Two Citadines Apart’hotels to open in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by 1Q 2014.
SINGAPORE – CapitaLand’s wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), is introducing the Citadines brand to the Gulf region. Starting in Jeddah, the 166-unit Citadines Tahlia Jeddah and the 136-unit Citadines Al Salamah Jeddah are expected to open within the first quarter of 2014. The management contracts are awarded by the Abdul Samad Al Qurashi Group, one of the leading conglomerates in Saudi Arabia with operations throughout the Gulf region and in Europe.
The addition of the two new serviced residences will increase Ascott’s portfolio in the Gulf region to more than 1,500 serviced apartment units across nine properties in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “By bringing our Citadines brand to the Gulf region, we will grow our network of Citadines to 75 properties across 45 cities globally. Citadines provides independent travellers with the flexibility to choose the services they require to customise their stay experience. The brand is extremely popular in Europe and Asia and many in the Gulf region who travel frequently to Europe are very familiar with Citadines. When our two Citadines properties open in Jeddah next year, expatriates and travellers to the Gulf region will be able to choose from our three award-winning brands of serviced residences.”
Mr Sym Lee, Ascott’s Head for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said: “Jeddah provides the best of both worlds – a vibrant destination for business travel and relocation, as well as a dynamic leisure market. With steady economic growth, especially in the construction and trade sectors, the port city of Jeddah is poised to be one of the region’s key cities for commerce.”
“Jeddah is also a popular destination for domestic and foreign leisure travellers. For the many Muslims pilgrims, Jeddah acts as the gateway city to the two holy cities, Mecca and Medina. Jeddah is also known for its rich culture, historical sites as well as its wide variety of shops and restaurants. We are confident that both Citadines Tahlia Jeddah and Citadines Al Salamah Jeddah will perform well in the market and they will pave the way for more Citadines serviced residences in the region,” added Mr Lee.
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