Millennium & Copthorne Hotels say "Salam" to Saudi Arabia

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, a subsidiary of City Developments, will soon be in charge of 11 luxury hotels in Saudi Arabia.

In a news release, Singapore's leading hotel group Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, a subsidiary of listed property giant City Developments Limited, announced that it has signed contracts to manage 11 hotels across key locations in the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and one 5-star hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The 11 Saudi hotels will account for more than 4,000 rooms, with the largest hotel contributing 1,500 rooms to the group’s room inventory in The Islamic Holy City of Mecca in 2015.

As the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, Mecca receives more than two million pilgrims every Haj, and an estimated 13 million visitors annually. When the hotel opens, the 4-star property will offer comfortable and convenient accommodation in the holy city, complete with restaurants and a health club.

The M&C hotels are all at different stages of development, with three hotels opening in 2012 and the rest opening within the next three years. The other Saudi cities on the hotel group’s list include two hotels in Medina, Riyadh, Baha, Hail City, Jazan, and Tabouk. The hotel in Riyadh will offer 650 rooms, making it a significant new hotel in the capital city.

In Tbilisi, a new 220-room 5-star hotel on Rustaveli Avenue, the city’s main avenue, will open its doors by mid-2014. This will be M&C’s first foray into the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe. The hotel will occupy the former Imeli building and will maintain its historic appearance with an adjacent new glass tower of 29 floors added to form part of the hotel complex. It will offer a luxury health club and spa, meeting rooms, banquet hall and food and beverage outlets.

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is situated on the banks of the Kura River. Its varied history is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix of medieval, classical and Soviet structures.

Mr. Kwek Leng Beng, Chairman of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc, said: “While there is much attention to Middle East politics, we should not lose sight of the business and economic opportunities the region holds. The region has seen higher trade growth rate, compared to global trade rate, for some time now and is forecast to see equally good trade growth in the next five years. We have been growing our hotels’ footprint rapidly there. We will continue to serve the needs of companies and travellers visiting and looking for opportunities in this strategic market and other emerging markets.”

The expansion in Saudi Arabia is matched by the group’s ambitions elsewhere in the region. To date, M&C has 10 hotels in the Middle East with more than 30 hotels in the pipeline across the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, and South Africa.