Hospitality giant Four Seasons has opened a new hotel in Kuwait City, created by architects Gensler and designers Yabu Pushelberg.
The 284-room Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya is located in one of two soaring glass towers in Kuwait City. The second tower, set to open in 2018, will provide high-tech corporate headquarters for employees of hospitality company Alshaya’s retail franchise business.
The hotel’s design concept has been crafted around a regional architectural tradition, using Arabian carved wood latticework window treatments that offer both solar control and air circulation. In a statement, Gensler said: “The geometry of the wood shading fins covers multiple building facades, creating a strong, visual distinction from neighbouring buildings, while enhancing climactic performance for the occupied spaces.”
The public interior spaces have been designed using a palette of warm colours and refined textures, complemented by bespoke furnishings and original artworks – including a “fantastical and startlingly real” white orchid sculpture by British artist Marc Quinn. Meanwhile, a dramatic staircase, spiralling 13m (43 m) climbs through the lobby, appearing to defy gravity as it makes its way toward the sky.
Amenities include five restaurants and 2,912sq m (31,349sq ft) of event spaces catering for up to 1,200 guests.
The 217 guestrooms and 67 suites have been designed like residences by Yabu Pushelberg, with subtle furnishings that “conceal myriad thoughtful touches and high-tech conveniences that allow guests to effortlessly create their own quiet hideaway, high-performance workspace or family home-away-from-home.”
Views in all directions take in the city’s skyline, including Al Shaheed Park to the east, the largest urban park in the country.
The hotel features a two-storey wellness complex, also designed by Yabu Pushelberg, called Spa at Four Seasons and described as “a temple of indulgence and results-oriented therapies.”
Global spa consultancy Blu Spas worked in conjunction with the designers and engineers KEO International to create the 923sq m (9,935sq ft) spa.
Facilities include ten treatment rooms and two luxury spa suites, as well as a hammam; fitness centre for men and women; yoga studio; Aveda beauty salon and barbershop; and indoor and outdoor pools with a poolside waterfall, lush greenery and outdoor cabanas.
Cary Collier, principal at Blu Spas,
has previously told Spa Opportunities that "the journey through the spa is full of wondrous surprises, curves and a sophisticated blend of organic finishes and furnishings," adding that the result is a "sensory sanctuary that is spacious yet cosy, with orchestrated spaces for both social gathering and solitude."
Spa director Melissa Rodriguez is particularly excited to introduce the ancient Greek practice of psammotherapy to Four Seasons guests: “Our unique beds of fine alpha-quartz sand envelop guests in warm sand, melting tensions away and promoting total comfort,” she said. “We also have a private hammam for Turkish-style bathing rituals.”
An extensive spa menu offers custom treatments featuring MCCM, Sodashi and Biologique Recherche products, with some tailored just for young adults and others specifically aimed at men.
