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Marriott to open eight hotels in Madinah

Marriott International, Inc. is set to open eight hotels in the Holy City of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. The Bethesda, Md.-based hospitality giant has signed an agreement with Rua Al Madinah Holding Co. for the eight hotels, which will be close to the Prophet’s Mosque, Al Masjid An Nabawi.

The properties will be part of the Rua Al Madinah Project, which seeks to elevate the service for people visiting Madinah. Set to be located east of the Prophet’s Mosque, the project is expected to strengthen the hotel inventory in the area and add more than 47,000 rooms by 2030.

Together, the hotels will include 4,400 rooms across the company’s brands — The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft Hotels, and Courtyard by Marriott.

“There is a strong demand for high-quality hotel accommodation in Madinah and we are delighted to work with Rua Al Madinah Holding Co. to support the enhancement and diversification of the city’s hospitality landscape,” said Satya Anand, president, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. “This multi-deal agreement also strengthens our footprint in Saudi Arabia, where we continue to see strong growth momentum in line with the Kingdom’s vision for its tourism sector.”

The eight planned properties include:

  • The Ritz-Carlton, Rua Al Madinah — Expected to offer 151 rooms and suites, several dining venues, a 500-square-meter ballroom, a fitness center and a kid’s space.
  • JW Marriott Rua Al Madinah — Scheduled to include 252 rooms and suites with several restaurants, a fitness center and meeting room facilities.
  • Madinah Marriott Hotel Rua Al Madinah — Will offer 450 rooms and suites along with dining, recreation and meeting facilities.
  • Le Méridien Rua Al Madinah — Will feature 553 rooms and suites, three dining venues and recreation and meeting facilities.
  • The Westin Rua Al Madinah — Will feature 361 rooms, three dining venues, meeting facilities and a kid’s club.
  • Four Points by Sheraton Rua Al Madinah — Slated to have 777 rooms and apartments, two dining concepts, meeting facilities and a fitness center.
  • Aloft Rua Al Madinah and Courtyard by Marriott Rua Al Madinah — Both are expected to have 1,810 rooms, 1,100 square meters of event space and multiple recreation options.

These openings are part of Marriott’s commitment to growing the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia, where the company has 36 properties and over 10,000 rooms under its 11 brands.

Rua Al Madinah Holding Co. is developing the development masterplan for the project. By 2030, the project is expected to cover 1.5 million square meters, including 47,000 new rooms. About 63% of the master plan will comprise open spaces.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism announced it was working on plans to increase the pilgrim capacity in Makkah and Madinah to meet the rising demand for hotel rooms during the holy month of Ramadan. The Kingdom’s Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khatib had said the ministry was also planning to upgrade the quality of the hospitality sector by empowering the private sector with financing solutions and legislation.

In February, Hyatt Hotels Corp. said its affiliate has signed management agreements with Rua Al Madinah Holding Co. to manage three new Hyatt-branded hotels. The three hotels are expected to add a total of 1,729 keys to Hyatt’s portfolio in Saudi Arabia.

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