Saudi resort joins World’s Most Beautiful Hotels List

Saudi Arabia’s Desert Rock resort has been named among the World’s Most Beautiful Hotels for 2026 by the Prix Versailles architecture and design awards.  

Part of Red Sea Global’s luxury hospitality portfolio, the resort in The Red Sea was the only Middle East property included on the annual World’s Most Beautiful Hotels List alongside 15 newly opened properties from destinations including Italy, France, China, Mexico and Morocco.

Designed by Oppenheim Architecture, Desert Rock was recognised for its immersive design, with accommodations carved into rock formations or perched on cliff tops across the Hijaz mountain landscape.

RELATED:

Connecting Travel unveils 2026 Insight Report

32 flights added to Saudi’s Red Sea network for Eid

Saudi entertainment sector attracts 320 million visitors in 10 years

Launched in 2024, the resort features 54 villas and 10 suites with contemporary minimalist interiors by Studio Paolo Ferrari, combining tactile materials with ambient lighting inspired by the surrounding desert environment. 

Prix Versailles highlighted the project’s ability to appear “virtually invisible” during the day before emerging at night “like a constellation of small lanterns”.

Jérôme Gouadain, Secretary General of the Prix Versailles, said: “All the projects featured on the World’s Most Beautiful Hotels List for 2026 embrace a lifestyle based on enchantment and innovation, and fit perfectly into their local scene.

“These hotels, each endowed with its own amazing personality, provide a bright outlook and, in their own way, establish a welcome dialogue in today’s world of cultural globalisation.”