Eco-friendly ENVI Lodges and Nobu Hotels to expand to Saudi

Plans unveiled at day one of the Kingdom’s Future Hospitality Summit

Recently-launched ecolodge brand ENVI Lodges and Al Rasim Hotels & Resorts are to develop a waterfront project on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Red Sea coast.

Speaking at the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) in Riyadh, Al Rasim Hotels & Resorts managing director Aiad Mushaikh said: “We are very excited to bring the ENVI Lodges brand to the booming market of Saudi Arabia. We want to invest in unique hospitality projects and develop immersive lodges that offer both domestic travellers and international tourists the opportunity to discover the natural beauty of the Kingdom.

“As a Saudi company, we want to contribute to the implementation of the Saudi tourism strategy through investing in high-end tourism projects. ENVI’s proposition and approach to hospitality is exactly what we were looking for, and this project will become a reference for experiential lodging on the shores of the Red Sea.”

Expected to open by mid 2023, the lodge will comprise approximately 40 modular pods, prefabricated and transported to the site, which will be installed on individual decks to lower the impact on the environment and minimise disturbance at the site.

The project will adhere to ENVI’s sustainability standards which have been vetted by Beyond Green, the sustainability alliance that ENVI is part of. The facilities of the lodge will include a restaurant, a beach club, private pools, an experience hub, a wellness sanctuary and a kids’ club. 

ENVI co-founder Chris Nader said: “We are entering the Saudi market with an exciting project that completely reflects the ENVI brand. I would like to thank Aiad for giving us this amazing opportunity for an ecolodge in the western region.

“ENVI Lodges is receiving a lot of interest from Saudi investors who have a strong desire to develop responsible hospitality projects, in line with Vision 2030, and we are collaborating closely with the tourism authorities, municipalities and major financing organisations for tourism to create multiple circuits of lodges across the Kingdom.”

ENVI is currently working on two additional lodge projects in Saudi Arabia which it will reveal soon.

The first day of the Summit also saw the Tourism Development Fund (TDF) announce the signing of finance agreements with Remal AlKhobar for the development of a Nobu Hotel & Restaurant in Saudi Arabia, with more information set to be revealed in future.

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In additional news, Sophos Hotels SA, a third party hotel operator in Europe,  and AIMS Hospitality, an investor in Saudi Arabia’s hospitality sector, signed a Memorandum of Unherstanding to launch and develop the first international independent Hotel mManagement company in KSA.

The parties have initially agreed to develop and operate several properties located in Jeddah and Makkah cities that comprise more than 2,000 keys.

Sophos Hotels president and CEO Fernand Donnet said: “I would like to thank the ministry of investment for easing the process of obtaining the service licence for Sophos Hotels in KSA.

“We are thrilled to expand our business and to invest in the Saudi hospitality market which is witnessing one of the fastest & highest growth rates in the world, and to build long term partnership with AIMS Hospitality. Together we will reciprocate our expertise and further enhance our reach in this fast-growing market, as well as across the entire GCC region.”

AIMS Hospitality CEO Muhammed Al Amir added: “Saudi Arabia redefined its tourism and hospitality sectors under Saudi Vision 2030, which increased demand for international expertise in hotel management.

“We are looking forward to building a trustworthy partnership with Sophos Hotels which will combine Swiss hospitality expertise and  local know-how to create the ideal hotel management model.” 

For more information on all three projects, visit www.envilodges.com, www.nobuhotels.com and www.sophoshotels.com