Swiss hotel firm inks deal to run two Kuwait properties
Swiss-Belhotel International has entered into a management agreement with Omniyat Real Estate to operate two new properties in Kuwait.
The hotel operator said in a statement that both Swiss-Belboutique Bneid Al Gar and Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq are under development and expected to open in 2018.
Laurent A Voivenel, Swiss-Belhotel International’s senior vice president, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, said he sees Kuwait as a key growth market in the Guf region.
“The hospitality industry in the country is witnessing a remarkable growth at the moment and we are truly grateful to Omniyat Real Estate for having given us this great opportunity,” he said.
The steady growth of tourism in Kuwait, with a vision to welcome 440,000 visitors annually by 2024 is fuelling demand for quality hotels, he added.
Swiss-Belboutique Bneid Al Gar will offer 58 rooms while the Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq will feature a choice of 68 one and two bedroom hotel apartments with fully-equipped kitchen facilities.
Dr Abdullah Abdulsamad Marafi, owner and general manager, Omniyat Real Estate, said: “We are very pleased to partner with a reputed operator like Swiss-Belhotel International who is well-placed to meet the needs of the domestic market in accordance with the best international standards.”
The announcement comes as Kuwait is pressing ahead with multiple plans to boost tourism that will see billions of dollars being invested in projects such as the expansion of Kuwait International Airport and development of cultural attractions like Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Islamic Centre.
According to figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism investment in Kuwait is set to rise 1.5 percent per annum over the next 10 years.
Corporate travellers accounted for 70 percent of total visitor arrivals in Kuwait in 2016 but the country is actively working to diversify its guest segmentation in order to secure the projected levels of growth over the coming years.
