62 June 2014 www.bahrainthismonth.com interview Bahrain This Month caught up with Panos Panagis, the general manager at The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa, as he was reviewing the big changes at the hotel along with his director of engineering, Salim Thakur. Panos believes the BD2.5 million revamp and refurbishment exercise, which began in January, will turn the hotel ballroom into the premier meetings and events facility in the Kingdom. “One of our objectives was to raise the ballroom ceiling for a more spacious and airy setting for events. We’re giving a contemporary setting while at the same time keeping the classical feel intact. We’ll bring back the chandeliers as they are now in fashion,” says Panos. The ballroom, which encompasses 1,200 squaremetres of space for meetings which will be able to seat up to 1,000 people for dinner, is one of the largest five-star venues in Bahrain. Overall, the hotel’s 3,450-square-metre conference capacity can accommodate up to 2,000 delegates. This includes 14 meeting rooms and two ballrooms, including the rooftop Al Fanar that reopened in 2012 after renovation. Panos notes that the events market has grown by around five per cent annually over the last three years, and the hotel has many return customers in this segment. “For business events, our main objective is to attract companies from Dubai and elsewhere in the GCC to hold regional conferences in Bahrain. In the weddings segment, we hosted over 100 weddings every year before we closed and we’d like to see these numbers being achieved again, but in a more enjoyable and comfortable ambience,” he says. The ballroom will be ready by mid-August and bookings have already started to come in for September this year. The hotel owners haven’t spared any expense in the refurbishment exercise. All audio-visual equipment is being replaced with the latest technology to compete with the bigger venues in the GCC. “Food is a crucial component of our banquets. Whether it’s business events or weddings, we’re not afraid to take our cooking skills to the next level, and try and learn. No matter where people come from and what their requirements are, we try and give it a homely feel, make it interesting and impress the guests,” notes Panos. Next in the pipeline for the hotel is the refurbishment of bedrooms and some public areas, which should start sometime next year. A complete product Panos has been impressed by the commitment of the National Hotels Company to constantly invest in and improve their product. “Having built the office tower earlier, the owners are now investing in meetings and events facilities and have further committed to renovating the rooms. This will conclude our expansion as a complete location in the centre of Manama. We look forward to being the business and leisure centre on the island,” he says. Dressing Up in Style Panos Panagis and Salim Thakur We go behind the scenes of an ambitious renovation exercise that is now unfolding at this five-star hotel, to see what is taking shape.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==