In Saudi Arabia, Jeddah is attracting development from global hotel brands, and with good reason.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism and travel contributed SR218 billion to the total Saudi GDP in 2014, or 7.7 percent of the total. This is expected to grow by 4.4 percent to SR356.6 billion and 9 percent of the GDP in 2025.
As announced in March, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will open its first hotel and apartment property in Jeddah next year. The Swiss hospitality firm has signed an agreement with prominent real estate and investment company Hadia Abdul Latif Jameel Group to manage the 164-room Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Al Tahlia Jeddah.
"The hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia is expanding significantly over the entire country, which sets the perfect scenario for us to further increase our portfolio within the kingdom," Andreas Mattmüller, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts' COO for the Middle East and South Asia, said. MHR currently operates two properties in Jeddah, and now has three in the pipeline. This latest signing will take the company's total number of rooms in the city to 923 across five hotels by 2018.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts also has plans to increase its Saudi footprint by a third, from a current 10 properties with 3,907 rooms to 15 properties with 5,204 rooms by 2018. Upcoming projects include Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah, opening this year; Mövenpick Residences Al Khobar, due in 2017; Mövenpick Hotel Financial District Riyadh, also due in 2017; and Mövenpick Hotel Heraa Jeddah, due in 2018.
Rocco Forte Hotels, meanwhile, has announced its first property in Jeddah, marking the debut of the hotel group's expansion into the region. Construction is already complete, and the Assila Hotel is expected to open in September this year.
Source: Khaleej Times