Swiss-Belhotel set to open first KSA hotel

Swiss-Belhotel International has announced the signing of a 126-room Riyadh hotel, which is to be the group’s first property in the country after the delay of the previously announced Swiss-Belhotel Olaya Riyadh.

The new hotel, which is due to open in September 2014, is the second attempt by the group to tap into the burgeoning demand for mid-scale hotel accommodation in the Saudi capital, after the Swiss-Belhotel Olaya Riyadh which was originally due to open in 2013 but has been delayed by an ownership dispute.

Speaking to Hotelier Middle East, Swiss-Belhotel International chairman and president Gavin Faull said: “I believe that the midscale market is the future, especially in KSA, because the volume and the market is there.

"In a business traveller market such as Riyadh, guests want internationally branded economy hotels that they know and trust. With Swiss-Belhotel, they have a brand that mixes the best of Swiss professionalism and the Asian passion for hospitality.”

Located on the busy King Fahd Street, just one kilometre from King Abdullah Financial City district, the hotel will include 26 floors of accommodation, two restaurants, three meeting rooms plus banquet facilities as well as leisure space including a swimming pool, health club and games room.