Starwood Tapped to Manage Three Hotels In Saudi Arabia

By Jennifer Brenner Andrade

Alhokair Group has tapped Starwood to manage three new hotels in Saudi Arabia. Starwood, which already has ten other properties in the region, will lends its brand and operations expertise to the projects which include the Four Points by Sheraton Mall of Arabia in Jeddah, Four Points by Sheraton Dharan and Aloft Riyadh.

In a prepared statement, Starwood calls the region one of the “strongest” components in its global portfolio. Roeland Vos, president of Starwood Europe, Africa and Middle East division says the signing of these new properties “underscores Starwood’s commitment to expanding its footprint in this fast-growing market.”

The 300-room Four Points by Sheraton Mall of Arabia is scheduled to open in early 2010 in a prime location in Jeddah, less than three miles from the King Abdul Aziz International Airport and just five miles from the old city. The new-build hotel will provide direct access to the Mall of Arabia, Jeddah’s premier shopping complex, which is home to numerous retail stores, restaurants, an office complex, a gold Souk and an entertainment area with an ice rink. Facilities will include two restaurants, a lobby lounge, swimming pool, poolside snack bar, fitness center, business center and more than 3,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space for events and conferences.

In early 2011, the 236-room Four Points by Sheraton Dhahran is expected to come online at the prominent intersection of Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Road and King Saud Road in Dhahran, a major administrative center for Saudi Arabia’s oil industry. The hotel’s ideal location adjacent to the state-of-the-art Mall of Dhahran will provide guests with easy access to dining, shopping and entertainment. The newly constructed hotel will be 24 miles from the King Fahd International Airport and 20 miles from the Kingdom of Bahrain. The hotel will also offer a swimming pool, fitness center, gift shop and more than 3,700 square feet of meeting space for meetings and conferences of various sizes.

Scheduled to open in early 2011, Aloft Riyadh will be the second Aloft in the Middle East, following the opening of Aloft Abu Dhabi in 2009. Aloft Riyadh will be located in the Olaya district at the intersection of Olaya Street and Mecca Road, which links Riyadh to Jeddah and Saudi Arabia’s eastern province. The new-build hotel will offer 225 large, loft-like rooms, tech-savvy touches, a hip, social atmosphere and easy access to Riyadh’s commercial and shopping hubs. Additional facilities include the re:mixSM communal lobby area, bar w xyzSM, the re:chargeSM fitness center, the splash pool and re:fuel by aloftSM – a one-stop food and beverage area.