The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has approved a list of criteria that would be used to rate heritage hotels in the Kingdom, in a bid to further improve services for tourists.

In addition, SCTA President Prince Sultan bin Salman has decided that the Dallah, a traditional metal pot with a long snout used to prepare Arabic coffee, would replace the star logo, said Omar Al-Mubarak, director general of licensing and quality assurance.

Al-Mubarak said that the classification would apply to all heritage hotels, in line with the classification of other types of accommodation, which includes hotels, furnished apartments and resorts.

“The most important feature of these criteria is that facilities should meet specific requirements in terms of security and safety. They should not be in areas such as dangerous valleys, and must be located inside or next to a heritage site.”

“Internally, facilities should have clean and safe parking areas with separate main gates. They should display their operational licenses and classification certificates visibly in their reception areas.”

He said these facilities should have good ventilation and lighting systems, and use proper traditional material for equipment, furniture and decorations. If they have restaurants or cafes, these should also reflect Saudi history, he said.