Riyadh's Ritz 'luxury prison' to reopen on February 11

Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton will reopen on February 11, the hotel said on Sunday, more than three months after it became a holding place of princes and ministers detained in an anti-corruption purge, AFP reports.

The luxury hotel was closed for business since November 4, 2017. A hotel receptionist reached by phone confirmed to AFP that room bookings were available from noon on February 11.

Reuters also reported that Saudi authorities were close to winding up a major part of the crackdown, which would allow them to return the Ritz-Carlton to normal operations.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Marriott hotel group, which owns the Ritz-Carlton brand, said: "The hotel is operating under the directive of local authorities and not as a traditional hotel for the time being."