Saudi Arabia will see a record 68 new hotels and 29,033 hotel rooms open across its major cities in 2017, a new report has revealed. [caption id="attachment_121859" align="alignright" width="232"] Rocco Forte Hotels - Assila Spa Pool [/caption] Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Khobar and Makkah are set to be the Kingdom's busiest areas for hospitality development, according to the Saudi Arabia Hotel Construction Overview carried out by Tophotelprojects, prepared exclusively for The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2017. Major new hotels forecast to open throughout the Kingdom this year include Assila Hotel Rocco Forte (Q1 2017), TIME Qurayyat Hotel (Q2 2017), Nobu Hotel Riyadh (Q2 2017), Swiss-Belhotel Al Khobar (Q4 2017) and the highly-anticipated Abraj Kudai Towers, which will become the world's biggest hotel when it opens its 10,000 rooms in Q4, 2017. "The hospitality landscape in Saudi Arabia is developing at pace, and this is a particularly exciting year," said John Suzara, Event Manager of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2017, taking place in Jeddah in April. "The largest hotel in the world – Abraj Kudai – is forecast to open in Makkah, while new brands are entering the market, harnessing the Kingdom's potential at a time of major growth for its tourism, leisure and hospitality industries in the wake of the launch of Saudi Arabia's National Vision 2030." Nobu Hospitality and Rocco Forte Hotels are international brands that will enter the Saudi Arabian market for the first time this year. Rocco Forte Hotels' Assila Hotel, opening on 12th March 2017, is the luxury hotel group's only property in the Middle East. Located in the heart of Jeddah it boasts 147 rooms, 63 suites, and a further 94 residential suites, spread across two large towers. The residences are the first fully serviced residential apartments in Saudi Arabia. Speaking of the world-renowned hotel group's decision to add Jeddah to its impressive roster of international properties, which includes hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh, Munich and Rome, Christian Renz, Vice President Sales at Rocco Forte Hotels, said: "It was important for us to have representation in the Middle East, as we have such a large client base coming from this region, particularly from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." "KSA has a lot to offer and I hope that the country will further open itself for international tourism," added Renz. "The incredible history, art, culinary culture and friendliness of people is an experience which I am sure a lot of travelers would and will appreciate. Jeddah itself is also a very fast developing city; we have seen much growth over the last few years. We are very optimistic that Assila Hotel will soon be well known as one of the best hotels in the region." The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah, is celebrating its 5th edition in 2017 as the event grows alongside the thriving hospitality market in the Kingdom. Taking place on April 4-6, 2017 at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events, it provides industry professionals working on the hundreds of ongoing hospitality projects across the Kingdom with the ultimate opportunity to source everything needed to build, develop and maintain a hotel or restaurant. Popular sectors this year have been identified by the show's organizers MICE Arabia and co-organizers dmg events as technology, interiors, and HORECA. Exhibitors are set to descend on Jeddah from across the Kingdom and around the world. Big names already confirmed for the three-day event include Spanish providers of electronic locking and guest access systems, Onity, Cisa from Italy, Kuwaiti furniture specialists Banta, and Saudi Arabia's Juffali Technical Equipment Company. The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia is co-located for the first time in 2017 with Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom's only exhibition dedicated to connecting interior and exterior surface material with the decision makers responsible for specifying and procuring them. To find out more, visit www.thehotelshowsaudiarabia.com — SG
