Riyadh – Mubasher: Designs Group on Tuesday unveiled a partnership with Warwick Hotels & Resorts (WHR) under which the former will manage new hotels including 1,000 rooms in Saudi Arabia.
The deal, which will come into effect in 2019, was signed during the Hotel Show in Dubai, the two companies said in a joint statement.
This collaboration is forecast to boost the contribution of religious tourism to the kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP). Pilgrims, for both Hajj and Umrah, currently contribute between 2% and 3% to Saudi’s GDP.
The kingdom seeks to raise the number of Hajj pilgrims to 5 million by 2020 and Umrah pilgrims to 15 million in the same year.
“We are confident WHR will add great value to the projects with their vast global and regional experience and expertise,” Designs Group’s CEO Mohammed Al-Nadi stated.
The hotels underdevelopment are expected to provide world-class services and facilities for clients, he added.
Meanwhile, WHR CEO in MENA Jamal Serhan said he was “delighted” with the deal, which will help his company expand its footprint in the Kingdom.
WHR already has seven hotels, Serhan revealed, indicating that WHR was “very excited to penetrate new destinations with a reputable partner like Designs Group.”
Designs Groups is a large Saudi company, specialising in property management and construction services, including integrated hotel solutions.
WHR, which operates in the hospitality sector across 48 locations worldwide, owns over 55 hotels, resorts, and spas in the US, Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Bali, the South Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa.
