A new report has found that Riyadh is the busiest city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with close to 50 projects underway across the city.
The 2017 Saudi Arabia Hotel Construction Overview report by Tophotelprojects, found that the Kingdom’s capital city is preparing to add 48 new properties to an already burgeoning portfolio. Jeddah follows closely behind Riyadh, while the report added that 170 hotels and 60,385 rooms are currently in various stages of construction across the country.
Hilton was found to be one of the top hotel operators in the country, with the Hilton Riyadh Hotel and Residences one of three hotels the brand will be launching in the Kingdom in 2017.
“Our presence in Saudi Arabia goes back over 20 years. We have ambitious plans for expansion with up to 29 hotels in the pipeline and by the end of 2018 I expect to oversee double the number of hotels than I do at present,” said Kamel Ajami, Vice President Operations KSA at Hilton.
“Each of our properties has its own distinct features and identity which enables us to meet a variety of customer needs and outperform the market,” he added, attributing Hilton’s success to providing its KSA guests with ‘variety’ and ‘smart luxury’.
“As a company we have invested heavily in digital innovation. Each of our hotels in Saudi Arabia is enabled with digital check in and the ability to choose your preferred room via our Hilton Honors app. This is a feature which has been commonplace in the airline world for some time but that we are pioneering in our own industry. Ultimately we are working towards providing guests with the ability to use their smartphones as their physical room keys which is again an industry first.”
The report added that international hotel brands were following in Hilton’s footsteps in the wake of the announcement of Saudi Vision 2030. New players like Nobu Hospitality and Rocco Forte are opening their first properties in the Kingdom, it added.
Scheduled to launch later this year, Nobu Hotel Riydah will be the first five-star luxury boutique hotel in KSA to offer an ‘array of innovative dining opportunities across three new eateries’, said Simon Fricker, general manager of the hotel.
“Riyadh is an important city in the Middle East for future business, tourism, leisure and hospitality. The government, according to Saudi Vision 2030, aims to develop all areas in Riyadh as the Kingdom’s capital city, with major developments including the Riyadh Metro and King Abdullah Financial Center,” Fricker added.
“Riyadh is now directed to entertain citizens, tourists and foreign residents to encourage local and foreign investors.”