SHR announces closure of Safir International Hotel Kuwait
Safir Hotels & Resorts (SHR) announced the closure of Safir International Hotel Kuwait, to occur at the end of March 2019 with the last guest checking out on March 31, 2019. Located in Bneid Al Gar, the hotel has occupied a prime location with sweeping views of the Kuwait Towers and Arabian Gulf, since 1968 when it first opened as a Hilton hotel.
In 1984, an extension was added to the original hotel building. In 1989, hotel management was taken over by Kuwait Hotels Company and the hotel was renamed Kuwait International Hotel. Two years after the Liberation of Kuwait, the hotel was then renamed “Safir International Kuwait”. In 2003, the main building unfortunately had to be demolished, as it had become unsafe to operate as a hotel. Safir continued operating the extension on behalf of the property owner, Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) as a stand-alone hotel, but now the time has come to terminate operations.
For many years, Safir International Kuwait was at the heart of Kuwaiti Society, hosting many important social and business events. Its legacy of excellence as Kuwait’s second true five-star hotel was legendary. Besides the many international guests that stayed at the hotel throughout the years, the property was also home to the first Chanel and Louis Vuitton boutiques in the Middle East, and it featured the first escalator in Kuwait as well as the country’s first Japanese restaurant (Kei). Nabil Shashtari, the hotel’s current General Manager, fondly recalls: “There was nothing else like it. Today we have malls like the Avenues, which are full of high-end brands and international cuisine, so it is easy to take these things for granted. But back then, these things were unheard of in the country. Safir International Kuwait changed all of that. It set a precedent for exceptionalism.”
“It is always unfortunate to lose a hotel property, but especially one with as much history as Safir International Kuwait.” says Fawzi K Al-Musallam, Chief Executive Officer of Safir Hotels & Resorts. “We are very much invested in our relationship with KIA and we are working closely together with their team, to manage the closure of the property in the coming two months”. The Hotel’s management team is supported by executives from Safir’s Kuwait-based headquarters, to ensure that all aspects of the final hand-over are considered in a comprehensive and professional manner.