Le Meridien Kuwait - kind of mediocre
 

I checked into Le Meridien Kuwait, completing the 4th of 4 SPG properties in Kuwait. Apparently the Egyptian tourism minister booked the Sheraton, and his overflow took the Le Meridien Tower too.

I should have tried using SPG Platinum to force availability, but I have no idea what rack rates are in Kuwait. All hotels basically charge a single rate schedule, sometimes having a 25% cheaper rate on weekends, regardless of occupancy level. I think forcing availability at that rate would have led to getting walked on checkin anyway, and would have annoyed them.

The normal guests of Le Meridien Tower and to a lesser extent the Sheraton(s) have moved to Le Meridien. This place is a good deal older, was formerly a Ritz-Carlton. The main feature is view of the water and Kuwait towers, and a seafood restaurant which is apparently one of the best in Kuwait.

The hotel has a decent location for tourists (near the Marina Mall, HRC, etc.), but not ideal for that, nor is it ideal for business (Sheraton/etc. wins for that), nor is it big or secure enough to cater to western companies (Hilton, JW, etc. seem to have that).


So -- basically not ideal, but potentially good. I'd never stayed here, and wanted to try.

I drove up (almost getting run over by a speeding/drunk kuwaiti police officer in front of the hotel!), parked, and walked in. It was early, and I asked if early checkin would be possible.

The guy couldn't find my reservation. I said "it was the standard rate from the website", which he then quoted as higher than the normal rate from the website. I used the front office/business center PC to check spg.com (thankfully it was actually online for once...), and printed it.

I pointed out the P in front of my starwood number. I also asked for platinum amenity card. I got basically the egyptian equivalent of "n, plz". I was tired (had driven up to Iraq and back, having flown in from Bahrain the day before), and didn't feel like fighting, so I went to the room and slept.

The room provided is probably the worst available. I don't think it was the only available, as all room types were available for sale on their website. Specifically, 210 -- no view, smallest configuration, low floor.
I'd tolerate that based on high occupancy, but the room also has other problems -- the bed was not made correctly (basically, thin sheet on top of really disturbing synthetic blanket on top of 2 half-sheets mostly covering the mattress); the bathrobe was missing or never present; the bathroom supplies were half-used (soap was new, but shampoo/etc. were open) and insufficient (shampoo, soap, shower gel, and shower cap, in a 5 star hotel, is a bit light; I'd say toothbrush at a minimum, and razor, should be provided). There *is* free wired decent internet (+ apple airport express), although there wasn't much documentation.

The hotel isn't really designed for English-speaking guests; rather, if I didn't read Arabic, I'd have a hard time. The phone also lacks any instruction in any language, but using the operator to route all in-house calls works fine.

However, the seafood restaurant, which does room service as well, is good enough to make up for the rest of the hotel. Very tasty fish, and brought to the room by theme-attired waiters (bedouin-style), who were quite friendly and informed about the food. The fish is great, and the meals include about half a square meter of side dishes, rice, bread, etc.

I would probably never stay here by choice again, at least if Le Meridien Tower, Sheraton, or Four Points were available. It'd be a toss-up between staying here and something like the JW Marriott or Marina Hotel; I guess it would depend on what promos are running. I'd consider lack of knowledge of SPG to be a major problem, but unless the next class of rooms is much better, even spg benefits aren't worth it.

I'm kind of torn between trying to change rooms today, or just

(I worry about missing bathrobes and bad housekeeping one day, and am *happy* to have a tent with only 12 people in it and McDonald's being open the next day)

(The Le Meridien Tower people kind of mentioned "it's older" when I asked about Le Meridien Kuwait; this was probably a subtle 'you probably don't want to stay there if you like it here')

Issues with Limo pick up at Le Meridian KWI (Kuwait)
 

So I booked a room at the Le Meridian on Arabian Gulf Road (not towers) My rate included Breakfast and round trip airport transportation. I had called in with flight details. I arrived into Kuwait, to find no one waiting for me. I went to the hotel desk, and was asked if I am sure I have a booking. The man calls the hotel and they confirm I am booked but get no transport and have to find my way. So I pay for a taxi to the hotel, and arrive, and once again she pulls up the res and says no transportation at all. I pull up my confirmation email, she says ohh well thats starwood's fault and no nothing. I am not too pleased. I have already emailed SPG customer service, and after a couple days I am guessing the hotel is not replying to them (Note I always receive great results in the rare occasion I email cust service). So I expect decent compensation from the hotel being that I was stranded at KWI and had to pay out of my pocket to get to the hotel to a taxi driver who got lost, and received no apology or anything at the hotel. Maybe I have higher expectations after a stay at the Burj, but not too pleased with their handling of the situation, and most Le Meridian stays are quite pleasant. Just looking for opinions on the situation, I am quite sure SPG will take care of this in a good way :)

reefdiver, can you give me some opinions on the hotel itself? I have a trip to Kuwait coming up and I'm having trouble finding a good business-class hotel. There's no info on FT and I can't find much elsewhere either.

Been a while... Anyway as for the trasnport problems.. I had to print out my reservation from the biz centre when I got to the hotel. The front desk girl looked at it and as I said, she told me that it is starwood's fault, and not the hotel's problem. Now the hotel did offer me a ride to the airport when I left (They finally got it right) The GM never contacted me, nor replied to SPG corp relations. But.... Spg took care of me.... As for your question Travelmad. For 40KD the hotel was a great value, and had a decent comp breakfast spread. The biz centre is free, and the room (I had a suite) was nice. The location on Arabian Gulf road is decent with the beach and several resturants across the way, and a market behind it. There is a Mall about 15 minutes walk away. Mind you the hotel is not directly in the city, but I liked that.. and of course 40KD is a good price for Kuwait!

What was the out come on this,how did SPG take care of you? Did you ask to speak to the GM before you left the hotel?

I am not going to go into detail, as SPG I think goes out of their way for some guests, and if someone had a problem like mine and wasn't compensated the same that could cause issues for starwood. Anyway the GM never replied to me. Very cold service from some staff, and great from others.. Anyway we will say that SPG reimbursed me for the cost of a taxi and for the inconvience. I believe the hotel never replied to SPG's intervention of my complaint... And honestly The problem wasn't a huge issue as the taxi was maybe 6KD ($20+-) But the way the staff handled the issue was unexceptable After tax and the rate my stay was about $180 or so, and one of the main reasons for my staying there was the transport.. Which saves $40 USD or so. And free brekfast of course. Mind you Kuwait can be expensive!

Hotel and its sister property Le Meridien Tower Kuwait have left Starwood - anyone know the new brand?

The Four Points is a good option. Good platinum benefits....usually nice suite , often overlooking the gulf. Limited but good dining options ( very good buffet breakfast and dinner). It's usually the cheapest option. The Sheraton ( 20 metres from the Four Points) is no better and it's now a category 6 ( unbelievable...)

Yes, I stayed at the Four Points and was quite happy with it. It's odd how mid/lower-level chains in the US end up being a lot nicer when they're put outside the US, at least the newer properties in the Mideast. The Crowne Plaza I stayed at in Dubai (near the airport) was about a thousand times nicer than any Crowne Plaza would be in the US. Same goes for the Staybridge Suites Citystars in Cairo--extremely impressive. I like it a lot better than the rather dowdy Intercontinental nearby.