Middle East Hotel News
Dusit International will operate the dusitD2 Seef Bahrain, a hotel targeted at business and leisure travelers, which is scheduled to open in Manama, the country’s modern capital, in 2018.
dusitD2 Seef Bahrain will be the Thai-based, hospitality group’s first hotel or resort in Bahrain. It is being developed by the Al Manzil Hospitality Group.
Dusit International already has five properties in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, where an additional five hotels are under development.
Officially known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the GCC is a trading bloc that comprises all of the Arabian states of the Persian Gulf except for Iraq: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
dusitD2 Seef Bahrain will have 195 rooms and suites with sea views. There will be several restaurants.
Other facilities will include a kids’ club, a health and fitness centre, a spa, a rooftop swimming pool, and facilities for meetings and events.
Location, Location, Location
Bahrain is popular with tourists from Saudi Arabia, which accounts for about 60% of arrivals, and other countries in the Middle East.
Thanks to its rich cultural and historical legacy, Bahrain is starting to attract a growing number of travelers from further afield.
Tourist attractions include several forts, castles, museums, and ancient burial mounds. There are well-preserved ruins of houses, temples, and cemeteries from the third millennium BC.
Bahrain has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Qal’at al-Bahrain (pictured above), is know in English as the Fort of Bahrain.
The fort is located atop an artificial hill that dates back more than 4,000 years. Excavations of the last several decades have revealed residential, commercial, and military components.
Bahrain's other UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Suq al Qaisariya is a collection of old shops selling traditional products such as pears, spices, and teas.
While not a UNESCO heritage site, the Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmed Al Fateh Fort (pictured above) is also worth a visit. It is commonly known as Riffa Fort.
Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park (pictured above) is the largest free-standing water park in the Middle East. The water-based amusement park has 18 slides, pool, and fountains, and other attractions.
What a great way to beat the dessert heat!
Other amusement parks in Bahrain include Adhari Park, which is based around a fresh water spring, the AL Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve, Azizia Bird Kingdom, and Gravity, Bahrain's first indoor skydiving experience.
Gold City (above) is one of the many shopping malls that dot the landscape of Manama, Bahrain's capital and largest city.
Major international events include the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Bahrain International Airshow, which is held biennially at the Aakhir Air Based.
Transport
The dusitD2 Seef Bahrain is located near Bahrain International Airport, which is a hub for Gulf Air and three smaller domestic air carriers.
The airport is served by nearly 25 airlines, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, KLM, and Turkish Airlines.
There is airline scheduled service to Britain, Dubai, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
The airport is served by the following Accidental Travel Writer affiliates:
- Emirates Airline
- Etihad Airways
- Jet Airways
- Lufthansa German Airlines
Dusit International 101
Based in Thailand, Dusit International operates 29 hotels and resorts around the world.
There are currently 51 confirmed projects in the pipeline in the following travel destinations: Australia, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Dusit International operates hotels and resorts under the following brands: Dusit Thani, dusitD2, and DusitPrincess. The company also operates spas under the Dusit Devarana label.