Zara Investment Holdings own several hotels in Jordan, including the Grand Hyatt Amman, Intercontinental Amman, Mövenpick Dead Sea Resort and Mövenpick Petra hotels. When they decided to construct a brand new resort at Tala Bay on the Red Sea, they brought in Harry Gregory from ara Design in London to design the interiors of the 456 bedroom property. Hotel Spec looks at Jordan’s Window to the Sea: Aqaba.
In autumn of 2009 the long awaited Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay Aqaba opened on the idyllic southern shores of the Red Sea, an area blessed with year round sunshine. The owners and Mövenpick have collaborated successfully over the past fifteen years on all five of their hotels in Jordan. Completing the dynamic trio, is London based ara Design, who has provided its design services for all of the Jordan properties.
“When it came to Aqaba, we wanted to keep the interiors understated and let the area speak for itself,” explains designer Harry Gregory. “We wanted a modern feel but also wanted to subtly reference the location, with elements of Arabic design. We particularly wanted the guestrooms to honour a simple local living experience.”
The view is considered to be one of the main features of the guestrooms, and every one of the 456 rooms boasts vistas over the breathtaking scenery of the Red Sea and the coastal mountains of Sinai. The guestroom interiors are spacious, making them light, breezy and peaceful. Large stone slabs on the floor keep guests cool in the heat. The decor is a palette of aquamarine, violet, mandarin and lamps made from large stacked pebbles sit atop the oak nightstands. The rug was sourced locally and the artwork was influenced by Arabic art. “There is a definite resort feel here,” says Harry.
“Aqaba’s greatest asset is the Red Sea itself, so we took great inspiration from this for the public areas. Aqaba is an oasis in the desert, and is teeming with a plethora of marine life. The hotel also has abundant leisure facilities for the guests, so we decided to incorporate this into the design, again in a contemporary way.”
The entrance is striking. A beautiful feature staircase with built-in lighting and intricate Arabic carvings on the balustrade ascends from a bridge between the indoor water features. The sandy marble contrasts with the turquoise lagoons and oversized planting to provide tranquillity and soothe the guests upon their arrival. On closer inspection you can spot the coconut shell pendants above reception, furniture made from textured bamboo and fossilised wood, consoles crafted from driftwood with lamps reminiscent of antique diving suits, and a feature floor lamp finished in resin and coconut that resembles a large octopus tentacle. The Najel, an all day dining restaurant, displays eye-catching pendants made from glass globes with red murano glass coral branches.
The place to watch the magical sunsets every night is at Siraj, the Arguilah Terrace and outdoor 
lounge. It is a very beautiful and romantic area of the hotel, particularly the light effect at dusk. Arabic antique brass pendants from a source in Damascus, hang from a timber beam structure on the terrace, and at night they glow like illuminated jellyfish! Glowing oversized vases also help to create the “mood” on this large terrace with its mixture of rattan chairs and modern sofa seating.
Another area of interest is the function room. The resorts conference facilities are designed to suit every need and this is a state of the art meeting facility. “The carpet is a main feature here,” explains Harry. “We took inspiration from sand dunes on a sea bed and livened it up with cerulean and teal accents. The coffer is back lit with aqua lighting, evoking thoughts of diving, complete with the hand twisted glass pendants like twisted branches of yellowish seaweed.”
Other outlets in the hotel include a traditional Italian restaurant and a Fun Bar.
The Italian restaurant has a log burning pizza oven and is designed in a more traditional manner with modern overtones. The bar has various zones where a guest can truly wind down or have fun dancing. The hotel is not an ocean themed resort, but designed with an appreciation of the beautiful natural environment and conveyed through indigenous materials. Mövenpick Resort Tala Bay brings even more prestige to Mövenpick’s ever expanding portfolio.