Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world’s leading luxury hospitality company, and Alshaya, a leading international retail franchise operator, today announced plans for a Four Seasons hotel in Kuwait. Located in downtown Kuwait City, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya will open in early 2017 as part of Alshaya’s new Burj Alshaya mixed-use development.

Featuring two soaring glass towers, the 140,000 square metre (1.5 million square foot) Burj Alshaya complex will combine modern architecture, avant-garde luxury and bold design cues to create a prestigious backdrop for business and a new focal point of the city’s elite social scene. A modern haven in Kuwait City, the 284-room Four Seasons Hotel will be located in the Burj Alshaya’s 22-storey Eastern Tower.

“Kuwait City is one of the most important commercial centres in the Gulf States, attracting regional and international business travellers, and a natural choice for Four Seasons as we continue to extend our presence across the Middle East,” says J. Allen Smith, President and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.  “We are excited to partner with Alshaya and mark our entry into Kuwait as part of the Burj Alshaya complex, a stunning addition to the Kuwait City skyline that will transform luxury hospitality in this city.”

Continues Smith, “Soon Kuwaiti travellers, already very familiar with Four Seasons properties internationally, will have an opportunity to experience at home what they have come to know and love about Four Seasons – the highly personalised service and attention to detail that marks every Four Seasons experience.”

The 43-storey Western Tower, set to open in 2018, will provide a new high tech corporate headquarters for the Alshaya group of companies, including offices for employees of its retail franchise business - which operates 70 international retail brands in more than 3,000 stores across the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, Turkey and Europe, and which employs more than 46,000 people.

“The creation of this combined hotel and office development is a reflection of Alshaya’s continued investment in its home market of Kuwait,” commented Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of Alshaya.  “We are delighted to be bringing the acclaimed Four Seasons brand to Kuwait, as well as creating a world-class office environment for our employees that will support our continued growth and expansion.  We are proud to contribute to Kuwait’s future in a number of ways, not only through our real estate investment in this iconic development, but also through our commitment to growing Alshaya’s private sector and through the creation of employment opportunities for Kuwaitis.”

Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya will offer both indoor and outdoor pools, creating an urban resort oasis complete with a poolside waterfall, lush greenery and outdoor cabanas. The Hotel will also feature a world-class spa, yoga studio and state-of-the-art fitness centre as well as two ballrooms and a range of conference and banqueting rooms able to welcome up to 2,000 people.

Elevating Kuwait’s dining scene, the Hotel will also include five dynamic food and beverage offerings, attracting local and international gourmands alike. A rooftop pan-Asian restaurant, open-kitchen Italian restaurant, sleek lobby lounge and poolside restaurant are among the outlets that the Hotel will offer.

About Alshaya

The Alshaya group of companies is a family trading business, founded in 1890 in Kuwait, and today recognised as one of the most dynamic companies in the Middle East. Through its retail franchise business, M.H. Alshaya Co., the company partners with more than 70 of the world’s most recognised brands - including Starbucks, H&M, The Cheesecake Factory and Victoria’s Secret - operating more than 3,000 stores and employing 46,000 people across the Middle East and North Africa, Russia, Turkey and Europe. In addition to its retail operations, Alshaya is active in a number of other sectors including real estate, automotive, hotels, trading and investments. The group is a major shareholder in Mabanee Company SAK, the development company behind Kuwait’s leading mall development, The Avenues, which is the largest real estate project in Kuwait.