Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, has announced that it will open five new hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2016-2017, including two hotels each in Riyadh and Jeddah and one in Al-Khobar. The move is seen as an important step in the further development of Saudi Arabia's hospitality sector, in particular the mid-market segment, and comes in line with the government's newly announced Vision 2030, which envisions accelerated economic reforms aimed at moving the Kingdom's economy away from its dependence on oil, and of which development of the tourism and hospitality industry forms a key component. In total, Rotana will open 17 properties over the next twenty months covering major markets in the Middle East and Africa. The move will add 4,065 keys to the company's existing inventory by 2017, helping Rotana grow its portfolio to 75 operating hotels and 19,935 keys. "Rotana is embarking on the next chapter of its growth story," said Omer Kaddouri, President & CEO of Rotana. "Our robust development pipeline for 2016 and 2017, which includes as many as five openings in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, brings us closer towards our goal of operating 100 hotels worldwide within the turn of this decade." "Rotana's ambitious plans to grow its presence in KSA go beyond our scheduled openings in 2016-17, and have been carefully designed to complement the Saudi government's efforts to promote tourism in the Kingdom in line with its Vision 2030. We find it very exciting to be at the forefront of the Kingdom's hospitality industry as it evolves into a world-class tourism destination," he added. All five Rotana properties to open in Saudi Arabia in 2016-2017 will be under the "Centro by Rotana" brand, Rotana's lifestyle affordable hotel brand. These include Centro Shaheen, Jeddah; Centro Waha, Riyadh; Centro Olaya, Riyadh; Centro Corniche, Al Khobar; and Centro Salama, Jeddah. In addition to the five hotels in KSA, new Rotana properties set to open in 2016-17 include four hotels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and two in Iraq. Rotana will also open properties in Oman, Jordan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, besides completing the extension work on one of the company's iconic properties in the UAE –The Cove Rotana Resort in Ras Al Khaimah. The scheduled opening dates for upcoming Rotana properties in 2016 and 2017 are as follows: Amman Rotana, Jordan — Q2 2016 Kin Plaza Arjaan by Rotana, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo — Q3 2016 Centro Shaheen, Jeddah, KSA — Q3 2016 Centro Waha, Riyadh, KSA — Q4 2016 Centro Olaya, Riyadh, KSA — Q1 2017 The Cove Rotana Resort (Extension), Ras Al Khaimah, UAE — Q2 2017 Centro Corniche, Al-Khobar, KSA — Q2 2017 Erbil Arjaan by Rotana, Kurdistan, Iraq — Q2 2017 Sundus Rotana, Muscat, Oman — Q2 2017 Slemani Rotana, Kurdistan, Iraq — Q3 2017 Centro Salama, Jeddah, KSA — Q3 2017 Beach Arjaan by Rotana, Abu Dhabi, UAE — Q3 2017 Creek Rotana and Creek Arjaan by Rotana, Dubai, UAE — Q3 2017 Saadiyat Rotana Resort, Abu Dhabi, UAE — Q3 2017 Capital Centre Rotana, Abu Dhabi UAE — Q4 2017 Centro Istanbul, Turkey — Q4 2017 Rotana's impressive expansion plans for 2016 witnessed the inauguration of a number of properties in the first few months of the year including Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana, Riyadh, KSA; Dalga Residences by Rotana, Turkey; Downtown Rotana, Bahrain; and City Centre Rotana, Qatar and Centro Capital Doha, adding a combined 1,225 keys to the group's existing room count.
