Saudi Arabian developer Midad Real Estate has signed an agreement with the state-owned developer Diriyah Company to invest SAR 3.1 billion (US$827 million, €760 million, £652 million) in the creation of Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Diriyah. The property's footprint will measure 235,938sq m in the historic town of Diriyah on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.  Diriyah is becoming a heritage and tourism destination because

IHG has signed an agreement to open the Even Hotel Dammam in Saudi Arabia, the debut property for its wellness brand in the Middle East. The 300-key property is slated to open in January 2029. The Even concept was launched in 2012 and was one of the first brands in the sector to integrate wellness features into its hospitality concept, with adaptive in-room fitness features, healthy food and beverage options

Populous have unveiled their plans for a state-of-the-art e-sports arena, designed to stand as a central landmark in Qiddaya City’s gaming and e-sports district, Saudi Arabia. The 5,155-seat venue will be designed to accommodate multiple experiences that prioritise players and spectators, as well as hosting both national and international esports events. The stadium will include the largest combined total video screen area of any esports arena in the world, with

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven) has revealed plans to develop and operate the world’s first Play-Doh attractions in Saudi Arabia. Thinkwell Group, the experience design and production agency, has been appointed to develop the attractions. Seven, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), said it will open Play-Doh sites at eight of its entertainment destinations across the country over the next 10 years. Seven has signed a

Destination wellness resort operator Jayasom – a sister brand of Chiva Som – has revealed plans to deliver an integrative multigenerational health resort for Amaala – a vast mixed-use tourism destination in Saudi Arabia being developed by Red Sea Global (RSG). Billed as the first global integrated family wellness destination, Amaala is underpinned by the principles of sustainability and regenerative hospitality. The development will be powered entirely by renewable energy and

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN) has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring purpose-built indoor adventures centres to the Kingdom. The new Discovery Adventures centres will integrate Discovery’s media content and will be designed to enable young people to "be entertained and gain informed insights with educational value". SEVEN, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has a goal of transforming the entertainment

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF), is to invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn) to develop 21 integrated entertainment destinations across 14 cities in Saudi Arabia. Developed in partnership with a range of international brands, the destinations are set to feature more than 150 "innovative attractions". SEVEN has so far signed deals with Warner Bros., Discovery, Clip ‘n Climb and toy giants Mattel (for its

Plans have been revealed for a 100-mile-long structure that is set to become the centrepiece of the ambitious Neom mega-development in Saudi Arabia. Called The Line, the "horizontal city" will be 200m wide and built on a footprint of just 34sq km. Designed to run on 100 per cent renewable energy The Line will eventually accommodate nine million people, with housing, parks and public spaces, retail and leisure facilities and

Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) has pledged to provide SAR500m (US$133m, €112m, £96m) worth of loans to companies, in order to create new attractions and entertainment projects in the country. GEA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the country's Social Development Bank (SDB), which will see soft financing opportunities being made available to investments that contribute towards the growth and sustainability of the Saudi attractions and entertainment sector

FAAB Architektura have designed a conceptual eco-building for Saudi Arabia aimed at changing the environment around it. The Vertical Oasis Building would feature 59 above- and below-ground levels spread across a height of 220m (722ft). A mixed-use programme would include retail, office, hotel and residential spaces, as well as a 712sq m (7,700sq ft) rooftop park. The main feature of the tower's design, though, is a permeable façade broken up

Plans have been announced for a vast zero-carbon resort to be built by the Red Sea in northwest Saudi Arabia as part of the Vision 2030 programme, which is aimed at reducing the kingdom’s dependence on oil and developing public service sectors. Set to open in 2030, the 31.4sq km (12.1sq mi) mixed-use development project, called AMAALA, will range across three different locations – called Triple Bay, The Island and

Construction work is set to begin on a huge urban development in Saudi Arabia – described as one of the "world's ambitious building projects". NEOM, which has a total area of 26,500sq km (10,200 sq mi), is described as a smart tourist city in the northeast of Saudi Arabia, consisting of visitor attractions, cultural venues, sports facilities and vast residential areas. It is the flagship project of Saudi Arabia’s Vision

The government of Saudi Arabia has pledged to fund the construction of a US$1bn "sports city" close to the Iraqi capital city Baghdad. The announcement was made by the Saudi commerce and investment minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qassabi, following a visit by senior Saudi ministers to Baghdad last week. No details of the facilities have been revealed as yet, but it is believed that the project will include a number

Asia-based General Hotel Management (GHM) has announced the opening date for its new Sharjah hotel, Al Bait Sharjah, as 1 September 2018. The hotel, which was developed in partnership with Sharjah investment and development authority Shurooq, is marketing its offering as a “refined level of luxury, sophistication and personalised service never experienced before in the Emirate”. In homage to traditional Sharjah architecture, Al Bait Sharjah’s foundations are set into the

Saudi Arabia's government has revealed plans to invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn, €11.2bn, £9.9bn) into entertainment, health, sports and education initiatives, as the country attempts to modernise and improve its citizens' quality of life. Announced yesterday (3 May) by the Kingdom's General Entertainment Authority (GEA), it is understood that the investment will generate upward of 300,000 jobs by 2020. “Government spending on the initiatives will total around 60 per cent of the

Italy-based spa consultants Wellness & Spa Solutions have helped to transform the spa at the Aleph Rome Hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, from an opulent 1930s bank building into an Arabian-style spa. The Aleph Spa is located in the basement and includes a thermal whirlpool, Finnish sauna, emotional showers, a heated indoor pool, massage cabins and an elegantly gilded hammam with marble mosaics. A contemporary gym with

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued a license for the establishment of the country’s first ever Museum of History of Science and Technology in Islam. Issued by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), the license will see the museum established at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. The project, said a release, will be developed in collaboration with the Institute of Arab and

Details of the latest proposed stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have been officially revealed, with a design inspired by the traditional Arab ‘gahfiya’ headdress. The Al Thumama Stadium – conceived by Qatari architect Ibrahim M. Jaidah from Arab Engineering Bureau, Qatar’s oldest design firm – will seat 40,000 fans in 2022, with the capacity reduced to 20,000 in ‘legacy mode’ after the tournament. The gahfiya, as

The famous Middle Eastern folk tales of One Thousand and One Nights are the inspiration behind a lavish dome-topped hotel opening imminently in Doha, Qatar. Local practice South West Architecture and Dutch interior designer Marcel Wanders – working in the region for the first time – have collaborated to create the “fantasy-like” Doha Mondrian for hotel operator sbe. Design features are inspired by the local patterns, ornate Arabic writing and

International architects Snøhetta have “blended extroversion and introversion” in their design for the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Saudi Arabia; the very first project of its kind in the kingdom. Project manager Tae-Young Yoon told CLAD that the studio’s biggest challenge was creating both a landmark and a building that “speaks to each individual person” who visits it. “The extrovert part derives from what people want and expect

The 50-storey Shangri-La Hotel, Doha has opened in the Qatari capital, with 272 bedrooms as well as the brand’s signature CHI The Spa. The hotel includes an aquamarine lagoon-shaped pool set on a 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) deck surrounded by 70 leafy trees, as well as a health club with 24-hour fitness centre, sauna and steamrooms. Designed by H.O.K. Architects, the Shangri-La Hotel, Doha also includes 42 serviced apartments and

Saudi Arabia’s Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) – in collaboration with colleges of excellence at the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) – will train 10,000 young Saudi people in architectural heritage to help professionalise the sector and boost domestic tourism. The ambitious training programme would see the students trained over the next five years in preparation for joining engineering and contracting offices and firms in the Kingdom. In

The Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre has opened its newly renovated men’s spa, designed by GA Design International. Akram Kawasmeh, senior director of spa for Four Seasons in the Middle East and Africa, spoke exclusively to Spa Opportunities – detailing the SAR10m (US$2.7m, €2.3m, £1.8m) refurbishment that started at the end of May 2014 and ended in December 2014. The 274-bedroom hotel occupies 11 floors of the tallest

A 60-day programme, conducted by Saudi Arabia’s National Urban Heritage Center (NUHC) and giving Saudi students comprehensive training in heritage renovation, has been completed by a class of graduates. The series of training programmes led by NUHC, an affiliate of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), was undertaken by students of engineering and architecture from a number of Saudi universities, including King Abdul Aziz University, Al Qassim University

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has ordered the construction of 11 new 'world-class' sports stadia in the country. According to local reports, the stadiums will be built in the provinces of Madinah, Al-Qassim, Asir, Tabuk, Hail, Jazan, Najran, Baha and Al-Jouf while there will also be venues for the Northern Border Region and Eastern Province. The regions have been chosen as they currently have limited facilities to host