Radical refurbishment underway at Le Meridien Kuwait

The property, formerly the Ritz Hotel Kuwait, is undergoing a major refurbishment - as well as extension of rooms and facilities - in preparation for its rebranding.

Hannes Yaghi, Le Meridien's general manager in Kuwait, said: "We are coming to the end of a substantial development programme at the hotel, which will include a 30 per cent increase of room stock to take us to 78 units.

"The re-design should give us a fresh and dynamic edge in the market, as well as help us capitalise on our successful opening rates strategy, which has seen us achieve 100 per cent occupancy consistently since we took over management."

The refurbishment of Le Meridien Kuwait is one of four new projects over three years in the country, totalling almost 420 rooms.

Meanwhile, the second property to be added to the group's portfolio is Le Meridien Tower in Kuwait City's Fahad Al Salem Street, which is scheduled to open at the end of June.

This property will mark the first Art+Tech hotel anywhere in the region and will be followed by a second, 70-unit Art+Tech hotel in the Mubarakia area in 2005.

The hotel marks the debut of Le Meridien's innovative Art+Tech design in the region. According to Yaghi, the contemporary boutique style will be a first for the Middle East, offering customers' cutting-edge technology and innovative room design that brings a new dimension to the hospitality sector in the State.

Meanwhile, a Le Meridien Residence in Salmiya is confirmed for June 2006 with 80 residential apartments - again another first in its category.
The development is driven by Le Meridien's new owning company relationship recently established with A'Amal Holding Company. However, Le Meridien is not a new brand in the country; in fact, it is one of the longest serving hotel brands and has a track record in Kuwait going back more than two decades.