Centro Waha by Rotana Opens in Riyadh; to Open Four More in Saudi Arabia in 2018

Press release

Published October 12th, 2017 - 11:25 GMT

SHUAA Capital is the main fund for the new Rotana hotels in Saudi Arabia.

Centro Waha by Rotana Hotel has just opened in Riyadh, with great facilities, beautifully modern infrastructure and design. Saudi Gazette met with Omer Kaddouri, President and CEO of Rotana on the sidelines of the press conference held on Oct. 11 in the hotel on its opening ceremony.

“Rotana is a management company. We are not the investors. SHUAA Capital Saudi Arabia is the main fund. However, this hotel investment is SR300 million,” he said.

“What makes the hotel special is the type of colors, paints and furniture we have chosen to ensure the comfort of all our guests. Our hotel is very modern and classy that satisfies all tastes and personalities. We offer 24 hours of our Café brand, a Japanese restaurant that offers a wide range of delicious food. Furthermore, the infrastructure and the design of the hotel are very unique. We offer our guests great pleasure with the best prices ever,” he added.

Speaking of Saudization, he said: “Saudization is very significant to us as a company coming into the Kingdom. We know that 35% of the hotel employees must be Saudis. In a couple of our hotels, 40% of the staff are Saudis, because we have their contribution to our growth. Hiring Saudis is something we want to do, they are passionate and qualified. We have fantastic Saudi colleagues. We take lots of our employees here in the Kingdom to Dubai and Abu Dhabi to work in our hotels there for a month or two to be exposed to a different environment. So they can bring back that experience and we need to let them feel loyal to Rotana Hotels worldwide, not only Rotana Riyadh. Part our role is to help develop society to engage them more in the hospitality business. We have lots of capable Saudi women and they are hungry for improving themselves. We recognize the best of them and we offer them the potential to grow with us. We want Saudi women to become general managers in our hotels. ”

When asked about how can the opening of Rotana Hotel contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 20030, he responded: “The more hotels we have, the better we are helping the 2030 Vision. Part of the Kingdom’s vision is to open doors for tourism and hospitality is a pillar in this transition. This is our fourth hotel in the Kingdom. We plan to have four more by 2018 in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar. Our strategic plan says that by 2020, we should reach 100 hotels worldwide. The Kingdom is definitely on top of our list.”

Source: The Saudi Gazette

Background Information

SHUAA Capital

SHUAA has connected seekers and providers of capital in the Middle East since 1979. We facilitate access to capital for corporate clients and identify investment opportunities for investors.

Company Profile

Rotana Hotel Management Corporation

Rotana was founded in 1992, by a partnership between two visionary thinkers, Nasser Al Nowais and Selim El Zyr, who were joined three years later by Nael Hashweh and Imad Elias.

Operating as Rotana, it opened its first property in Abu Dhabi in 1993 and is today one of the leading hotel management companies within the Middle East and North Africa.

Rotana is a company offering the best of both worlds. A unique understanding of the culture and communities of the Middle East combined with the collective expertise of an executive team contributing over 35 years of international experience in the service industry.

Rotana aggressive expansion plans have seen the company grow from 2 properties in 1993 to a total of 70 by 2014. With several further properties planned for opening and new projects in the pipeline confirming the company's intention to have a Rotana managed property in all the major cities throughout the Middle East and North Africa within the next five years.