Top 9 projects due to open in Saudi Arabia in 2019

Being the Middle East’s largest construction and build market, Saudi Arabia is pushing forward with several ambitious projects, some of which are scheduled to open in 2019.

Argaam compiles a list of top nine projects in the Kingdom that are slated to open in 2019 and will dominate the development headlines.

Riyadh Metro

In 2013, Saudi Arabia awarded an international consortium— comprising Germany’s Siemens, Canada’s Bombardier and France’s Alstom– contracts worth SAR 84.4 billion to build a 300-train metro system in Riyadh.

The Riyadh Metro will span 176 kilometers and include 85 stations. A bus network will complement the project with 24 routes, running 1,083 kilometers and stopping at 776 stations.

The project is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2019.

Read: Riyadh Metro’s red line begins trial run

VOX cinemas in Riyadh

Dar Al-Arkan Real Estate Development Co. signed an agreement with Majid Al Futtaim to open a new multiplex at Dar Al-Arkan’s Al Qasr Mall by Q1 2019.

The 15-screen multiplex is scheduled to include VOX Cinemas’ signature KIDS and MAX experiences.

Vox Cinemas opened its first cinema – the Kingdom’s second – in May this year at a new entertainment complex in Riyadh Park.

Read: VOX to open 15-screen multiplex at Riyadh's Al Qasr Mall by Q1 2019

Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah Hotel

Jabal Omar Development Company and Dubai Holding signed an agreement to develop Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah Hotel.

Under the agreement, Jumeirah Group will manage the new four-tower hotel, located within walking distance of the Holy Mosque.

Operational in early 2019, the hotel will feature 1,033 hotel rooms along with 93 villas. The hotel features its own restaurants as well as numerous meeting and conference facilities, a sports club and over 90 retail outlets.

Read: Jabal Omar to finalize Jumeirah Makkah Hotel; operational by 2019

Swissôtel Al Khobar Hotel

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts entered into an agreement with Mohammed Ibrahim Al Subeaei & Sons Investment Company (MASIC) to manage the 180-room Swissôtel Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia.

With a planned opening in 2019, Swissôtel Al Khobar will be situated within the MASIC Business Park development, encompassing around 55,000 square meters of retail and prime office space.

In addition to 180 guestrooms, the hotel will feature over 1,300 square meters of meeting and conference space and a variety of food and beverage offerings from Café Swiss and Swiss Gourmet to a pool and grill restaurant.

Hayy: Creative Hub

Art Jameel will open Hayy: Creative Hub, a 55,800 square feet complex in Jeddah that aims to be a community-based incubator for contemporary art, comedy, theater, and filmmaking.

The three-story development, which will open in 2019, is designed by Dubai-based architecture firm, ibda design, and will be located in the city’s northern Al Mohamadeyah neighborhood.

The Hayy complex will include a 1,640 square feet arts center for Art Jameel’s own programming, as well as four artists’ studios, a theater, and spaces for 12 partnering cultural organizations, among them labs focusing on entrepreneurship and filmmaking.

Citymax Hotel Riyadh

Landmark Group's Citymax Hotels will open a property in Riyadh in mid-2019. The hotel will be owned by Crown Garden Company for Catering LLC and operated by Citymax Hotels.

Located in the Olaya business district, Citymax Hotel Riyadh will be the brand’s first hotel in Saudi Arabia and the second to open outside of the UAE. The property will serve both business and leisure travelers, and will target extended-stay guests as well. 

The 65-room will feature a restaurant, Citycafé and a Lavazza coffee shop. Other facilities include meeting rooms, a gym and sauna.

Read: First Citymax hotel to open in Riyadh next year

Jabal Omar Address Makkah

A new Address hotel, the Jabal Omar Address Makkah, is set to open in Saudi Arabia in 2019, real estate developer Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC) announced last year.

Emaar Hospitality Group’s luxury hotel brand, Address Hotels + Resorts, has been selected to manage the flagship hospitality project in Makkah. This also marks the first expansion of Address Hotels + Resorts to the Kingdom.

Rove King Abdullah Economic City

Rove Hotels, a joint venture of Meraas and Emaar Properties, announced its expansion in Saudi Arabia with Rove King Abdullah Economic City, located centrally in the Bay La Sun waterfront district of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

It will feature 240 rooms, fitness centers for ladies and gentlemen, and a wide range of lifestyle amenities. Construction work began in the second quarter of 2018 with the soft opening scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2019.

Read: UAE's Rove Hotels to open up property in Saudi KAEC

Riyadh Front

The two kilometer long Riyadh Front project is located near King Khaled Airport opposite to Princess Noura University.

When completed, the mixed-use project will offer office spaces of international standards along with two hotels. It will also offer a lifestyle area for shopping, entertainment and fine dining, filled with international brands.

The megaproject is set to open in August 2019.  

Write to Paromita Dey at paromita.d@argaamplus.com