Tag Archives: Riyadh

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.