The first Suite Novotel hotel in Riyadh will be developed by Accor Middle East and Al Hokair Group for Tourism and Development, after signing a franchise management contract.
Accor Middle East, one of the leading hotel operators in the region, has signed a franchise management contract with Al Hokair Group for Tourism and Development, one of the largest hotel owners and operators in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East, to develop the first Suite Novotel hotel in Riyadh, Accor’s upper midscale brand, in the presence of Accor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Denis Hennequin and Mr. Sami bin Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Al Hokair Group.
It is the first franchise agreement between Accor and Al Hokair Group and their second project after the opening of Novotel Dammam Business Park under management agreement in 2011. The two companies are looking at expanding their partnership, and will cooperate for additional Suite Novotel projects in the Kingdom.
Suite Novotel Riyadh Olaya will be strategically located at Olaya Street, one of the city’s main arteries, right in the middle of the central business district of the city. The new hotel will be in close proximity to various offices, dining and entertainment areas and is positioned to attract a mix of corporate and leisure guests.
Christophe Landais, Managing Director Accor Middle East, said: “We are delighted to join forces again with our partner Al Hokair Group in this exciting venture. We share a common vision to grow tourism in the Kingdom and to create an off-beat, avant-garde spirit that invites guests to experience a new form of hotel living in Saudi Arabia through our Suite Novotel brand.”
Mr. Sami Al Hokair added: “We are glad to continue our business relationship with Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe. As a trusted and globally recognised partner, we are confident that together we can make Suite Novotel, a new ‘lifestyle city concept’, the number one choice for modern guests seeking to experience something different.”
Suite Novotel Riyadh Olaya is due to open at the beginning of 2013. It will offer 115 well-appointed suites, several food outlets, banqueting facilities, three meeting rooms, and leisure and recreational facilities including a swimming pool and a fitness and wellness centre.
The Suite Novotel brand targets medium-stay clientele and offers only suites, which are fully flexible so that the guest can arrange the space to suit his or her needs for sleep, relaxation or work. For Suite Novotel’s frequent traveller clientele, round-the-clock services promise more freedom and autonomy.
Suite Novotel’s property portfolio is expanding. At present the brand has 29 locations in seven countries: France, Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Spain, Morocco and the UAE. Suite Novotel Riyadh Olaya grows Accor’s regional Suite Novotel network which includes the 180-room Suite Novotel Dubai Mall of the Emirates. It will join the existing Novotel hotels in KSA, Novotel Riyadh Al Anoud and Novotel Dammam Business Park, which have already positioned the brand as a benchmark in the Saudi hotel market.
Accor Middle East’s current regional portfolio of 59 hotels representing 14,158 rooms includes 12 operational hotels in the Kingdom. Out of the 22 new hotels under development, seven will open in KSA: ibis Riyadh Olaya Street (December 2012), ibis Yanbu (early 2013), ibis Jeddah Malik Road (2014), Adagio Jeddah Malik Road (2014), Sofitel Riyadh (2015), Novotel Jizan (2015) and ibis Al Khobar (2015).
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
