Following the opening of Le Meridien Kuwait earlier this year, the luxury hotel group will introduce the second phase of its five-project expansion in the Gulf country with the opening of the 70-room Le Meridien Safat, in Kuwait later this year.
The hotel forms part of an aggressive development strategy in the country, which will create almost 450 new rooms across five projects by 2006. Le Meridien's development in Kuwait is the result of a newly established owning relationship with A'Amal Hotels Company.
According to regional managing director of Le Meridien Middle East and West Asia Sami Zoghbi, the pace of development in Kuwait has accelerated after the end of the conflict in Iraq. "The hotel sector in Kuwait has been somewhat static for years. It is reassuring to see new names coming in to the market now…Kuwait has quietly been establishing itself as a regional tourism center, pouring money in to landscaping the seafront, new family entertainment centers, shopping malls that are as competitive as any in the area, plus extensive resort facilities."
Zoghbi pointed to the four malls expected to open in the next few months, as well as the massive redevelopment project at Kuwait International Airport as further concrete signs of the expected boom in visitor numbers to the emirate. He added that the commitment by authorities to the conference market is another signal that Kuwait is determined to make its mark on the global events scene.
Looking ahead, in 2005 Le Meridien expect the completion of a 120-unit hotel tower and Convention Centre annexe to Le Meridien Kuwait – the first of its kind in Kuwait. In 2006, a Le Meridien Residence is confirmed with 80 residential apartments - again another first in its category.
Le Meridien has more than two decades of hospitality experience in Kuwait, and with more than 135 hotels and resorts worldwide, the Middle East and West Asia inventory now comprises more than 15 per cent per cent of the network total. The Middle East and West Asia is earmarked to play a key role in the group's strategy to double the number of its hotels in the next couple of years, with a plan to bring the total in the region to 40 by 2004.
Le Méridien is a global hotel group with a portfolio of over 135 luxury and upscale hotels in 56 countries worldwide. The majority of its properties are located in the world's top cities and resorts throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in London, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts Group was formed by the Principal Finance Group of Nomura International. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
