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The ceo of the design firm that's creating two high-profile hotels in the Arabian Gulf says the region "has established a luxury brand identity for itself that is as powerful as Bulgari, Ferragamo and Mont Blanc."
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Jeffrey Ornstein, ceo of J/Brice Design International, offered that assessment at a recent hotel investors conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "The Arabian Peninsula used to be dominated by neo-modernist, international-style architecture," said Ornstein, whose firm is designing the Khalifa Hotel and Aspire Tower in Doha, Qatar and the $300 million Al-Kohbar Hotel and Towers in Saudi Arabia. "With the Arab World's identity growing stronger, Islamic themes are now being interpreted in the architecture and interior design of the Gulf's new signature hotels."
Ornstein noted that in the 19th and 20th centuries, brands like the Ritz, the Savoy and Raffles resonated with sophisticated consumers. In the coming century, Ornstein predicts, the "legendary hotels are being created in the Arab World by designers who can interpret the cultural and social imperatives of the region while simultaneously creating environments that are relevant to the lifestyles of wealthy international patrons."
He added that the center of international luxury hotel standards "first moved to the region when the Burj al Arab branded Dubai - just as powerfully as the Eiffel Tower branded Paris and the Golden Gate Bridge branded San Francisco. Most notably, the Burj al Arab's iconic sail shape marks the first time a hotel, rather than a public structure, has become the symbol of an international city."
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