Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay - Aqaba

Nestled between spectacular mountains and the southern shores of the Red Sea, an Arabic-style edifice is the latest offering from Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.

Its location in the Tala Bay development, is one of the largest and most important ventures within the Aqaba Special Economic Zone and is set to become the first integrated resort and residential community in Jordan. At a cost of US$680 million, the project covers an area of approximately 2.7 million square meters and stretches along a 2km natural beachfront encompassing a variety of residential apartments and villas, retail outlets, restaurants and cafés as well as a number of hotels from international operators.

The 306-guestroom Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay brings the number of properties for the Swiss group to five, and marks a 15-year presence in Jordan. Sleeper was amongst its first guests following inauguration by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein on 12 November 2009. 
Main architects Arcadia Design, along with associate architect Sigma, have constructed a low-rise profile in keeping with the locality, choosing a deep burgundy finish for the striking façade. Owners Zara South Coast Development Company, a subsidiary of Zara Investment Holding, selected Ara Design to create the interiors and what started out as a three-star hotel, soon became a five-star property to rival the others in the portfolio.

“We wanted to create something very different from the client’s other hotels,” explains Ara Design Director Harry Gregory, referring to Mövenpick’s Dead Sea and Petra hotels, which he describes as “traditional Arabic”. “For Tala Bay, the design term I gave myself was modern Arabic,” he says.

“Having worked in Jordan for many years and having got to know the country very well indeed, our inspiration has come from past experiences and the many influences we’ve been exposed to travelling the country,” he continues. “There are colourful carpets and artwork in abundance, as well as decorative objects readily available in markets.”
Gregory purposely chose a neutral backdrop for the public spaces with detail found in the furniture, fabrics and upholstery. Colours are a fusion of the hotel’s surroundings: “We have a vibrant mix of everything from the fresh seaside colours of the Red Sea, to ochres, and darker rusts of the mountains,” he says, adding: “There are hints of local tradition such as in the grand entrance hall, but other areas such as The Bop bar are certainly more contemporary and cool in their design.”

The journey of colour from the outdoors, indoors is apparent in The Baraka Lobby Lounge & Bar through its full-height windows with views of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Splashes of citrus also feature in the furniture supplied by Budji, PS Interiors, and Origlia. Traditional lanterns and modern glass chandeliers are provided by Northern Lights and local sources.

Leading off from the main lobby is the Mello chill out bar and Siraj with Arguilah Terrace. It is here where Sleeper spent an evening watching the sunset from Budji’s wicker sofas accompanied by live entertainment and traditional shisha water pipes. The name ‘Siraj’ – from the flame of an oil lamp – signifies the mood of the terrace and flickers of the light from the hanging lanterns.

The resort operates further restaurants and bars, which vary in design from Sejan, the al fresco poolside eatery, to Casalingo, an Italian fine dining restaurant influenced by nature.

The resort’s 306 guestrooms, including suites and purpose-built family rooms, all enjoy mountain and Red Sea views and range from 34m2 for a standard room to 112m2 for a Tala Bay suite. Interiors are again a reflection of their surroundings with ochre forming the accent colour in rugs and the Rubelli and Seltex upholstery. Textured mauve wallcoverings and pale turquoise drapes complete the picture. Rooms are spacious enough to allow for lounge furniture in the form of Kenneth Cobonpue’s La Luna easy armchairs in brown rattan.

The resort offers a range of outdoor leisure space with three swimming pools, a ‘lazy’ river, ornamental fountains, waterfalls, and lush gardens landscaped by Site Concepts International.

The second phase of development, due for completion in February 2010, will see the addition of 150 guestrooms and a Zara Spa of the same standard of that at the Dead Sea resort, which was completed in 2007 and on Sleeper’s itinerary. The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea was the first five-star property in the area when it first opened in 1999. It has since undergone expansion with the addition of 24 beachside guestrooms, another restaurant, and a tranquil Therapy Centre designed to attract ‘health tourists’ for medical treatments that incorporate the natural healing properties of the Dead Sea.

Sleeper also visited the Palm Court Restaurant and Terrace at Tala Bay’s sister hotel located 14km north in Aqaba town centre. With an open kitchen, the recently renovated restaurant features a fresh and modern scheme with high gloss surfaces in varying shades of green, a shimmering bead curtain to separate the private dining area, and dozens of hanging white shades to create feature lighting.

Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay
South Beach Road, Tala Bay Area, PO Box 2425
Aqaba,  77110, Jordan
Tel: +962 3 209 0300
Web: www.moevenpick-hotels.com

Rooms 306 guestrooms & suites
Dining Najel, Casalingo, Sejan
Drinking Baraka, Siraj, Mello, The Bop
Leisure Zara Spa (expected February 2010)
Facilities Ballroom, meeting space & business centre

Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay
Ara Design Consultants
Clare Court
Judd Street
London
WC1H 9QW UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7278 3288
design@aradesign.co.uk
www.aradesign.co.uk