JEDDAH, 13 February 2005 — In an expansion of its presence in the Middle East, Rezidor SAS Hospitality, an international multi-brand hotel management company, will launch the Park Inn brand with two hotels in the Kingdom scheduled to open in 2007. Park Inn Alkhobar will open in the first quarter of 2007 followed a few months later by Park Inn Olaya in Riyadh. Park Inn Olaya will include 212 guestrooms and a restaurant serving both Mediterranean and international cuisine while Park Inn Alkhobar will have 148 rooms.
Jean Marc Busato, vice president, Rezidor SAS Hospitality Middle East, said that as the Kingdom’s capital and a business center that attracts corporate travelers, Riyadh was an excellent choice for the Park Inn brand. “It is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, increasing in size one hundred fold in less than half a century,” he added. Busato said the company has ambitious development plans.
“We aim to include 700 hotels under different brands by 2012, and the regional launch of Park Inn plays an important part in that growth strategy,” he said, adding, “With 13 successful hotels currently operating in the Middle East under the Radisson SAS brand, we feel that we have all the tools and experience required for rapid and sustainable growth here.” With three properties already in the Kingdom, and a fourth — the Al Madinah Paradise Resort — announced recently, Rezidor SAS hopes to utilize its existing knowledge and understanding of the country to successfully launch the no-fuss chain.
Park Inn currently operates 40 hotels in eight countries.
