Symphony Style Hotel Kuwait
by the TopOfHotel team
Symphony Style is a designer hotel above a mall in central Salmiya whose Gulf views and promenade location are hard to beat — it sells on atmosphere and setting more than on how new the rooms are.
Symphony Style is a designer hotel above a mall in central Salmiya whose Gulf views and promenade location are hard to beat — it sells on atmosphere and setting more than on how new the rooms are.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Symphony Style Hotel Kuwait has a backstory that sets it apart from the usual chain hotels in the city — the building used to be Hotel Missoni Kuwait, part of the Italian designer brand Missoni, known for its bright zigzag patterns, before it rebranded to Symphony Style under the Style Hotels group. The charm is that it kept the Missoni-era design feel in the lobby, with bold colours, geometric patterns and curved modern furniture. Walking in feels closer to a design gallery than a typical Middle Eastern hotel. There are 170 rooms and suites spread through the tower above Symphony Mall. The rooms lean on earth tones offset by bright patterns, with soft king beds and good linens — and what most people love best is the big windows facing the Persian Gulf. Open the curtains in the morning and you get deep blue sea stretching to the horizon, with the outline of Kuwait Towers visible from higher floors. The upper-floor suites add a separate living room with a long sofa for sipping coffee over the water. The overall feel is a design hotel that is not trying to be lavish in every square inch — it sells on character and the view.
Food and amenities
The hotel has several restaurants covering everything from an international breakfast buffet and easygoing lunches to a smarter evening dining room. There is a pool to cool off in, a fitness centre with glass corners so you can work out with a view, and an in-house spa for unwinding after a day out. One genuinely practical perk is sitting above the mall: during the summer months of June to August, when it can top 45°C outside, you can head down to shop and eat in Symphony Mall without stepping into the heat for even a minute. For a desert-coast city, that matters. Worth knowing up front: Kuwait is a dry country, so there is no alcohol served anywhere — plan around that if wine or cocktails are part of your evening.
Location and getting there
The strongest card here is the location: Booking.com rates it 9.0/10 from 1,323 reviews, which is very high. The tower sits on Arabian Gulf Street in the heart of Salmiya, the district locals and expats call the centre of seaside life. Step out of the lobby and Symphony Mall is right there in the building; across the road is the Persian Gulf promenade, a long waterfront walk where families and groups of friends come out in the evening once it cools down — a calmer version of a Dubai-style corniche. Salmiya also has a huge range of food, from small local spots serving machboos (Kuwaiti spiced rice) to Lebanese, Egyptian, Indian and American places, with dozens of options within a short walk. The larger Marina Mall is not far, and the Scientific Center with its aquarium is a few minutes away. Kuwait International Airport (KWI) is about 20 km out, roughly a 25–35 minute drive.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to help you decide. First, and the most consistent point across reviews: the building is not new. It dates back to the Hotel Missoni years, and design that looked striking then now reads as dated in a few corners, with some bathrooms and furniture showing wear. If you are expecting the brand-new feel of a Four Seasons or St. Regis, this is not that. The Booking score of 7.8/10 and Agoda 8.0/10 reflect an experience that is not as steady as the other 5-star hotels in its tier, and some guests note that service and breakfast can be uneven. Second is the setting: the location score is high, but Salmiya is not the Kuwait City CBD — if your trip means frequent trips to the office district, that is a 15–25 minute drive depending on traffic. Third, the street out front gets busy at times, especially weekday evenings and weekends when people come out to walk along the sea, so ask for a higher floor on the Gulf-facing side for a quieter room.
Our take
Pulling together a range of real guest reviews, Symphony Style Hotel Kuwait sells one thing well: a seafront Persian Gulf location, a design with a real story from its Missoni days, and the convenience of sitting above a mall. If the Kuwait trip in your head is staying in Salmiya, walking to the sea in minutes, waking up to a full Gulf view, then heading down to shop and eat in the mall without facing the heat, this is a very good fit. If you want a brand-new hotel with Four Seasons-level service in the middle of the CBD near the offices, there are better options. Overall we give it 8.0/10 — best for couples and design fans who value Salmiya's seafront setting and the charm of a designer tower over how new the rooms are.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The location on Arabian Gulf Street in central Salmiya is the headline — Booking.com rates it 9.0/10 from 1,323 reviews. You can walk to the seafront promenade and the waterside restaurants in just a few minutes.
- The building used to be Hotel Missoni Kuwait, so inside it still carries that bold designer feel — bright colours and geometric patterns through the lobby and common areas that set it apart from the usual chain hotels.
- Of the 170 rooms and suites, many face straight out onto the Persian Gulf with full windows — you wake up to the sea and the Kuwait Towers skyline off in the distance.
- Sitting above Symphony Mall means you can shop, pick up food and daily bits, or catch a film without leaving the building — genuinely useful in summer when it is scorching outside.
- The 5-star amenities are all here: a swimming pool, fitness centre, spa and several restaurants in the tower, plus meeting rooms that work for business travellers and couples alike.
- This is not a new-build hotel. Some areas are starting to show wear, and the design that felt striking in the Missoni days reads as dated in a few corners now. The Booking score of 7.8 reflects that the overall experience is not as consistent as hotels in the same tier.
- It sits in Salmiya, a shopping and residential district rather than the Kuwait City CBD business district. If your trip means going in and out of the office district often, that is roughly a 15–25 minute drive each way.
- Some reviews note that service and breakfast quality can be uneven — good some days, ordinary others — so the full 5-star experience is not guaranteed every time.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Kuwait City
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a high floor on the Gulf-facing side — the views over the water and the Kuwait Towers skyline are best in the evening, and it is quieter than the side facing Arabian Gulf Street, which gets busy with traffic at times.
- Head down to the seafront promenade around 5pm, when the air starts to cool and locals come out to stroll — it feels like a calmer take on a Dubai-style corniche.
- Use Symphony Mall downstairs for daytime food and supplies — it is cheaper than eating in the hotel, and you avoid the heat outside.