Buenos Aires and Berlin-based architecture studio Jasper Architects won an international competition to design a hotel located in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert.
The project was inspired by sand dunes and the renderings that have been published look very cool. I’m really curious to where in the desert they’re going to build this since we don’t have sand dunes here, just flat open space.
According to the article, the project is currently in the design phase and is expected to be completed in 2024. For a lot more renderings and details, click here.
Thanks Hind
33 replies on “Sand Dune Inspired Hotel In Kuwait”
It looks great! But thinking about it realistically, it was a mistake for Kuwait to award the project to a firm that used completely the wrong desert type that is nowhere to be found in Kuwait. This design placed on a flat rocky desert will not work at all. More studies should have been done about the actual site/desert of the project. But overall it’s great that things like this are being considered for Kuwait!
Yeah, the design is meant to blend in the hotel to the surrounding dunes but we don’t have dunes. Well we do a few up north right next to the Iraqi border but doubt that’s where they’re going to build this.
found these photos i took of that area back in December
https://imgur.com/a/BN0vdeY
Might as well hold a competition to design a space ship. Hotel in Kuwait?! What is even the point, we don’t have any tourism, its way too hot, the desert doesn’t look like that and is littered with trash. Not to mention you need to have a bunch of paperwork like you’re applying for a government grant to get a hotel room in this weird morally policed country.
+1
Well we have local tourism and we do get a lot of Saudi tourists, But yeah the desert is hot but that’s not new, we have beach resorts and they do fine in the summer. If you’re married or single you could stay at hotels without issue, it’s only unmarried couples that can’t and possibly single men.
Aren’t single or unmarried the same thing ?
single person vs unmarried couple
Hotels here are always fully booked during high season – the tourists being Qataris, Saudis, Emiratis. They come here for leisure tourism with families.
When you think ‘tourists’ you picture Germans, Norwegians, Koreans. Well, those are almost always business tourists.
Just some hospitality 101 there for you.
+1
Or a clean pristine desert for that matter..
Little did they know that Kuwait hotels are not permitted to accommodate anyone without a marriage certificate, so much for tourism 🙂
Married couples are a huge market and usually are the ones that can afford to stay in places like this.
Thats an old wives’ tale. That isn’t the case at all. Mark would you care to myth bust that statement because you always hear it but it isn’t true. If it is true please prove me wrong.
It isn’t a myth. Call any hotel, tell em ur a single Kuwaiti male and u wanna get a room. Lemme know if any of the big 5 star hotels accept you. They won’t accept you for a day pass at the beach/pool either.
It actually is. No need to call them too since I asked two hotels in person. I passed by the hilton at the avenues and specifically asked them if they have different rules for kuwaitis and for different nationalities and they said no. Their only rule is that you can’t have guests over. Single kuwaitis CAN stay at hotels. Don’t take my word for it, call them up and ask them yourself. Im not sure about the beach pass thing but i know single kuwaitis who have gotten them this summer…
Why does this always need to be an issue? As if hotels should only cater to single, Kuwaiti males. Tourists are divided into various segments, not just single Kuwaiti men. There’s romantic tourism for married couples, business tourism, leisure tourism for families, etc.
if you are on a visit visa, they dont ask you for a marriage certificate.
if you are a resident require a marriage certificate
Why are they building it ?
Who are the tourists that will visit them ? And even people of Kuwait can’t stay in a hotel unless married.
Cool project but its going to be deserted in the desert with no dunes.
Local tourism. As a married couple you don’t really have that many nice resorts to stay in locally especially on the premium side.
What about single tourists? They just stay home? 😂
They don’t need to target unmarried couples, based on the renderings the hotel only has 9 suites so they don’t need to target the mass. It’s a small boutique hotel that could easily be filled up by married couples or single people.
I agree with your point but they have to fix other stuff that can make this project work and see it’s full potential.
Don’t mean to sound pessimistic but yeah I also feel like this is like the Kuwait metro project too good to be true.
Anyways, hope it works out!
Wow looks amazing. Inshalla when alcohol becomes legal in Kuwait, it’s going to be a cool place to go chill at the pool and drink desert themed cocktails
Alcohol will never become legal in Kuwait…
The irony of you using inshallah in that sentence.
Astaghfirullah 🤦♂️
Building something like that in the middle of the desert will have its own challenges – lack of firm foundation, water and power and so on. Especially to get away from paved roads, blinding street lights, tents, tons of plastic waste and busted tires, etc.
if the location is good, you would be surprised.
example: The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert
https://g.page/ritzcarltonalwadidesert?share
its amazing…
can kuwait just work on making failaka island a better touristic spot first. -_-
Everyone’s talking about tourism, etc. and I’m here like: sandstorm
Probably somewhere close to Mutla Ridge where the Copthorne hotel is currently located.
So much negativity…
Kuwait has so much tourism potential. Tourism in Kuwait is so so unfairly underrated regionally, locally, and globally.
There’s so much negativity. It’s so toxic and draining. People really don’t understand the power of manifestation and positive thinking. All the pessimism, cynicism, and negativity against Kuwait has a huge impact shaping reality.
With or without alcohol and nightclubs, Kuwait can have a thriving tourism industry if they pay attention to any of these:
1. Eco Tourism – marshlands, wetlands, sabkhas, islands, birds watching, nature reserves such as Bubiyan, Warbah, Jahra Nature Reserve, Mubarak Al Kabeer Reserve, Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve, etc. These are part of the Shatt Al Arab Mesopotamian River Delta and they’re of global importance because they contain many rare endangered bird species. Currently, 444 species of birds have been recorded in Kuwait, 18 species of which breed in the country. Due to its location at the head of the Persian Gulf near the mouth of the Tigris–Euphrates river, Kuwait is situated at the crossroads of many major bird migration routes and between two and three million birds pass each year. Kuwait’s marine and littoral ecosystems contain the bulk of the country’s biodiversity heritage. The marshes in northern Kuwait and Jahra have become increasingly important as a refuge for passage migrants. Kuwaiti islands are important breeding areas for four species of tern and the socotra cormorant. Kubbar Island has been recognised an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of white-cheeked terns. Bubiyan Island’s Mubarak al-Kabeer reserve was designated as the country’s first Wetland of International Importance
2. Food Industry – Kuwait can be the Food Capital of the Middle East. It has many talented chefs and many nice restaurants.
3. Plastic surgery medical tourism – Kuwaiti plastic surgeons are very talented and can attract regional tourists all over the MENA region. Dr Adel Al Quttainah is incredibly talented and his seaside medical centre in Shaab is so beautiful with the best beach views. This can easily attract regional GCC tourists. Kind of like how Turkey and Iran are known for their plastic surgery medical tourism.
3. Fashion Industry – Kuwaiti fashion designers are very talented. Kuwaitis are famous for their fashion. Kuwait even has some fashion house ateliers by talented Lebanese fashion designers.
3. Desert – ATVs, desert safaris, boutique hotels like this one, environmental sight seeing, camping, etc.
4. Beach and Islands – its so beautiful and can be the next Bali or Fiji. if utilized properly tourists can enjoy beautiful islands like kubbar and umm al maradam the water is so pretty and transparent. Many activities such as watersports, Chalets, Khiran Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City with its man made lagoons the first of its kind in the world.
5. Archaeological and Heritage Tourism – fix Falaika, renovate old buildings in Kuwait City, expand Mubarakiya or open heritage village similar to Souq Waqif in Qatar and Bastakiyya in Dubai
6. Conservative / Family Tourism – Tamdeen Group are aiming for something like that. Appeals to conservative families who want nice tourist destination without nightclubs/alcohol.
7. Luxury Travel – Kuwait can be a luxury travel destination (but this seems to require alcohol at 5 star hotels)
8. Cultural Tourism – Khaleeji arabic Theatrical Plays, Television Soap Operas, Art, Music, etc. Kuwait is already the capital of Khaleeji arabic television and theatre scene. If utilized properly, khaleeji tourists can visit Kuwait as the Hollywood of the arabic speaking GCC with its own Walk of Fame landmark.