Hotels – global hotel system

Following a lengthy postwar rebuilding period, Kuwait City’s resurgence as one of the Middle East’s most vibrant commercial centers has made it a fertile breeding ground for glittering five-star chain hotels. Famously gutted during the Gulf War, and subsequently renovated in an effort to resurrect its stately elegance, the Sheraton Kuwait stands as a resilient alternative to the breathless, overly sleek modernization that surrounds it.

Sheraton Kuwait’s 300 airy guest rooms are decorated with a palette of creams and yellows, while fetching gold accents evoke turn-of-the-century opulence without being overbearing. Bathrooms feature marble countertops, spacious glass-walled showers and the now-obligatory wall-mounted flatscreen TVs. The hotel’s location in the central business district makes for convenient sightseeing and shopping, not to mention spectacular views of the Arabian Sea. Hungry guests may want to consider working their way through the hotel’s seven(!) restaurants, which cover a remarkable breadth of international cuisines, from Lebanese to Indian to Kuwait’s first Italian restaurant, Riccardo. For business travelers, there’s wi-fi in every room, along with a robust selection of conference rooms and event halls, including a 268-square-meter rooftop ballroom with a panoramic view.

With an exploding GDP and a currency that ranks as one of the world’s strongest, Kuwait City is not a place that’s especially well suited to budget-minded travelers. And this is most certainly not a budget hotel — it’s a towering example of old-world luxury in a city that’s poised to become one of the Middle East’s most-visited hotspots.