Speaking to Tatiana Tsierkezou exclusively, general manager, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa, Savino Leone sheds light on Kuwait’s appeal to travellers, while also revealing the upscale property’s tactics to ensure the most memorable stay and its plan of action for 2018.
TTG: How is Kuwait focusing on promoting itself as the ideal location for a weekend break, especially for MENA travellers?
With continued investment from the government and private sectors in cultural, tourism and hospitality projects, Kuwait will continue to be an interesting destination for visitors from around the region and beyond.
With key attractions such as the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre, Kuwait Tower and Sabah Al-Ahmad Heritage Village, Kuwait is a perfect family-friendly country for travellers. We have fine museums, a vibrant souq and a number of tourism sites to appeal to inquisitive visitors. We have lively restaurants and a fine corniche, in addition to authentic Kuwaiti hospitality and good weather for a large part of the year.
In fact, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa is the perfect getaway for leisure travellers as it is a full destination on its own. Our guests visit to enjoy the range of leisure activities and fun on our private beach, including parasailing, jet skiing, banana boat rides, as well as yoga and much more.
TTG: What are you doing to promote Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa as the ideal option for holidaymakers?
We constantly innovate our offering to guarantee a luxury stay with something extra special during every visit. Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa’s location – in the secluded area of Messilah and on the seaside – provides guests with fantastic, unspoiled views of the Arabian Gulf and easy access to the private beach the bustling atmospheric streets of Kuwait City. Dedicated to offering a luxury guest experience, we are a resort that offers enticing, memorable options for the whole family, from relaxed spa treatments, fitness offerings, water sports and kids clubs. We cater to every type of holidaymaker seeking a luxury experience.
Our efforts have been recognised with a range of awards for our leisure activities and F&B offerings, which enhances our reputation as the preferred choice for visitors to Kuwait.
As a hospitality leader in Kuwait, it is our duty to promote the country as a destination, and we regularly participate in regional and international exhibitions and events to endorse this beautiful country and encourage more visitors to explore our leisure and tourism opportunities.
TTG: Which markets are key to Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa at the moment? Which new markets are you keen on enticing?
Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa has an enviable ability to attract guests from the local market, across the region and around the world.
Kuwait is still our number one source market for guests and visitors, followed by neighbouring Gulf countries, namely the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Our largest international source markets are the USA and the UK.
We encourage visitors from all regions to come and enjoy the true feel of Jumeirah’s luxury experience and see for themselves what our resort and Kuwait offer.
TTG: What is the hotel’s plan of action for 2018?
We continue to increase our reach across local and international source markets to allow people who haven’t stayed with us before to come and experience the true luxury of Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa.
We will continue to go above and beyond the levels of expected service with great attention to detail to make our guests feel at home every moment of their stay. Our attentive staff greet every guest by name, emphasising our personalised approach to hospitality.
We will continue to excel in all areas and maintain our position as the preferred destination for short- and long-stayers with a diverse range of tailored activities we offer them.
TTG: Reflecting on the last year, how successful was it for you? What are some of Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa’s achievements and what excites you at the moment?
2017 has been a memorable year for Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa and we celebrated a number of milestones as we continue to set the industry standards as leaders in hospitality. The hard work and effort of our team was crowned with three awards at the Luxury Spa & Restaurants Awards, where our relaxation haven, Talise Spa, our signature Steakhouse Pepper outlet and our Italian restaurant, OIio, collected awards. These awards are a tribute to our dedication to high-quality service, luxury and attention to detail in the overall customer experience. Our resort was also named Best International Luxury Hotel Resort Chain at the MEA Markets Kuwait Enterprise Awards 2017.
We witnessed excellent growth in the number of guests from neighbouring countries and we introduced an array of concepts and initiatives throughout the year to attract guests and enhance their stay, including special promotions on our luxury accommodation to innovative treatments in Talise Spa and exciting activities such as stand-up paddleboard yoga and yoga for children.
These activities have been successful thanks to our team at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa. They have once again excelled in their commitment to and passion for Jumeirah to excel in all areas of service to deliver the Jumeirah ‘Stay Different’ promise.
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