Stirling Hospitality Advisors’ latest RAK Investment Pulse reports a structural shift in Ras Al Khaimah’s hospitality market, with higher-value international demand driving 2025 performance. Rising occupancy, rates and revenues positioned the Emirate as the third-best RevPAR-performing hotel market in the UAE and fifth across the Gulf.
Global hospitality major Hilton has announced the opening of two new properties in Makkah - DoubleTree by Hilton Makkah Aziziyah and Wirgan Al Noor, Tapestry Collection by Hilton - nearly doubling its presence in the Saudi city and expanding its hospitality offerings for the millions of pilgrims and travellers who visit each year.
Among global hotel markets, Dubai, Shanghai, and London are set to open the most rooms in 2026, per CoStar data. The Middle East & Africa saw 18,273 rooms open in 2025, with 54,238 projected in 2026, led by Dubai (5,053) and Qatar (2,406).
Dusit International is advancing in the Middle East with the phased 2026 opening of Dusit Princess Al Majma’ah in Riyadh, marking the group’s first operational hotel in Saudi Arabia.
Al Qimmah Hospitality and Marriott International signed five new hotel projects, adding over 2,700 rooms in Jeddah, Makkah, and Madinah. The move reinforces their commitment to Saudi Arabia’s growing tourism sector, featuring four of Marriott’s well-known brands.
