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Hilton is all set to quadruple its luxury hotel portfolio in Saudi Arabia by opening more than 50 additional hotels in the kingdom in the next five years.
In a statement sent to Zawya on Tuesday, the company said that it intends to hire an additional 7,500 workers throughout the same period, tripling its current workforce of 2,500.
The global hospitality company, which has a portfolio of 6,000 properties worldwide, made the announcement amid reports that Saudi Arabia is embarking on a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure bonanza to diversify its economy and ramp up the tourism industry.
Hilton operates 14 properties, including five of its industry-leading brands in Saudi Arabia – Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn.
Just last year, the company opened two new hotels and signed into its pipeline at least nine more, including one property that carries the Embassy Suites by Hilton brand, three locations under the DoubleTree by Hilton name and one Waldorf Astoria.
Carlos Khneisser, Hilton’s vice president for development in the Middle East and Africa, said that Saudi Arabia is “an incredibly exciting and dynamic market.” “We are fully committed to supporting the government’s approach to opening the country to tourism and its Vision 2030,” said Khneisser.
According to Deloitte, hotels in Riyadh saw a 5 percent increase in average occupancy levels during the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. However, the hoteliers incurred a 6 percent decline in revenue per available room (RevPAR) due to increasing room supply and competition.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
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