Architecture & Design | Areen Hospitality
phones to retired couples travelling the world. “As hospitality designers we are also restaurant designers, conference designers and spa designers so it is a hugely varied job that requires a lot of detailed knowledge,” says Trevor. Areen can be working on 10 to 12 hotels at a time. The work overlaps as the emerging markets can be very stop-start depending on many circumstances such as cash flow and the current political climate. The company is known for being willing to take on projects in sensitive regions and working through the accompanying problems. At the moment the Sierra Leone project has gone live again, and there are half a dozen proposals on the table for projects in Lagos. Every project is assigned three people who will live and breathe it, trying to create the best design given the environment within which they are working. “We design to the abilities of the
Raffles Makkah Clock Tower, Kaaba View
aren’t hotel specialists get an area programme from the owner and they create plans which are signed off. Then we come along and the first thing we do is get the pencil out and make it work. Usually the architect takes it on board. If not, it means we are already on the wrong foot and we have to work hard to
help our client understand why the changes have to be made.” As a firm Areen ensures that its
designers stay in the latest hotels where they can experience different hotel services and functions. They also learn the differing requirements of guests, from business executives tied to their
King Abdulaziz International Airport First & Business Class Lounges Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
people who are on the ground,” says Andrew Linwood. “As British designers we do a lot more detailing on paper than the Americans, who tend to do a design intent and leave it to the contractor to finish. We work with people who support us and are reliable, and we try to resolve the issue of knock-off, where competing local companies take our designs and try to beat each other down in price. “There is a gap in the emerging markets for the whole design package. This is something the Saudis understand and we provide everything within a budget. Unfortunately in newer markets there is a lack of trust and transparency so it will take us longer to build this up, and for people to understand we don’t make a margin on our designs.” Whether it’s minimalist Swiss for Swissotel or Asian opulence for Raffles, Areen’s job is to create the magic for hotel guests whether they are road warriors, retirees or honeymooners. “We become very attached to our projects and it’s hard to let go of them,” says Trevor. “Our reward is the comments from guests who appreciate the interiors we create.”
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FURTHER INFORMATION
www.areenhospitality.com
global-opportunity.co.uk ISSUE 01 | GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY 2014 115
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