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| Abdullah Alissa, the chief executive of Assila Investments, left, signs with Shangri-La president Greg Dogan |
Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited and Assila Investments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the management and operation of a luxury hotel development in Jeddah, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia and the principal gateway to Mecca. Slated to open in early 2018, it will be the first Shangri-La in Saudi Arabia.
The 242-room hotel will be in a 65-story development located on Jeddah Corniche Road facing the Red Sea. Shangri-La will also manage and provide services to the 122 residences in the tower. The hotel will feature three restaurants, function rooms, including a three-story grand ballroom, luxury spa and fitness areas, a swimming pool, children’s club and several lounges.
The building’s design, by global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will, was the recipient of the 2009 MIPIM Architectural Review ‘Future Project Award’ for ‘Best Tall Building’. The tower is situated perpendicular to the shoreline to maximize water views and optimize solar exposure, and its exterior ‘skin’ has synthetic fabric architectural sails that shade the interior spaces, protect balconies from wind, maintain privacy and house LED lights that create a distinctive pattern over the surface of the building.