Hilton Worldwide and Al-Rai Real Estate—owned by Mabanee—are planning to open a development that will include Kuwait's first Conrad Hotel and Hilton Garden Inn in early 2019. The development forms part of an expansion project that will see almost $1 billion devoted toward improving The Avenues Mall in Kuwait City.
“With its number of shopping outlets set to increase by nearly 50 percent, demand for accommodation at a site which already attracts millions of visitors every year is set to increase substantially,” Rudi Jagersbacher, president, Middle East, Africa & Turkey for Hilton Worldwide, said of the Mall. “Our Conrad and Hilton Garden Inn brands will enable us to cater for guests seeking either smart luxury or affordable accommodations during their stay."
Both hotels will be managed by Hilton Worldwide and will be located on opposite sides of the mall. The complex itself is located off Kuwait's fifth ring road (now named Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Road).
"In planning the fourth phase of the expansion of this immense project, one of the most exciting additions we are making is to provide the ability for visitors to make their stays easier by staying inside Avenues itself,” Mohammad Alshaya, chairman of Mabanee, said. “Having hotels as part of The Avenues development will enhance the quality of the experience and the service we provide to our visitors. This will in turn support internal tourism and also place Kuwait on the regional tourism map. We have seen increasing numbers of visitors from abroad, in particular from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and this is a strong indication of the revival of tourism in the country."
The 158-guestroom Conrad Kuwait will form part of the extension of the Mall's 'Prestige' district, which opened in 2012. The district forms Kuwait's largest luxury shopping destination, home to 47 luxury retail units.
Adjoining two of the new districts being created under the fourth-phase expansion, Hilton Garden Inn Kuwait will become the brand's largest hotel in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. The hotel will have 430 guestrooms in a tower structure at the Northern end of the Mall.
Photo courtesy Hilton Garden Inn