The famous luxury ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II, which has been docked in Dubai since it was decommissioned from service with Cunard in 2008, is now to become a commercially managed hotel property under Accor’s MGallery Hotel Collection brand. Dubai’s state-owned PCFC Hotels (Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation) first began operating the ship as […]
Old Muscat yacht club and marina to be redeveloped into new Four Seasons property
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts continues to invest in its expansion throughout the Middle East with the announcement of the brand’s first property in the Sultanate of Oman. A former yacht club and marina in Muscat will be renovated to form the core of the new property, which will feature 200 upscale rooms and suites […]
New winter wonderland planned within Saudi’s Neom mega-project on the Red Sea
In yet another seemingly reality-defying ambition, Saudi Arabia has announced plans for a sprawling ski resort and luxurious mountain village village within its futuristic, half-trillion-dollar Neom development along the Red Sea coast. This newly announced project, dubbed Trojena, aims to out-defy all of the region’s other double-take-inducing development concepts by creating a luxury winter wonderland […]
Ritz-Carlton moves into the Jordanian market with more soon to come
Marriott International has announced the commencement of operations for the first phase of its new Ritz-Carlton branded complex in Amman with the opening of a Ritz-Carlton Residences in the Jordanian capital. The residences portion of the luxury complex offers 90 apartments for residents to begin moving into immediately. The property also used the opportunity of […]
Ras al Khaima welcomes the UAE’s first casino in deal with Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts
In a first for the UAE, the emirate of Ras al Khaima will create a new Department of Entertainment and Gaming Regulation within its existing Tourism Development Authority to oversee what they are calling “integrated resorts,” or developments that will feature casinos and gaming. Gambling has thus far been banned across the UAE, so the […]
Habitas opens its first resort in the Middle East region at Saudi Arabia’s Al Ula
Following the establishment of sustainable retreats in Bacalar, Namibia, and Tulum, Meixco, Habitas has recently opened a 96-room resort in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. On-site are a range of exclusive villas, a swimming pool, fitness center, yoga deck, and restaurant. As Habitas’ first foray into the Middle East, the selection of Al Ula as the site for this resort […]
Egypt’s ambitious plans to build dozens of modern new cities from scratch
It’s not often that you hear of a country constructing brand new cities from the ground up, but Egypt plans to do precisely this in 45 different locations over the next several years. Such a project might sound overly ambitious, but the Egyptian government contends that such a bold initiative is necessary due to the […]
Egypt Unveils 3,400-Year Old ‘Avenue of the Sphinxes’ in an Awe-Inspiring Ceremonious Night in Luxor
After its discovery in the late 1940s and after several rounds of excavations and restorations since then, the ancient Avenue of the Sphinxes finally reopened to the public following a grandiose celebration on November 23, 2021 to mark the occasion. The 2.7-kilometer-long road, originally lined with hundreds of rams head sphinx statues on both sides stretching its entire length, connects the Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor, two of the most important […]
KSA unveils plans to develop an oil rig themed complex as an offshore tourism destination
In a unique embrace of an otherwise uninteresting aspect of its economy, Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has announced plans to develop a 150,000-square-meter complex of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment and sporting venues that will be located not within a city or even on land, but on an offshore oil rig. The project, aptly named […]
Dubai’s Burj Al Arab launches new guided tours open to the general public
For the first time since it opened its gilded doors 21 year ago, the hotel that bills itself as the world’s only “7-star” hotel is offering something for those who cannot afford to shell out enough dinars for a luxurious over-the-top stay here. The property just announced that it will begin offering tours to the […]
