THE newly-opened Hotel Missoni Kuwait is quickly making its mark in the emirate’s hospitality sector with visitors coming from across the GCC and nearer to home to see what the fuss is about.
A completely new concept, the Kuwait property is only the second worldwide to bear the name of the iconic Italian fashion house – its sister property in Edinburgh, Scotland, opened in 2009.
And while the UK property, with its monochromatic interiors, is well in keeping with the brooding Scottish capital, Hotel Missoni Kuwait could not be more different.
Here Missoni creative director Rosita Missoni has been inspired by the country’s sun, sand and the Arabian Gulf, which is the stunning vista from all the guest rooms, to create a property bursting with colour and interesting design features from shiny gold seating arrangements to lobby lighting reminiscent of the transporter pods in Star Trek!
But though the Hotel Missoni Kuwait is a true design statement, there is nothing superfluous with general manager Pascal Gadet pointing out: “Missoni is not just about design, it’s about a lifestyle which we call ‘vita’, a holistic approach to how we do business. Rosita is not interested in design that is just there as a statement, it has to be functional and it has to make sense.”
The Missoni hotels are a collaboration between the fashion house and the Rezidor Hotel Group and Gadet added: “Rezidor worked very closely with her (Rosita Missoni) in terms of what would work and what wouldn’t and the design is all hers which leaves a very exclusive experience. What you will find here, you will not find in any other hotel.
“When you walk through the door you should know that this is unmistakably Missoni and that is certainly the case here.”
Part of that close working is the very Italian ambiance of the hotel which is the biggest employer of Italians in Kuwait and is tied up with Grillon Hotel School in Switzerland.
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Cucina all-day-dining restaurant |
The all-day-dining restaurant Cucina is affiliated with star Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli, of Locanda Locatelli in London, and those actually doing the cooking are also Italian with Gadet explaining: “If you say you are Italian, you should try to be as Italian as you can which is why we have a whole array of Italian chefs – what they are cooking is not someone else’s interpretation of Italian, it actually is Italian!”
A view born out by the menu which includes classic dishes with ingredients brought in from Italy such as porcini mushrooms and delicate dressing oils – complete with a genuine Italian waiter to explain them all.
Further outlets include Choco Café serving the world’s oldest hot chocolate recipe, which is exclusively licensed to Missoni, and the soon-to-open Luna which, according to Gadet, will be ‘Buddha Bar meets Missoni with sharing dishes in a new Arabic Mediterranean style‘.
Hotel Missoni Kuwait offers 106 rooms and 63 suites ranging from 75 sq m to the 250 sq m of the Presidential Suite which also boasts a 110-sq-m outside terrace.
And it is not just the design element which differentiates the property, Gadet explained: “We have tried to identify the ‘hidden disatisfiers’ for example, the breakfast buffet doesn’t have chafing dishes because who wants to eat hot food that has been sitting under heat lights, we would rather take a little time and cook it fresh, or if you are having a late check out how annoying is it to get back to your room and discover that your electronic key stopped working at midday – it’s not necessary.
“We’re also introducing a universal concierge service called Pronto which should be able to answer any need or question about the hotel, obviously this is not a new concept but it is not one that works well easily in other places and we are working very hard to get it right.”
A further innovation is a method of staff training which involves a game, exclusive to Missoni, along the lines of Trivial Pursuit but with questions about the hotel, which is played each day at staff meetings to help the workers learn about not just the hotel but also the local environment with the aim that each and every one will be well equipped to answer guest queries.
Gadet concluded: “We’re looking at a new way of providing luxury which is not calculated but rather very genuine, part of the vita that we offer. At this hotel our personalities are very important, which is why we didn’t recruit en-masse, everyone here has been hand-picked and 75 per cent of the staff are female, which is unusual for this part of the world and, I believe, adds a certain elegance.
“Of course we go the extra mile with services such as the Maserati airport pick-up but that is not showing off it represents what we are, it’s the very best in its category and typically Italian – just like Hotel Missoni Kuwait!”
by Liz O’Reilly