AccorHotels, the world's leading hotel operator, has announced the opening of a new seaside Novotel in Yanbu, the Red Sea port city in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia. With this latest addition, AccorHotels has a total network of more than 20,000 rooms in operation across the Middle East. Novotel Yanbu is AccorHotels' second property in the city, following ibis Yanbu, which opened in 2014. Novotel Yanbu is owned by Al Hokair Group and operated under franchise agreement with AccorHotels. It constitutes AccorHotels' fourth property and second Novotel with its partner Al Hokair Group. Olivier Granet, managing director & chief operating officer of AccorHotels Middle East, said: "AccorHotels is celebrating the opening of our 20,000th room in the region, and we are pleased to have reached this significant milestone in Saudi Arabia, which holds more than 50 percent of our current pipeline. Our expansion in Yanbu is a perfect illustration of our strategy to cover key destinations for domestic travel and tourism in the Kingdom. The city has steadily grown into a major industrial center, serving as an important terminal for the Red Sea, one of the Kingdom's largest ports and the main port for the holy city of Madinah. "AccorHotels noticed a gap in the local hotel infrastructure, which had limited international-standard accommodation options. The new Novotel Yanbu brings the quality of our global know-how and expertise, allowing us to support the growth of the city while we simultaneously expand our network across the Kingdom," he added. Novotel Yanbu features 120 rooms and suites, and is further equipped with three meeting rooms, a ballroom, an indoor pool, a health club and a gift shop. Guests can also visit the hotel terrace, and dine at Belle Vue Café. The new property is located on Prince Abdulmajeed Bin Abdulaziz Road of Yanbu Al Bahir, offering convenient access to the Corniche, nearby business and commercial centers, and Yanbu Airport. Salah Oumoudden, vice president of operations at AccorHotels Saudi Arabia & Egypt, said: "We are excited to introduce our leading international brand Novotel to Yanbu to support its expanding business segment. The hotel will also cater to leisure visitors looking to explore Yanbu's rich coral reefs which have become a popular destination for shore excursions." AccorHotels has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia with a network of more than 15 properties in operation featuring over 4,500 opened rooms and close to 35 properties under development bringing an additional 9,000 rooms. The Group's Saudi portfolio, set to encompass 50 hotels in total, spans a wide range of world-class brands from luxury Sofitel, upscale Pullman and Majlis Grand Mercure, to upper midscale Novotel, midscale Mercure, and the economy ibis. AccorHotels currently operates over 75 hotels in the Middle East, presenting more than 20,000 rooms across the luxury to economy segments. The Group's regional network also includes 55 hotels under development, bringing over 14,000 additional rooms to the Middle East. —SG
