Hilton opens Saudi palace hotel
Hilton International’s first ever palace hotel, ‘Qasr Al Sharq’ or ‘Palace of the Orient’ is now open, promising discerning travellers unparalleled luxury, lavish interiors, Arabian hospitality and the latest cutting-edge technology.
Conveniently located adjacent to the Jeddah Hilton, the 46 all-suite premier property is set to re-define the booming tourism and hospitality sectors in Saudi Arabia, with a host of first-ever services and amenities such as the largest guest suites in the region, a unique personalised butler service and exceptionally opulent interior design of a most spectacular calibre, to name a few.
‘With the government actively promoting domestic tourism, the opening of Qasr Al Sharq comes at an opportune time. We believe that Qasr Al Sharq will play a significant role in shaping the future of high-end tourism in KSA,’ said Marc de Beer, Manager of Qasr Al Sharq.
“Qasr Al Sharq will offer seasoned travellers, who know exactly what they want, the highest standards of luxury and sheer exclusivity. We believe that Saudi nationals will account for 95 per cent of all our guests,” added de Beer.
Qasr Al Sharq will offer guests a dreams-come-true lodging experience set in the heart of Arabia. Facing the Red Sea on the main Corniche, the palace is a nine-storey triangular shaped granite building with oriental architectural design. The palace comprises of two palace suites - each covering half a floor with two master bedrooms, a private sitting room, a large formal majlis, large dining room and kitchen, and a private health club that includes a gym, sauna and Jacuzzi - in addition to eight Royal Suites, 12 Executive Suites and 24 Junior Suites all of which are fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology for audio-visual equipment, WiFi internet access and automated controls for lighting, curtains, temperature control and refreshment centres.
Exclusivity Redefined:
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At Qasr Al Sharq, the lavish hospitality experience starts even before guests make it through the Palace gates as they are introduced to a unique world of exclusivity the moment they land. Luggage retrieval and airport transfer via a luxury limousine driven by specially trained chauffeurs, ensures that every minute detail of their stay is taken care of.
A professionally trained staff of 17 butlers ensures that each and every individual need and request is fully met, and that accommodations are kept in immaculate condition, 24 hours a day.
‘Our guests will be among the most discerning. Their needs will run the gamut of high tech solutions for global communications and conferencing, to dietary needs, to strictest privacy and security arrangements, and an entire array of individual considerations and preferences. This hotel is a palace, and it will be run as one; the service is not comparable to a hotel stay. The personal butler and round-the-clock housekeeping and dining services are all integral parts of any guest experience at Qasr Al Sharq,’ explained de Beer.
Interiors: Lavish and refined
Saudi Arabia’s first palace hotel is an authentic Arabian palace of unparalleled luxury, representative of the opulence and hospitality that is historical Arabia. Interior designers spent an extensive time researching Arabesque designs and working to blend colour and textures created specially for Qasr Al Sharq, so that guests are completely enveloped in a rich sensory experience.
The palace’s decorative ceilings boast 60Kg of gold leaf, which took six months to painstakingly apply. A show-stopping Swarovski chandelier graces the main staircase, with 600,000 crystals chained together, gilded in 24 carat gold and sparkling with 260 lights. Countless types and colours of marble were handpicked from around the world to create the mosaic-inspired flooring.
The entire project was conceived as a turnkey project from initial design stage through to the final construction, furnishing and decoration, by Haif Company in Riyadh.
Dining: Indulge the Senses
Bice, the world-renowned elegant Italian restaurant serves traditional Italian food. Located on the second floor overlooking the Red Sea, it accommodates 96 seats with a private dining room for 12 guests.
Guests can experience the best of Middle Eastern cuisine at Mataam Al Sharq Oriental restaurant, served in a sumptuous setting. Located on the second floor, and overlooking the Red Sea, it has 100 seats with private dining facilities available for 10 to 30 guests. Both Mataam Al Sharq and Bice are open for lunch and dinner.
‘It is our aim to establish the Palace as well as the Restaurants as the best in their fields. Levels of service at the palace will be second to none, and will provide a benchmark for the industry, both within the Middle East and abroad,’ concluded de Beer.
Hilton Hotels Corporation is the leading global hospitality company, with nearly 2,800 hotels and 485,000 rooms in more than 80 countries, with 150,000 team members worldwide.
More than 2,300 hotels are owned, managed or franchised in the USA with a portfolio of some of the best known and highly regarded hotel brands including Hilton®, Conrad®, Coral by Hilton®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations?, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Scandic and The Waldorf=Astoria Collection?.
Outside the USA, the company operates 261 hotels branded Hilton and 129 under the mid-market Scandic brand.
The company currently operates 31 hotels in the Middle East - 17 hotels in Egypt, eight hotels in the UAE, four in Saudi Arabia and one each in Oman and Kuwait. This includes the 46-suite Qasr Al Sharq, or ‘Palace of the Orient’ - Hilton’s first palace in the world. Hilton’s heritage in the Arabian Peninsula stretches back over 30 years, when it became the first international hotel brand to open a property in the UAE - the Hilton Al Ain in 1972.
Later this year will also see the opening of the first phase of a Worldwide Resort in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. New Hilton properties are also under development in Doha marking the company’s first foray into Qatar, and the Arabian Peninsula’s first Conrad hotel in Dubai, in addition to a beach club, also in Dubai.
Hilton has also been nominated this year for a
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World Travel Award as World’s Leading Hotel Brand.
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