Elliott ... Abu Dhabi role.
Luxury Living
More than 180 projects and 60 years later, WATG continues to consolidate its growing design empire and live up to its mission of redefining luxury destinations across the globe.
01 May 2005
IN the 60 years of its existence, Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo (WATG) has been redefining luxury in some of the best hotels and resorts across the globe and living up to its mission of creating successful destinations.
As a leading international design consultant for the hospitality, leisure and entertainment industries, WATG has not just been designing buildings but has been scripting opportunities for people to find rejuvenation, recreation, romance, excitement, escape, and enrichment in these enchanting settings.
The practice, which has been involved in more than 180 projects across the globe, has built up a global design empire with offices worldwide by believing in being present where the action is.
With the construction sector in the Middle East showing enormous promise, WATG is looking at getting closer to the action by opening up new offices in the area.
Senior vice president and executive director John Elliott will be heading up a new front line office in Abu Dhabi in the near future.
The practice is certainly no newcomer to the region, having been actively involved in the design of various projects in more than 13 countries throughout the Middle East and Africa.
“Hotels should be the most cost-efficient factories in the world, and also be capable to stage sets. Finding the balance results in a dream performance and a successful hotel,” says Elliott.
“Unlike other projects, hotels are fairly unique, for when they are finished, they start to take money instantly. The name of the game is opening as quickly as possible. It’s not a case of good architects, but simply good clients, for good clients make decisions, and make certain that projects are completed as quickly as possible.”
Culture, environment and efficiency are the key aspects WATG focuses on when designing projects and does not shy away from refusing to take on unachievable projects.
“The secret to being leaders of any peer group is knowing how to say ‘No’,” Elliott points out. “We reject unachievable gimmicks, for if you are a specialist, unachievable properties are asking for trouble. By saying ‘No’, you can gain a great deal of respect, as shown with 87 per cent of our global work repeat business, and I suspect this figure is even higher in the Middle East.”
“We are totally committed to preserving the heritage of the respective regions. A recent compliment was when in making reference to the Mövenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea in Jordan, it was stated we had created instant heritage,” he adds.
One of the challenging projects that the practice has completed recently in the Gulf is the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. Set in a 200-acre beachfront park, the design challenge was to create the finest example of a grand civic building in the UAE. The project – which includes three inter-related components, a heads of state guest palace, a conference centre and a luxury hotel – blends traditional materials and motifs with the latest technology.
True to its mission statement of “creating special environments that lift the spirit” WATG’s design captures the cultural formality and dignity of this important building and demonstrates the firm’s design sensitivity to location and environment, says Elliott.
Elliott believes that the region currently lacks grand civic buildings of the Emirates Palace type but expects some to come up soon.
“Eventually, the regional tycoons will copy the likes of the Rockefellers. There will be university libraries and teaching hospitals, but at present work is cost effective and cost efficient,” he says.
Another prestigious WATG project that is set for opening by the year-end is the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort in Oman.
The firm is also working on several other projects in the region that include: a concert theatre in Muscat; The Atlantis on The Palm, Jumeirah, Atlantis Dubai Phase II (Coral Tower), Burj Tower (The Residences), Dubai Festival City Golf Clubhouse, Dubai Sports City, and the Emirates Hills housing (all in Dubai); an eco-project at Hawar and Riffa golf residential community, Bahrain; Kuwait Regency Palace Hotel and the Marina Hotel in Kuwait; Sheraton in Heliopolis, Cairo; Shobily Grand Mall in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia; and three hotels in Oman, among others.
WATG believes that buildings that respect the climate, the culture and social environment are the ones that are ideal for the region. Currently there is a move towards adopting environmental building concepts and green buildings. Being the founder member of IHEI (International Hotels Environmental Initiative), WATG believes in promoting environment friendly building concepts.
“Recently I was speaking to Prince Charles in London about green buildings and we are utterly committed to ecological and environmental properties,” he adds.
In addition to hundreds of successful hotels and resorts, WATG’s portfolio includes: casinos and cruise ships; restaurants and clubs; convention centres and conference facilities; theme parks, water parks, and animal parks; themed retail, dining, and entertainment centres; timeshare properties; spas, sports clubs, and wellness centres; assisted-living facilities and senior housing; serviced apartments and extended-stay executive residences; master-planned resort and recreational communities; and mixed-use developments and marinas.
Some of the firm’s completed projects in the region include: Kuwait City Waterfront Development (Phase IV), and Kuwait Waterfront hotel and apartments (all in Kuwait); Al Bustan Hotel Muscat, Oman; West Bay Island masterplan Doha, Qatar; Royal Mirage, Dubai World Trade Centre Garden Apartments, Emirates Hills Golf Clubhouse and Golf Academy, among others.
