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A�amal Hotels Company Appoints Le Meridien to Operate
Ritz Kuwait; Will Convert to Art+Tech
Designer Property

 
Kuwait, May 2003:  Following the takeover of management at the Ritz Kuwait, a second phase of Le Meridien�s major deal with the A�amal Hotels Company will be the year-end launch of an Art+Tech hotel in the heart of Kuwait city - the first such designer property for Le Meridien in the Middle East.
 
The 70-room, city boutique hotel will add a new dimension to the hospitality sector in the emirate, according to Hannes Yaghi, general manager of the Ritz Kuwait and project overseer, who confirmed a second, 120-unit Art+Tech hotel in the Mubarakia area is also scheduled to open in 2004. 

The two hotels will bring cutting-edge technology as well as innovative room design to the hospitality sector in the Gulf. Yaghi said: �In destinations as diverse as Hong Kong and Frankfurt, the Art+Tech design by Le Meridien has been chosen as the concept of the future for prestigious hotel projects such as the Asian Cyberport and the German Airrail Centre.


Hannes Yaghi

�Now, in conjunction with the A�amal Hotels Company, we will launch this innovative look in to the Middle East for the first time in what is probably the most exciting hospitality development scheme in Kuwait.�

Conceived by Le Meridien chief executive, Juergen Bartels, Art+Tech was designed to be different from the standard hotel room, while focusing on the three main elements of bed, bathroom and technology.
 

The concept is also extended in to public areas of Art+Tech properties, from restaurants to meeting rooms, to create a contemporary, clutter-free environment while emphasising all functions of service demanded by the frequent traveller.

�This is a revolution in hotel terms, and one that will give our customers in Kuwait a real choice in terms of their accommodation requirements,� said Yaghi.  �Simply put, there is nothing similar in the market, but we are convinced that the design concept will be an instant success � as it has in other markets worldwide.�


Ritz Kuwait
Arabian Gulf Road
   Safat 13092
   Kuwait
He confirmed that the introduction of Art+Tech rooms in cities such as London had served to raise average room yields as customers chose to pay more for the new look rooms.

�By giving the customer the essentials he or she requires, such as an adjustable bed featuring exquisite linens and duvets, free-standing shower unit with body jets, and a 42-inch plasma television screen plus high-speed ISDN and modem connections, we can charge an appropriate rate for a premium product.

�We are offering travellers an entirely new concept � the likes of which has never been seen in the Middle East before. This will appeal to business travellers who immerse themselves in international culture, but also to those travelling for pleasure � because these rooms are hip, stylish and fun.

�Kuwait�s core business comes through business travellers, whether short stay or longer stays for contract work, and Le Meridien Art+Tech, Kuwait will give another facet to Le Meridien�s offering for both these groups, through top-level facilities, design and service.�

Le Meridien Art+Tech, Kuwait will be located in the heart of the downtown business district on Fahad Al Salem Street, close to the business and government sector, as well as the beach and shopping districts. 

Hotel facilities will include conference and meeting rooms, as well as an international cuisine fine-dining restaurant, which will take up almost the whole of the mezzanine floor. In addition, the hotel�s outside catering operation � already big business in Kuwait - will be one of the largest in the country.

Le Meridien has more than two decades of hospitality experience in Kuwait, and is ushering in a new era hospitality with the announcement of a six-project, three-year expansion plan in the country, totalling almost 450 rooms plus a conference centre. 
With more than 140 hotels and resorts worldwide, the luxury hotel group�s Middle East and West Asia inventory is now nudging 15 per cent per cent of the network total, with 20 properties.

The Middle East and West Asia is earmarked to play a key role in the group�s strategy to double the number of hotels in the next couple of years, with a plan to bring the total in the region to 40 by 2004.

Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts is a global hotel group with a portfolio of more than 140 luxury and upscale hotels (38,000 rooms) in 55 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. The company also enjoys a strategic alliance with JAL-owned Nikko Hotels, providing loyal guests access to an additional 42 properties around the world.   Headquartered in London, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts Ltd is owned by Nomura International Plc and managed by Terra Firma Capital Partners. 


 
Contact:
Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts Ltd 
www.lemeridien.com
Also See: Middle East Hotels - Trends and Opportunities / HVS International / October 2001
The 42-Inch Plasma TVs in Le Meridien Minneapolis Guestrooms Just Part of Whiz-bang Tech Package / April 2003


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