“A Once Grand Dame”

I stayed at the Ramada Kuwait in Nov 2011 on my way back from Afghanistan. I chose this hotel based on a previous review that I could catch a cab to Ali al Salem air base for a relatively reasonable rate (which turned out not to be true -- the cab was $100 one way to Ali al Salem.) This hotel was probably once a jewel. It shows signs of age and clearly hasn't been overhauled since it opened 20 years ago. The lobby is impressive with its 8-story ceiling. A forest of white oak trees was felled to provide the oak paneling and trimwork throughout this hotel (I am a carpenter, so I notice such things.) The rooms are OK -- nothing spectacular. The bed was extremely hard. The TV didn't work until they came to change the batteries in the remote. Of the 25 channels, only 3 or 4 were in English -- no Sky News or CNN. The biggest disappointment was the bathroom. Everything worked but it was just old and showing signs of deferred maintenance. Tile and grout lines were stained. The toilet ran continuously and a maintenance call didn't seem to have any effect. The breakfast buffet was good. Standard western and Middle East options. The omelet station was nice. The highlight of the stay was the Indian restaurant. Granted that I had been in Afghanistan for a year eating dining hall chow so anything different would have been notable, but the lamb korma I ordered was outstanding. A pint of beer would have been nice, but I settled for fresh mango juice.