Ennismore to Manage Rixos Al Areen Hotel in Bahrain MOU

Al Areen Park Hotel W.L.L. has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ennismore to manage and operate the Rixos Al Areen Hotel, planting an international lifestyle brand beside Bahrain's largest water park. The signing took place at Gateway Gulf in the Kingdom of Bahrain in November 2026, with Amin Al Arrayed, board member of Al Areen Park Hotel, in attendance.

The deal puts Ennismore — the Accor-backed lifestyle collective whose ecosystem spans 16 brands, 190-plus operating hotels, another 145-plus in the pipeline, more than 500 restaurants and bars, and a network of 50-plus branded residences — in charge of a property that Al Areen Development wants at the center of its master plan. That plan, an integrated mixed-use destination of residential, hospitality, retail and leisure projects, is being built around contemporary design and the area's natural environment.

The hotel won't simply change its flag. Under the MOU, it will be relaunched under the Rixos brand following a development and upgrade plan aligned with brand standards. What does that change for the asset itself? The repositioned property will carry a full family-leisure package:

• Guest rooms and hotel villas
• Rixos-branded residential apartments
• A selection of restaurants
• A spa and gym
• Ballroom and meeting facilities
• A kids' club

The kids' club and residential component matter here. Rixos built its name on all-inclusive family resorts, and the Al Areen tie-in is deliberate. The hotel sits directly connected to Janat Dilmun, Bahrain's largest water park, and together the two will form what the developers call an integrated stay-and-play destination — one designed to pull families from inside the Kingdom and from abroad, rather than compete for business travelers.

Dr Ahlam Zainal, chief executive officer of Al Areen Development, framed the MOU as brand recruitment, not just a management swap. "We are delighted to welcome Rixos to Al Areen," she said. "It is a global brand with extensive experience in delivering family hospitality and entertainment, which complements Janat Dilmun Water Park perfectly."

Her counterpart at Areen Hospitality, chief executive officer Dr Essa Faqeeh, pointed to the bundling logic. "Combining a Rixos hotel with Janat Dilmun Water Park will give families and visitors a complete stay and entertainment experience in one place," he said.

Who is actually operating the hotel?

Ennismore, founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Sharan Pasricha, became a joint venture with Accor in 2021 — an autonomous entity in which Accor holds a majority shareholding, and which the company describes as the fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality operator in its segment. It runs hotels in more than 40 countries with over 25,000 team members, supported by four in-house studios covering F&B, interior and graphic design, digital product and tech, and partnerships. Rixos sits within its immersive resorts pillar, the havens-for-escapism-and-entertainment arm of the business.

Francois Baudin, chief business officer at Accor, said the Al Areen project stretches the brand across hospitality, branded residences, entertainment, wellness and the kids' club — "a truly distinctive, world-class destination unlike anything else in the Kingdom," in his words.

An MOU is a stepping stone, not a signed management agreement, so the relaunch timeline and upgrade budget remain undetailed. But the direction is clear: Bahrain's Al Areen Master Plan is betting on water-park-anchored family tourism, with a global operator now attached to deliver it.