JEDDAH: Accor, one of the leading hotel operators in the region and a leader in the economy lodging segment, has signed a management contract with Prince Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Mohammad Al-Saud to develop its second ibis hotel in the Kingdom, in Yanbu. The new hotel will offer 196 well-appointed rooms, an all-day-dining restaurant, a coffee lounge, 3 meeting rooms as well as an outdoor swimming pool, a diving center and several leisure shops. It will be strategically located on King Abdulaziz Road, well connected to the industrial city and to the airport, and is ideal for both the business clientele who regularly travels in and out of Yanbu and for leisure travelers who will enjoy the marvelous diving spot and pristine beaches of Yanbu. Christophe Landais, Managing Director Accor Middle East, said: “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's travel and tourism market is currently maturing and we see the time is right to bring a second ibis hotel in the Kingdom, ibis Yanbu. “Our fast-paced development platform for ibis in Saudi Arabia shows our seriousness in expanding Accor ‘s internationally branded economy hotel.” The Prince's long-term vision in promoting the Kingdom as a world-class destination echoes “our passionate belief in providing world-class economy accommodation to business and leisure travelers visiting the Kingdom. With his full support, we are expanding Accor's ibis network of high quality hotel services at the best value-for-money prices in Yanbu,” he added. Accor's development team chose the city of Yanbu as the next expansion target for the ibis brand. The city, with excellent infrastructures, such as a recently modernized domestic airport, is located at only 3 hours North from Jeddah by road and, due to its location on the Red Sea. It is a key gateway to African and European markets. Yanbu is a major industrial center, known for oil refinery and international export business. Yanbu also presents high potential for leisure tourism by a being coastal city with great spots for diving. ibis Yanbu joins rapidly expanding ibis network and is due for completion by 2012. It will be Accor ‘s second ibis hotel in the Kingdom, after ibis Riyadh which is due to open in early 2012. Currently, there are nine operational ibis hotels in the Middle East representing 2,203 rooms (five in the UAE, two in Kuwait, one in Jordan and one in Oman). Prince Abdullah Bin Saud, owner of Al Ahlam Marine Tourism Group, said: “We are happy to partner with Accor, the world's leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe. In them we find a trusted and globally-recognized partner. With their presence in 90 countries with 4,100 hotels representing more than 500,000 rooms, we are confident that they have the expertise and capability to expand their services in this market.”
