InterContinental Hotels Group has signed an agreement with investors Saudi Telal to develop two new Crowne Plaza properties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new hotels will take the group’s KSA portfolio to 19 and will complement the 17 other hotels located throughout the country, which span across three of the group’s brands - InterContinental, Holiday Inn and an existing Crowne Plaza hotel in Jeddah.

Located in the large eastern province of Saudi Arabia, Crowne Plaza Al Khobar will have 247 rooms including two penthouse suites and a wide-range of food and beverage outlets including a tea lounge, a specialty restaurant on the ground floor, a spacious all-day dining restaurant on the mezzanine floor and a Club Lounge on the 7th floor measuring 165 square metres.

Other features, tailored to the modern business traveller, include eight meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art business centre, a gym and relaxation centre with Turkish baths, juice bar, sauna and steam room.

Meanwhile, Crowne Plaza Al Madinah, situated in the central district of Saudi Arabia, is set to offer a total of 620 rooms, six multi-function meeting rooms, an extensive business centre and at least four diverse dining options.

While Al Khobar forms part of the Dammam metropolitan area, Al Madinah is located on the country’s popular west side and both are key destinations for the thriving coporate travel and religious tourism industries in the country. Crowne Plaza Al Khobar is expected to open by the end of summer 2007 and Crowne Plaza Al Madinah will follow in 2008.
——-