Hotel giant to manage the 300-room DoubleTree by Hilton Madina Gate, expected to open in 2022
Hotel giant Hilton has signed a management agreement with the Knowledge Economic City Company to operate and manage the 300-room DoubleTree by Hilton Madina Gate, expected to open in 2022.
Located within the Madinah Gate Development and adjoining the Madinah Haramain Railway Station, the hotel will feature 250 rooms, 50 serviced apartments, two restaurants, including a lobby cafe open to the adjoining train station, meeting space, a fitness centre and gym.
The hotel will sit within the larger Knowledge Economic City (KEC) masterplan, a mixed-use urban centre comprising commercial, residential, recreational, educational and community elements.
Occupying a 6.8sqkm land area, KEC occupies a key strategic location between the Prophet Mosque, Haramain trian station and the Madinah International airport.
Hilton said the connection to the Haramain train station will provide a convenient accommocation option to those using the new high speed rail network between Madinah, King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh, Jeddah and Makkah.
Sami Abdulaziz Al-Makhdhoub, CEO of the Knowledge Economic City Company, said: “I am pleased to conclude this agreement with a well known internaional company like Hilton to provide technical, management and operation for our premier hotel leveraging the success of City Gate project through providing the best services for visitors, pilgrims and local community, in the area adjacent to the Haramain train station in Medina.”
Amir Lababedi, Hilton’s managing director for development Middle East and North Africa, added: “This latest addition to our portoflio will see Hilton occupy prime accommodation sites at the Haramain train stations in both Makkah and Madinah, providing Hilton guests with accommodation options at both of these connected national transport centres.”
Hilton, which has operated hotels in the kingdom since 1995, currently has 14 open hotels across the country with 40 hotels in its development pipeline, and expects to quadruple in size in Saudi Arabia in the next five years or so.