Marriott signs deal for three Saudi hotels

US hospitality group Marriott has announced an agreement with Al Murjan Group to manage three hotels in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah.

The proeprties will add 500 rooms to the company’s Saudi portfolio and include the first Delta Hotel by Marriott in the Middle East.

They will also add the first Marriott Executive Apartments and Four Points by Sheraton in Jeddah.

“We are delighted to work with the Al Murjan Group on three exciting new projects in Saudi Arabia,” said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, at Marriott International.

“In doing so, we will be expanding our brand portfolio in the region with the debut of Delta Hotels by Marriott while further strengthening the presence of Four Points by Sheraton and Marriott Executive Apartments.”

Delta Hotels by Marriott Jeddah Al Salam and Marriott Executive Apartments Jeddah will be part of the Al Salam project at the Globe Roundabout in Jeddah.

The first property includes 150 rooms and 25 suites, two dining outlets, recreational facilities, a 3,000sqm ballroom and pre-function space including four meeting rooms.

The second will have 100 apartments in one-, two- and three-bed configurations along with a restaurant, fitness centre and swimming pool.

The wider Al Salam project includes commercial and retail space along with the two hotels, which are due to open in 2023.

Four Points by Sheraton Jeddah, Corniche Obhur will have 306 rooms – including 196 studios and 110 suites, two food and beverage outlets, a fitness centre, boardroom, meeting spacea and indoor and outdoor pools.

It is scheduled to open in 2019.

Marriott has 23 hotels in operation in Saudi Arabia spanning 6,700 rooms across nine cities.

It plans to more than double its hotel footprint in the kingdom in line with government efforts to diversify the economy and boost local tourism spending from $27.9bn in 2015 to $46.6bn by 2020.

Read: Marriott to open $2bn of Saudi hotels

The US group has announced plans to unify its loyalty programme from August following its $13bn takeover of Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced in September 2016.

Read: US hotel group Marriott unifies loyalty programme