Kuwait - MENA Herald: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world’s leading luxury hospitality company, and Alshaya, a leading international retail franchise operator, today announced plans for a Four Seasons hotel in Kuwait. Located in downtown Kuwait City, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya will open in early 2017 as part of Alshaya’s new Burj Alshaya mixed-use development.
The Hotel will become the newest addition to a collection of outstanding Four Seasons properties in the Middle East and North Africa region, where the company has been present for the past 16 years, and the latest property in a series of recent openings in the GCC, including Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre and Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island.
Featuring two soaring glass towers, the 140,000 square metre (1.5 million square foot) Burj Alshaya complex will combine modern architecture, avant-garde luxury and bold design cues to create a prestigious backdrop for business and a new focal point of the city’s elite social scene. A modern haven in Kuwait City, the 284-room Four Seasons Hotel will be located in the Burj Alshaya’s 22-storey Eastern Tower.
The luxurious Four Seasons address will offer both indoor and outdoor pools, creating an urban resort oasis complete with a poolside waterfall, lush greenery and outdoor cabanas. The Hotel will also feature a world-class spa, yoga studio and state-of-the-art fitness centre as well as two ballrooms and a range of conference and banqueting rooms able to welcome up to 2000 people.
Elevating Kuwait’s dining scene, the Hotel will also include five dynamic food and beverage offerings, attracting local and international gourmands alike. A rooftop pan-Asian restaurant, open-kitchen Italian restaurant, sleek lobby lounge, and poolside restaurant are among the outlets that the Hotel will feature.
Four Seasons veteran, Didier Jardin will be at the helm of the property as General Manager, joining the Hotel in Kuwait from Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, where he led the team as Resort Manager. With more than two decades of experience with the company, Jardin has additionally served at nine other Four Seasons properties, starting with Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager as well as Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, Ritz-Carlton Chicago (a Four Seasons Hotel), Four Seasons Hotel New York and Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. He gained much of his early experience in food and beverage, and then went on to receive practical training in other aspects of hotel management as the opening Resort Manager of Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora.
“Kuwait City is one of the most important commercial centres in the Gulf States, attracting regional and international business travellers, and a natural choice for Four Seasons as we continue to extend our presence across the Middle East,” says J. Allen Smith, President and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “We are excited to partner with Alshaya and mark our entry into Kuwait as part of the Burj Alshaya complex, a stunning addition to the Kuwait City skyline that will transform luxury hospitality in this city.”
Continues Smith, “Soon Kuwaiti travellers, already very familiar with Four Seasons properties internationally, will have an opportunity to experience at home what they have come to know and love about Four Seasons – the highly personalised service and attention to detail that marks every Four Seasons experience.”
In addition to the Hotel in the Eastern Tower, the 43-storey Western Tower, set to open in 2018, will provide a new high tech corporate headquarters for the Alshaya group of companies, including offices for employees of its retail franchise business - which operates 70 international retail brands in over 3,000 stores across the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, Turkey, and Europe, and which employs more than 46,000 people.
“The creation of this combined hotel and office development is a reflection of Alshaya’s continued investment in its home market of Kuwait,” commented Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of Alshaya. “We are delighted to be bringing the acclaimed Four Seasons brand to Kuwait, as well as creating a world-class office environment for our employees that will support our continued growth and expansion. We are proud to contribute to Kuwait’s future in a number of ways, not only through our real estate investment in this iconic development, but also through our commitment to growing Alshaya’s private sector and through the creation of employment opportunities for local Kuwaitis.”
“Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya is a welcome addition to the city’s vibrant hospitality scene. From its central, easily-accessible location through to its premium dining, leisure and business amenities, this exciting address in Kuwait City offers the destination of choice for both residents and visitors looking to experience Four Seasons intuitive service and warm hospitality here in Kuwait City,” said Didier Jardin, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel at Burj Alshaya.
