The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a franchisee agreement for the first Holiday Inn in Tabuk with Dur Hospitality Company (formerly Saudi Hotels and Resort Co).

The 83-room Holiday Inn Tabuk is the first hotel to be developed under the master development agreement (MDA) inked between IHG and DUR Hospitality Company last year.

The MDA will see a number of Holiday Inn hotels developed across Saudi Arabia over the next five years, significantly enhancing the brand's footprint in the kingdom.

At Holiday Inn Tabuk, guests will be able to choose from an all-day dining restaurant, coffee shop and lobby lounge.

Ideal for leisure and business travellers, the hotel will have function spaces including ballrooms and meeting rooms, and feature leisure facilities such as a swimming pool, an outdoor tennis court and a fitness centre.

Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, said: “2015 marks IHG’s 40th year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – an achievement made possible by the strong partnerships we have built over the years.

“The signing of Holiday Inn Tabuk is a great start to our new partnership with DUR Hospitality Company. This hotel will be our eleventh Holiday Inn in the country and we are truly delighted to be working with them to expand the brand in this key market."

Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Issa, chairman, Dur Hospitality Company, said: “Partnerships lie at the heart of our businesses, and as Saudi’s most established company in hotel and residential compounds development, our partners can always depend on us to shape the perfect combination of vision, capabilities, knowledge, skills and resources.

“Together with IHG, we have identified Tabuk, the gateway of northern Saudi Arabia, as an upcoming city to watch and it is timely for us to be adding a Holiday Inn hotel there. We look forward to working with IHG to identify more emerging cities across the country to develop more great Holiday Inn hotels for guests.” - TradeArabia News Service