KUWAIT: Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa has announced the soft opening of its luxurious property in Kuwait on May 7. The five-star hotel will be operated by Jumeirah Group, a global Dubai-based luxury hotel chain and a member of Dubai Holding. On Monday (April 29), Kuwait's top tour operators and travel agencies had a sneak peek of the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa when it hosted the hotel chain's annual GCC road show. Speaking with the Kuwait Times, just before the road show began, Piers Schreiber, Vice President-Jumeirah Group, said the soft opening has been planned bearing in mind the beginning of summer in Kuwait.
May and June are the months when Kuwaitis and expatriates have their summer vacation. The soft opening of the hotel will be on May 7, but the grand gala opening is scheduled for October. Jumeirah Group boasts a world-class portfolio of hotels and resorts, including the new Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait. "We own and operate many resorts in Dubai, but outside the UAE we only operate under our brand name, Jumeirah, and we deliver the promise of Jumeirah to our clients and loyal guests," he said. "Jumeirah comes with the same promise here, too - the promise to be different. The idea behind this promise is to respect our guests. If you noticed, this hotel is really different - different in design and emphasis and different in style. But our golden rule of service remains: We deliver that promise by providing thoughtful and generous services to our guests, keeping in mind their individuality. And we promise that your experience will be crafted by your own expectations," the Jumeirah Vice President said.
Schreiber, who is also in charge of corporate communications and public affairs, said the hotel is designed to be a destination in itself. "We may not have luxurious tourism destinations here, but we have Jumeirah. We have fantastic facilities and we offer not just luxurious rooms, but also the best culinary and spa experience that one can ever have," he added. Jumeirah plans to take pride in its seven restaurants, which will be opened inside the hotel. "Three of the seven specialized restaurants are going to open along with the hotel rooms for our guests on May 7. We recognized the fact that eating out at fine restaurants is a very important part of many Kuwaitis' lives. So we are preparing for that. We will have the best restaurants that you can ever imagine. We hired the best chefs from all over the world to prepare the excellent menus," Schreiber stated.
He said the hotel also recognizes that the domestic market-Kuwaitis and people living in Kuwait - is and has always been one of its most important markets. Messilah Beach Hotel, according to Schreiber, is deeply entrenched in the hearts of Kuwaiti families. "I've heard about the history of old Messilah Hotel. People here have lots of fond memories about the hotel. Messilah Beach Hotel hosted hundreds of marriage ceremonies, cultural programs, big conferences, parties. Many Kuwaitis will come just to be reminded about their past. So we want to welcome them back at a new Jumeirah Hotel, which is now the most luxurious five star hotel in Kuwait," Schreiber quipped. "In a few days or months we are expecting Kuwaitis to book their hotel rooms. They want to be with us and they also want to refresh their memories, but there will be other people from GCC countries, other than those from the corporate world," he said.
The hotel is located right in the Messilah area, along 30 Road (Fahaheel Expressway) and right at the tip of Sixth Ring Road. "We have the best location and a great combination of luxurious rooms and good quality Wi-Fi, along with less traffic congestion. We also have fantastic meeting rooms, ballrooms, and the biggest conference hall," Schreiber pointed out. The hotel comprises 400 rooms and offers a perfect balance, from deluxe rooms right up to royal suites. "What is special about our design is the use of mashrabiya. We have used it over our windows to regulate the sun. It's very traditionally Kuwaiti in that sense. Probably we'll be displaying pictures of the old hotel, especially those of the part which was destroyed during the Iraqi occupation," Schreiber stated. Asked about the prospect of growth and their expectations from the hotel industry business, he said: "We are entering Kuwait when the business is robust and the hotel industry is growing.
Though we cannot predict the turnover, we've been noticing that the hotel industry is doing great nowadays," Schreiber mentioned. He noted that Kuwait contributes significantly to the revenue growth of the GCC market business in the region, which has gone up by 41.2% compared with last year. Revenue in the first quarter of 2013 from the Kuwaiti market for hotels in Jumeirah's Middle East, Africa and South Asia region grew by 56.6%, while Kuwaiti business at Jumeirah's European hotels increased by 161%. Signifying the importance of guests from Kuwait staying in their properties, Jumeirah Group highlighted its 20 luxury hotels, resorts and residences across 11 destinations worldwide as participants got a first-hand insight into the first Jumeirah property to open in the Gulf region, outside of the UAE. "Kuwaitis are the most travelled people in the world. For example, in London we a noticed 400 percent increase in the number of Kuwaitis booked rooms in our hotels. We have a robust market in Kuwait right now," Schreiber pointed out. With regard to the issue about protecting the environment, Schreiber noted that the subject had been considered during the construction of the project. "Concern for the environment has been a major consideration while building the hotel - from the chemicals we used, down to the air-conditioning unit. For example, our air-conditioning is designed to switch off automatically when there is no one using it. The design of the hotel itself is energy-saving in a sense, because of masrabiya," he said.
The hotel employs more than 500 workers, who are hired from different countries. "However beautiful the hotel is, the guest experience is always the primary concern of everybody in the hotel. We have prepared our staff, and the quality of service we give is reflected in the quality of training we provide. We believe in the value of our people and see to it that everybody in the family of Jumeirah is happy. These are what we call Jumeirah hallmarks: We follow three simple principles: One, greet the guest with a smile before the guest greets you. Simple but universal. Two, a guest's request will never be turned down. We will always find ways to satisfy our guest. Three, treat everyone with respect, which means one should be kind and sensitive to each other. That is part of the Jumeirah hotel environment and will remain so wherever you go in Jumeirah," he beamed. During the road show, representatives from Jumeirah Group properties in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Istanbul, London, Rome, Frankfurt, the Maldives and Baku met with top tour operators, travel agencies and clients in order to showcase the Jumeirah brand promise - stay different - as well as highlight promotions for the upcoming summer holidays. The road show will next travel move to Doha to showcase Jumeirah Group's full range of luxurious and innovative offerings for business and leisure guests. Jumeirah properties include Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi; Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray and Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai; Jumeirah Dhevanafushi and Jumeirah Vittaveli in the Maldives; Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai; Jumeirah Frankfurt in Germany; Jumeirah Grand Hotel via Veneto in Rome; Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa in Mallorca, Spain; Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah in Istanbul; as well as Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in London. Jumeirah Group also runs the luxury serviced residences brand, Jumeirah Living; the spa brand Talise; Jumeirah Restaurants; Wild Wadi Waterpark; The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management; and Sirius, its global loyalty programme. For more information on summer promotions, please visit Jumeirah.com.
© Kuwait Times 2013
