Swiss-Belhotel International is among the top 10 most active brands in the kingdom, with five projects featuring over 1,200 rooms currently under development, according to a report by Tophotelprojects, prepared exclusively for The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2018.

Laurent A. Voivenel, senior vice president, operations and development for the Middle East, Africa and India for Swiss-Belhotel International, said: “Saudi Arabia is a very significant market for us with 35 per cent of our development pipeline concentrated in the kingdom. Out of the six hotels opening this year, three are located in Saudi Arabia. Two of these will be in the capital city of Riyadh i.e. Swiss-Belboutique Tahlia Riyadh, a deluxe four-star hotel featuring 60 rooms and Swiss-Belhotel Riyadh, a four-star hotel featuring 112 rooms. Both hotels are owned by Jumaiah Group. In addition, we will be making our debut in the second half of 2018 into the Holy city of Makkah with Swiss-Belhotel Al Aziziya Makkah. Featuring 525 rooms, the upscale four-star property is owned by Cardamom International Property Management and is superbly located in the rapidly expanding hotel hub of Makkah only a few minutes’ drive away from Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Al Aziziya.”

Saudi hospitality sector is set to grow at 13.5 per cent CAGR per annum up to 2022. Widespread investment in the kingdom’s tourism and infrastructure sector in pursuit of attracting 30 million visitors annually by 2030 is driving demand for quality accommodation. With 40,020 keys in 89 projects, the country at the moment has the most hotel rooms under construction in the Middle East and North Africa.

Laurent stressed: “Saudi Arabia is a market that is currently under supplied in terms of hotels and is, therefore, projected to show strong growth over the next few years and we are extremely keen to take advantage of this massive opportunity. Our expansion in Saudi Arabia, like the rest of the region, demonstrates the confidence of owners in the strength of our brands. At Swiss-Belhotel International, with 14 well-established brands, we are well equipped to meet the needs of every segment of Saudi hotel sector. We believe our upcoming hotels will add tremendous value to our growing presence in the country.”

Swiss-Belhotel International will be present at Arabian Travel Market from April 22 to 25 on stand ‘HC1130’ in Sheikh Saeed Hall in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. - TradeArabia News Service