Tag Archives: Riyadh

Qatar Airways has added another eight flights a week to Riyadh and one more daily flight to Dammam, increasing its connectivity to the two major Saudi cities, starting October 30, 2016. Through its hub in Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways will operate four flights a day to King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, and five daily flights to King Fahad International Airport in Dammam. The additional flights take Qatar Airways’ total connectivity within the Kingdom to 158 flights a week, serving eight destinations: Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Dammam, Hofuf, Gassim, Taif, and Abha. Qatar Airways, the official sponsor of Al-Ahli Saudi FC and F.C. Barcelona recently announced hosting a friendly football match bringing together both teams to play at Shiekh Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (Al-Gharrafa Stadium) on December 13, 2016. Travellers from Saudi Arabia can take advantage of the increased frequencies to visit the new destinations that Qatar Airways has announced this year, which include exciting cities all around the globe, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta in the USA, Adelaide in Australia, Auckland in New Zealand, and numerous others in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Etihad Airways’ latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner route was launched with the art aircraft touching down in Riyadh, capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The aircraft operates on one of the twice-daily flights between Abu Dhabi International Airport and Khalid International Airport. The occasion was marked with an official welcome ceremony attended by the airline’s senior management led by Hareb Almuhairy, Etihad Airways Senior Vice President Corporate and International Affairs, together with Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Vice President UAE and GCC Commercial, Sultan AL Mansoori, GCC Country Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and Adel Al Ragadi, Terminal Operation Manager, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The Dreamliner offers more seats and features the airline’s award-winning interiors in a two-class configuration – 28 Business Studios, each providing aisle access and equipped with an in-seat massage and air cushion control system, and 271 Economy Smart Seats with unique ‘fixed wing’ headrests. Riyadh becomes Etihad Airways’ newest B787 destination this year following the induction of the aircraft on flights to Perth, Dusseldorf and Shanghai, with Abu Dhabi – Johannesburg set to become a Dreamliner route on 1 November. Etihad Airways’ current fleet of nine B787s also operates to Singapore, Washington DC, Brisbane and Zurich. The aircraft is equipped with full mobile and Wi-Fi services as well as the latest Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system featuring seven satellite channels of live TV including BBC World News, Sport 24 and CNN to name a few.   Etihad Airways currently operates 14 weekly non-stop flights to and from Riyadh; 21 weekly services to Jeddah; 21 weekly flights to Dammam, in addition to a daily operation to Medina.

The UAE successfully took part in a special meeting for GCC tourism undersecretaries held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the preparations for the 3rd GCC Tourism Ministers Meeting. The UAE delegation was headed by H.E. Mohammed Khamis Al Muhairi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Economy, and was joined by Saeed Al Samahi, Director General, FTAA; and Abdullah Al Hammadi, director at the Ministry of Economy. The delegates discussed key points from the minutes of its previous meeting — strongly focused on the development of the GCC region’s tourism industry, the further promotion of joint tourism work among GCC countries and the continuation of efforts to achieve common strategic goals and objectives in support of enhancing and improving national tourist attractions of respective member countries. H.E. Al Muhairi shared that tourism in the GCC region has witnessed a positive upward shift in the last few years and has resulted in the region’s tourism segment’s ability to contribute significantly to the economies of countries in the GCC, supplementing contributions that has helped in promoting economic diversity. The Undersecretary revealed that the recommendations produced in the recent meeting complements the move to further enhance joint cooperation among GCC countries.

Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces held a multi-city Sales Mission in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, signifying the company’s interest in expansion in the region. The events were hosted in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. The first leg of the Sales Mission kick started with an evening of networking at the Opera Ballroom at Taj Dubai on September 25th 2016. Hosted by Chinmai Sharma, Chief Revenue Officer, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, the elegant dinner event had Senior Management from various Taj properties around the globe, key media and select travel partners in attendance. Speaking at the event, Chinmai expressed the group’s interest in growing their footprint in the region with two hotels already in the pipeline. This includes a 207 – key hotel located at Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai and a 325 – key Resort and Spa located on The Palm, Dubai. Taj Dubai is the iconic group’s first luxury property in the Middle East. Taj Dubai’s 296 rooms are a mix of rich Indian artistry and traditional influences, suffused with a cool, vibrant twist. An intoxicating fusion of extravagance, heritage and contemporary style, Taj Dubai occupies a prime location, a mere five minutes from the famed Downtown area with Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall and just 15 km away from Dubai International Airport, making this one of the most coveted locations for business travellers and tourists alike.

Etihad Airways will deploy its Boeing 787 Dreamliner on one of its twice-daily scheduled flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with effect from October 30, 2016. Flight EY317 will be operated with a B787, departing Abu Dhabi at 10:15 hrs, arriving into Riyadh at 11:15 hrs. The return flight EY318 departs Riyadh at 16:25 hrs, arriving into Abu Dhabi at 19:10 hrs. The flights will provide optimal timings for guests in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and convenient connections to and from destinations across key markets in Europe, Indian subcontinent, Asia and Australia. The 299-seat aircraft, configured in two classes, with 28 seats in Business and 271 in Economy. The upgrade from a single aisle Airbus A321 aircraft will cater to strong demand to and from the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offering guests more seats on a wide-body aircraft. Together with the other daily Riyadh service operated by a Boeing 777, Etihad Airways will have more than 8,700 weekly seats on the route.

The Ascott Limited (Ascott), the serviced residence owner- operator, is continuing to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia by unveiling plans for ‘The Ascott Villas Riyadh’. The 92-unit 5-star serviced villas would be the group’s landmark and exclusive offering in the Saudi Arabian capital. Ascott, the service residence operator, and Bathel Alkhair Establishment for Trading and Real Estate, inked a management contract on Thursday 14th July, which puts the project on track to open by November 2017. It will also strength Ascott’s position as the leading serviced residence operator in Saudi Arabia, with 980 units in 7 properties across 3 cities. Located in the prestigious Hittin district, north of Riyadh, with easy access to the city’s key business and leisure landmarks, the property will boast a new type of serviced residence experience, combining luxuriously furnished villas with Ascott’s award-winning hospitality service. The Ascott Villas is located close to the upcoming King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), which has been billed as Riyadh’s new central business district and is the future home of the Saudi Stock Exchange, Capital Markets Authority and a host of other financial and professional services firms. Ascott has another property in Riyadh, the 234-units ‘Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh’, which is due to open in the latter part of 2016. Providing a brief introduction about the owners of the property, Miccolis said that the Bathel Alkhair Establishment for Trading and Real Estate, is a Saudi based establishment with the main activities in real estate and financial investments, including the development of residential and hospitality projects, and investment in capital and private equity markets. Currently, the group owns several residential properties and hotels in various cities in Saudi Arabia.

UAE-based Travel Connections Arabia (TCA) is expanding its footprints with a new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is the company’s second office in the GCC. TCA offers a sales and marketing extension to its world-class partner hotels, generating lucrative inbound travel business from the Middle East to properties and destinations located around the world. TCA’s collection of hospitality and tourism clients include some of the most exclusive hotels and resorts around the world, such as Iniala Beach House in Phuket, Thailand; The Mark in New York City, USA; The Lanesborough in London, England; Kulm Hotel St. Moritz in Switzerland; Villa Cora in Florence, Italy; and six exceptional Constance Hotels & Resorts, spread across the Indian Ocean’s top destinations: the Seychelles, the Maldives and Mauritius. Regional Sales Manager Hamada Hefnawy, with more than four years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry, has recently been appointed to cover all of Saudi Arabia.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide signed an agreement with Saudi Real Estate Company (Al-Akaria) to open two new hotels in Riyadh. Scheduled to open in 2022, The Westin Riyadh and Element Riyadh will feature a combined 632 rooms. These signings mark the return of the Westin flag to Saudi Arabia and the first Element in the country. The properties will be a part of a mix-use development in the vicinity of the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), in the heart of Riyadh. Michael Wale, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East stated that Saudi Arabia remains one of their strongest growth markets in the region and they were thrilled to be strengthening their presence in the country with two new hotels together with Al-Akaria.  As one of the Middle East’s key business hubs, Riyadh is an increasingly popular destination for regional and international travellers and a great choice for the expansion of their Westin and Element brands. Starwood operates 53 hotels and resorts across the Middle East under eight of the company’s ten distinct lifestyle brands including: The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Méridien, Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft. With a pipeline of over 40 hotels, the company is on target to operate 100 hotels in the Middle East by 2020.  Saudi Arabia remains Starwood’s second largest market in the region with 10 operational hotels and 13 properties in the pipeline.