New Radisson Blu Mirage Resort begins taking shape in Nadi

The first mock-up room for the new Radisson Blu Mirage Resort Naisoso in Nadi has already created a positive first impression.

While the accommodation concept is shaping up, the room showed that there was still some work to be done to set a new benchmark in accommodation in Fiji’s thriving tourism industry.

Bryan Abbott, who is based in Sydney and forms part of Radisson’s technical services team, said the overall feel of the room was encouraging following inspections of the mock-up rooms last weekend.

“I think the feeling of the room is very good,” Mr Abbott said.

He explained that mock-up rooms play a critical role in identifying issues before full-scale construction proceeds across the resort’s 278 rooms.

“That’s why we do a mock-up room, especially when we basically have 278 keys. You don’t want to make a mistake that you repeat 278 times,” he said.

Mr Abbott said the inspection process allowed the team to closely examine fittings, materials, finishes and design connections that may need further improvement.

“There are various details and fittings and materials and junctions that aren’t quite working the way we thought they would, and we’ll refine that,” he said.

Discussions are now underway on whether to build a second prototype room locally or complete one in China, which could speed up delivery, but make travel for inspections more difficult.

The mock up kitchen and lounge area for the Radisson Blu Mirage Naisoso.

Despite the finer details still being addressed, Mr Abbott said the overall atmosphere and design direction of the rooms were impressive.

“The colours, the spaces and the materials all seem to work quite well,” he said.

“Overall, I think the feeling is quite comfortable.”

Mr Abbott also compared the development favourably with the existing Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island, which is currently undergoing refurbishment works.

“I think this actually compares quite well to that,” he said.

“In many ways it’s a similar project with the dual-key arrangement, the U-shaped plan and the central pool and facilities, so I think it will complement the Denarau property quite well.”

He said he was pleasantly surprised by the pace of construction at the Naisoso site.

“Just driving in, I was quite surprised to see how fast it has come up because the last time I looked at it, it was just coming out of the ground,” Mr Abbott said.

“The form of the building and the development is really beginning to take shape, so I’ve been quite pleased to see that.”

The bathroom facility in the mock up room for Radisson Blu Mirage Naisoso.

Mr Abbott said excitement within the Radisson network was continuing to grow as the project moved closer toward completion.

“It’s definitely on the Radisson radar all the way from Sydney through the regional offices in Singapore and Dubai and up to Madrid, where the head office is,” he said.

He added that Radisson’s technical services division had spent the past 18 months working closely with the project team to ensure the resort fully complies with the international brand’s standards and operational requirements.

“The Radisson Blu brand actually means something, so the quality of the project has to represent that meaning,” Mr Abbott said.

Feedback: charles.chambers@fijisun.com.fj