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Savino Leone

KUWAIT - Tourism

Secret to Success

General Manager, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel

Bio

Savino Leone, a hospitality veteran and turnaround expert, has been with the Jumeirah Group since 2017. A French national, Leone has a wealth of experience spanning Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Prior to joining the Jumeirah Group, he held several senior management positions in InterContinental developments, including that of General Manager in Osaka; Resident Manager in Doha, Food & Beverage Manager in London and Assistant Food & Beverage Manager in Dubai.

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa offers its guests luxury and authenticity every step of the way during their stay.

In what ways is Jumeirah working into constantly providing a unique experience to its customers?

Exceeding guests’ expectations by delivering the Jumeirah “Stay Different” experience at any visit is definitely our secret to success in providing unique and personalized premium experience to all our guests. We seek to etch into our guests’ minds unforgettable memories in every visit to Kuwait’s idyllic resort. Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa celebrated a number of milestones in 2018 as it continues to set the standards as leaders in hospitality. It was an honor to collect more than 10 awards including the Best International Luxury Hotel Resort Chain 2018, Luxury Family Friendly Hotel of the Year 2018, and Leading Business Hotel. In addition, our renowned Talise Spa, signature Steakhouse Pepper, and Olio restaurant all collect awards. These awards are a testament to the hard work of our teams across the property and our commitment to high-quality service, luxury, and overall customer experience.

How is Jumeirah working on differentiating itself from the competition in Kuwait?

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa comes as a first choice for leisure and business alike. Catered to every need and want, the hotel’s hybrid design of both contemporary and traditionally cultural elegance offers a wide variety of 407 rooms and suites. Currently, we are working on turning some of king-sized bedrooms to twin rooms to accommodate more business clients and teams. We have a prime location as a resort, and guests can enjoy our 200m of private beach, the perfect place for sporting enthusiasts, in addition to the other hotel leisure facilities. When it comes to culinary, we have it all. Our restaurants feature beyond thriving cuisine choices with variety of international cuisines. Also, Jumeirah’s signature Talise Spa, Kuwait’s most prestigious spa covering 3,500sqm with 19 treatment rooms, offers a diversity of treatments. Furthermore, we continue to bring in diverse talents that contribute to constantly enhancing our competitive edge in the market. These are some of our strongest unique selling points.

What challenges in the sector do you expect in the next three years?

Kuwait’s hotel sector is in line with the global challenges. In the past few years, the country witnessed large increase in investments with the opening of new hotels in different areas while the targeted customers, mainly the accommodation market, is not growing. This posed increasing challenges on occupancy rates and the average hotel room profits. However, the strong competition in the marketplace and the challenges it brings offer us an opportunity to innovate, think outside the box, and outgrow our current success to reach further heights.

To what extent will the progressive opening of KSA impact the affluence of Saudi tourists in Kuwait?

We continue to focus on our target markets to attract more guests to experience the “Stay Different” in Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia is on top of our list. A large percentage of Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa’s guests visit from the domestic market including Saudi Arabia, with an equal proportion from the leisure and corporate sectors. During the weekends, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa becomes a popular destination with families from Saudi Arabia, looking for a different get away from their daily routines. The hotel’s facilities such as our swimming pools, spa, and kids club accommodate to the needs of families, while the villas provide families with access to private pools for extended privacy and comfort. Brand loyalty and Jumeirah’s personalized services always attracts guests back to the hotel.

What are your expectations for the year ahead?

We are always working hard to exceed guests’ expectations by delivering the Jumeirah “Stay Different” experience. We will continue to drive new initiatives and promotions to accommodate their needs and demands in our efforts to maintain our position as the leading hotel in Kuwait. We strive to ensure that we have something to appeal to all tastes and provide a holistic luxury travel experience.

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