The Challenge
The project involved the renaissance of an Art Nouveau landmark 5-star Four Seasons Hotel on the banks of the Danube. Following serious difficulties between the developer and the builder, the project was over budget and the construction programme was two years behind schedule.
Against this background of serious commercial uncertainty, the client Quinlan Private employed McCarthy & Associates to manage the completion of the project and to prevent it going into receivership.
The Solution
McCarthy & Associates put in place a fulltime site located project management team and commenced an immediate audit of the project status. Having carried out this audit serious problems were identified with the construction management process and the control and management of associated sub-contractors.
To this end we employed the services of an international construction management company were employed to assist the main contractor’s in managing the construction process. This company had worked with the Four Seasons Hotel Group in the past, and had a proven track record.
Where appropriate, sub-contractors and consultants were replaced and a new construction and design team was created. With the assistance of the team and the client a new brief was developed along with a programme and budget for completion of the project. Led by on site project mangers the newly motivated construction team immediately commenced implementing the plan.
Bearing in mind the previous difficulties with the project, regular meetings were held throughout the life of the project with all parties, ensuring that we never allowed the momentum to drop.
The Outcome
Despite staring into the face of receivership at one stage, a very successful 5-star quality hotel was delivered to a quality standard which exceeded the client’s expectations. This was an exceptional achievement given the extremely troubled history of the project.