Bab Al Shams Reimagined
Bab Al Shams Reimagined
April 2023,
People escape to a resort to relax, rejuvenate, and have memorable experiences. A luxury resort has to go the extra mile to impress the guests with exceptional service and surroundings. Every element of resort design, from landscape to lighting impacts guests’ views and decisions to return in future. Well-designed lighting is one of the keys to creating an emotional connection with their guests.
We at Creation are proud to have been part of the team with renowned Lighting Designer Studio Lumen, Interior Designer LW Design along with the contractor Khansaheb to provide guests at Bab Al Shams resort with a GRMS that gives them full freedom to create and change the ambience of their room. Since the GRMS is integrated with BMS, it becomes easier for the resort staff to seamlessly control various parameters as needed.
Bab Al Shams Resort
Project Name: Bab Al ShamsResort, Dubai Client: Nakheel + Kerzner
Interior Designer: LW Design
Lighting Designer: Studio Lumen
Contractor: Khansaheb
Bab Al Shams Desert Resort provides an immersive desert experience. Launched in 2004 and recently refurbished, Bab Al Shams is 45 minutes from the heart of Dubai and close to a range of attractions, including camel trekking, horse riding, desert safaris, hot air ballooning, falconry, cycling and Al Qudra artificial lakes for the authentic desert experience. Interior Designer LW Design has preserved the legacy of Bab Al Shams as the longest-running desert escape in the United Arab Emirates.
Creation Gulf was tasked with the supply, testing, installation and commissioning of the Guest Room Management System that includes the Lighting Control system for the 105 Standard rooms and 10 Suites.
“The overall design concept was to preserve the authentic heritage experience synonymous with Bab Al Sham, blended with contemporary Arabic elements. The resort is home to a number of interesting F&B experiences – including the vibrant Al Hadheerah – that provides a wide range of cuisine, organised activities to provide a glimpse into the local culture, equine activities, a modern spa and other modern amenities one would associate with a 5-star resort – all of these, sprinkled around an expansive landscaped oasis in the middle of the desert. The luxuriant yet laidback guestrooms with their own private terrace are the perfect haven for a laidback holiday” explains Mr Vinod Pillai, Design Director of Studio Lumen.
The hotel’s lighting design was carefully crafted to enhance the guest experience. In the guestrooms, a comforting light balance was achieved to provide a relaxed ambience through the use of conditional programming, which modulated the light balance for different times of the day and after nightfall.
The lobby and lobby lounge featured an interesting blend of zones with different activities seamlessly flowing into each other. The lighting played a crucial role in creating a smooth transition between zones and helped to establish the identity of each space.
Lutron’s myRoom plus Guestroom Control Unit was chosen for Guest Room Management System (GRMS). It enables a single point of control for lighting, shades/draperies and temperature. Guests can use myRoom to easily create the perfect mood to suit the moment and adjust it throughout their stay while a vacant room can be automated for energy savings. Apart from automation at the room level using keypads and sensors, automation was enabled centrally along with integration with the Property Management System and Central Door Lock System.
Some of the features of GRMS include the activation of different scenes of lighting in the guest room based on the time of day, the activation of multiple scenarios of lighting and HVAC in the guest room based on occupancy status received from the in-room presence sensors and the Door lock system as well as live monitoring and control of the functions in the Guest rooms from myRoom view software.
The project was challenging due to the tight deadlines and also because it was a refurbishment project due to which solutions had to incorporate within the existing infrastructure. It was also a large project with different complexities in different areas. The coordination and support of Lutron, the lighting and interior designers and the contractor led to successful completion.
Lighting up resorts
The first step is determining the types of lights most suitable for a particular area depending on intended use, specific purpose and desired atmosphere. Lighting should also be functional, illuminating dark pathways and pool areas. In guest rooms, lighting should be fully customizable with dimming capabilities and a full range of colour temperatures. Finally, well-designed resort lighting should complement interior design features and highlight exterior architectural elements. It should effortlessly flow from one area to the next and subconsciously guide guests around the resort premises.
