Luxury hotel and resort brand Anantara is making its way to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Minor Hotels, which has 529 hotels and resorts across eight brands, is developing the hotel in Diriyah, in partnership with Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), which was established in 2017 with a mandate "to preserve and celebrate historic Diriyah; the Jewel of the Kingdom."
DGDA lists His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud as Chairman of the Board.
Diriyah's historical center is the UNESCO-listed site of At-Turaif, which was founded in the 15th century. It is the original seat of power of Saudi Arabia's Al Saud family and contains ruins of mud-brick houses connected by narrow alleyways.
A statement says that "Diriyah is set to become the historic hub of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and will showcase 300+ years of the country's history through an engaging and inspiring set of cultural, heritage, hospitality, education, shopping and dining experiences for residents, tourists, and frequent visitors."
Diriyah is located 20 kilometres outside the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The DGDA is reportedly transforming more than 11 square kilometres of Diriyah into "what will become the world's largest cultural and lifestyle development, which will be home to 38 hotel brands, more than 100 restaurants and 400 plus luxury retail brands and souk offerings."
Its official website counts more than 20 ultra-luxury hotels in the area with more on its way.
The Anantara project is listed as in the the final stages of planning.
Minor Hotels acquired the NH Hotels Group platform in 2018 and has been in expansive mode ever since. The company's CEO Dillip Rajakarier spoke on the CEO panel at IHIF 2022. Among other things, he said the hospitality industry had been “quite backwards” historically and needed to focus on transforming digitally to ensure a seamless experience for guests.
He revealed at the International Hospitality Investment Forum in Berlin that the business was in the process of developing its own cryptocurrency to be used to pay for food-and-beverage, spa and hotel rooms at its properties.