Thailand-based Minor Hotel Group (MHG) plans to develop a resort in Bahrain in partnership with Mumtalakat Holding Company, the kingdom's investment arm.

The Anantara Durrat Al Bahrain resort will be located on Durrat Al Bahrain, the kingdom’s second largest island development, which has been created across a cluster of 15 spectacular islands, reveals an exclusive report in TTN.

The hotel will be the first hospitality component in Durrat Al Bahrain, and will be an integrated destination project for leisure, business, and MICE (meetings, incentive, conferences and exhibitions) guests visiting Bahrain.

The 21-sq-km master development is located on the southeast coast of Bahrain and will include 2,000 beachfront villas, 3,600 executive apartments and offices, parks and entertainment precincts, premier retail malls and restaurants, along with a 400-berth marina. Some 1,000 luxury waterfront villas have already been completed as part of Phase One of the development.

Slated to open in 2018, Anantara Durrat Al Bahrain Resort will offer a total of 220 keys, including Lagoon View and Lagoon Access rooms, Beach Pool Villas and Overwater Pool Villas. Additional facilities will include a selection of restaurants, meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art ballroom, a gym, a kid’s club, a teen centre, and an impressive Anantara Spa.

William E Heinecke, chairman and CEO of Minor International, said: “We are very pleased to announce this new Anantara resort in Bahrain in partnership with Mumtalakat. It’s an exciting time for Minor Hotel Group as we continue to expand our footprint within the Middle East and wider MEA (Middle East and Africa) region, especially with our core luxury Anantara brand which, in addition to operating 10 properties in MEA, now has a further six properties in the pipeline in five countries in the region. We are looking forward to working closely with Mumtalakat going forward during the development of this new resort.”

Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotel Group, said: “Minor Hotel Group is already well established in the GCC through our portfolio of hotels and resorts in the UAE, and further growing our footprint in the region is of key strategic importance to the group. We are very pleased to be partnering with Mumtalakat to develop our first property in Bahrain, and we look forward to working closely with such a well respected partner to launch Anantara in the Kingdom.”

Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji, CEO of Mumtalakat said: “At Mumtalakat, we are always looking to partner with companies that have a strong growth potential to secure sustainable financial and economic returns to Bahrain. Today, we are delighted to be partnering with Minor Hotel Group to develop the first luxury waterfront hotel in Durrat Al Bahrain under the Anantara brand. This project will have a positive impact on Bahrain’s economy and will enhance the tourism sector in the Kingdom.

“Bahrain has long attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors a month from around the GCC and beyond thanks to its open, authentic culture, easy transport links and range of leisure activities. This development will help us to build on these strengths to tap into Bahrain’s potential as a resort destination as well a destination for city breaks. We are very pleased to be a part of this and we are excited about the potential for this investment.”

Having added its first property in Qatar at the beginning of the year, MHG now has a total of 10 hotels and resorts in operation across multiple brands in the Middle East, in addition to a growing pipeline. Two Anantara resorts are in the final stages of development in Oman and three new Anantara resorts have been announced earlier this year to open in the region in 2017/18 in the UAE, Tunisia and Morocco. Overall, Anantara currently has a portfolio of 34 hotels and resorts in operation in 10 countries across Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa and the Middle East, along with a pipeline of more than 10 properties in multiple countries. – TradeArabia News Service