whole lot of hotels in Europe.
"We have expanded incredibly, yet organically, in a short time and with a wonderful group of people who've pretty much stayed together."
The main attractions of the chain are the quality and tradition of service, he said. "What makes Mandarin stand out is the consistent level of service which is deep-rooted in its Asian culture and tradition," he added. "This sophistication has branched out from our core hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Hong Kong. Secondly, we are very selective of location of the property in all the projects we develop, or partner in. We create unique designs; for example the Victorian building in London and the interiors of New York are in keeping with the cities.
"Thirdly, there's the unique offering of food and beverage capabilities that connect to the local community as well as international guests who come to a new hotel to be part of the social fabric of the city. We've worked with various chefs from around the world, whether it be Daniel Boulud or Heston Blumenthal, and we proposed just as unique concepts for the Gulf… though I cannot mention them yet. If they come to fruition I'm sure you would not have seen anything like it here. Last but not least it's our expertise in spas.
"Because of our Asian heritage we develop our own treatments. We have our own spa brand and designated spa team."
With Earth Day coming up on April 8, how much is the Mandarin Group contributing to this key facet of environment protection? "First, let me tell you about our newest property that opens this year in Paris," said Mares. "This will be the first hotel in Europe to receive what in France is called an HQE certification [Haute qualité environnementale] as it's specifically built from materials chosen to be 100 per cent environmentally-compliant according to French legislation... It will also be one of the most advanced buildings in terms of heating technology, water recycling and refuse recycling.
"Apart from this we have a focused group in our company led by our development director and president, Terry Stinson, in the US. Called Sustainability Programme, the group regularly studies and updates earlier technology to reduce carbon emissions, save energy, etc."
Luxury living: revolutionary spas
The Mandarin Oriental on Saadiyat Island will have 160 luxury guestrooms and suites, 35 serviced apartments and 50 branded ‘Residences at Mandarin Oriental'.
Other facilities include the Spa at Mandarin Oriental which will introduce the group's award-winning spa concepts to the Middle East. Apart from the six restaurants, the hotel will have a private beach club, a fitness centre and a large outdoor swimming pool and preferred access to the 18-hole championship Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, which will wrap around the resort.
Mandarin Oriental, Doha located in Musheireb is scheduled to open in 2014. It will feature 160 rooms and suites and 95 serviced apartments.
Facilities will include the Spa at Mandarin Oriental with ten private treatment rooms as well as a vitality pool and other heat and water experiences, an indoor swimming pool and fitness centre.
