Hilton Continues its strong growth in Saudi Arabia with more than 50 hotels open and in its pipeline across the country

Hilton Continues its strong growth in Saudi Arabia with more than 50 hotels open and in its pipeline across the country

With its rapidly developing pipeline in Saudi Arabia, Hilton expects to quadruple its portfolio in the Kingdom throughout the next five years to more than 50 hotels, with a total of 16,000 rooms open across the Kingdom.

Hilton, which currently operates five of its industry-leading brands in Saudi Arabia - Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn - continues to grow and develop and introduce new brands to the country, including its lifestyle brand, Canopy by Hilton, and its Embassy Suites by Hilton brand.

Hilton signed the following hotels in Saudi Arabia in 2019:

• Embassy Suites by Hilton Jeddah Sari Street 173 rooms.
• DoubleTree by Hilton Madinah Gate 300 rooms.
• DoubleTree by Hilton Abha Al Mahalah Residences 140 rooms.
• Hilton Garden Inn Riyadh King Fahd Road 149 rooms.
• Waldorf Astoria The Avenues - Riyadh 350 rooms.
• Conrad Riyadh The Avenues - Riyadh 400 rooms.
• Canopy by Hilton The Avenues - Riyadh 150 rooms.
• Hilton Garden Inn The Avenues - Riyadh 500 rooms.
• Doubletree by Hilton Abha Al Marooj 156 rooms.

Commenting on Hilton's strong growth in the country, Carlos Khneisser, Hilton's Vice President Development Middle East and Africa said: "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. We have a strategic approach to our brand deployment and growth in the country which enables us to offer our guests world-class products and experiences when they visit the country."

In addition to signing nine new hotels in Saudi Arabia in 2019, Hilton also opened two new hotels; DoubleTree by Hilton Makkah Jabal Omar and Hilton Garden Inn Al Jubail. As Hilton continues to grow and develop in the country it is committed to creating career opportunities for Saudi nationals working in the travel and tourism industry.

Hilton's hotels in Saudi Arabia currently employ approximately 2,500 people across its 14 properties and expects to employ some 7,500 Team Members as it opens its pipeline of 40 hotels throughout the next five years.

Hilton has a focussed human capital strategy for Saudization and partners with a number of Government and private organisations including the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, the International Youth Foundation and King Khalid Foundation. This focus has seen Hilton voted Number One in the Saudi Arabia Great Place To Work Survey for three years in a row.

About AHIC 2020

AHIC, now in its 16^th year, is the annual gathering for the Middle East's hospitality investment community organised by global hotel investment event organiser Bench Events in partnership with Middle East business intelligence brand, MEED. AHIC creates a knowledge and networking platform for global and regional investors of all backgrounds, offering essential insights to investing in hotels, showcasing regional and international hospitality investment opportunities and facilitating direct connections with hospitality industry stakeholders. AHIC 2020 will be held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai from 14 April to 16 April and hosted by its founding patron, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, whose continued support of the industry and AHIC has been critical to the region's tourism growth.

AHIC 2020 Sponsors

Sponsors include: Jumeirah Group as Host Sponsor; Accor, Al Hokair Group, Marjan, and Dur Hospitality as Platinum Sponsors; Emaar Hospitality Group, Millennium Hotels and Resorts and Marriott International as Emerald Sponsors; and Alkamal International, febc, Insignia, JA Resorts & Hotels, Knight Frank, Louvre Hotels Group, Melia Hotels International, Shaza Hotels, SSH, and STR as Gold Sponsors. Al Tamimi and Company, and MMAC Design Associates are the Silver Sponsors, while The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management is a Supporting Partner.