Altayyar Travel Group signs seven management agreements for Choice-branded hotels as the first tranche of 30-hotel rollout

Altayyar Travel Group, one of the largest tourism and travel companies in the Middle East, is pleased to announce a major hotel industry milestone in the Kingdom by rolling out the first seven-hotel tranche of true mid-market hotels under Choice Hotels International’s Quality™ and Comfort™ hotel brands. 

These hotels consist of three Comfort Inn & Suites hotels located in Riyadh, one Comfort Suites and two Quality Inn & Suites hotels in Jeddah, and one Comfort Inn & Suites in Taif, each of which will be operated pursuant to hotel management agreements by CHME Ltd., a subsidiary of Altayyar Travel Group, under a master license agreement between CHME and Choice Hotels, owner of the Comfort Inn & Suites, Quality Inn & Suites, and Comfort Suites brands. Four of these hotels are already under construction and are expected to open starting in the third quarter of 2019 under a continuous roll-out plan.

This initiative brings together certain strengths perfectly suited to today’s environment. Choice Hotels, which franchises more than 6,800 hotels globally, leverages its tremendous expertise in the mid-market hospitality sector to join Altayyar, the largest network of travel and tours and e-commerce platforms in the middle east region, to deliver on Saudi Arabia’s aspirations to boost domestic and inbound tourism and Hajj and Umrah visitors in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Abdullah AlDawood, Group CEO of Altayyar Travel Group said, “This is only the beginning of our Group’s strategic direction as a key component of our transformation plan announced last year to develop and operate 6,000 keys by 2022.  We are very confident in the expertise and abilities of Choice Hotels International in supporting us in bringing a true mid-market hospitality experience to the Kingdom to cater to the needs of the fastest growing middle-income segment globally in line with the Kingdom’s objectives to promote domestic tourism and Hajj and Umrah market. We are also very confident in our in-house Equinox hotel development team to lead this effort expeditiously.

Patrick Pacious, President and CEO of Choice Hotels International, said, “International growth remains a key strategic focus for Choice Hotels, and the Kingdom presents an attractive market for expansion. We are proud to be able to provide our powerful global platform to support Altayyar’s regional distribution and Equinox’s expertise in hotel development and operations, bringing more hospitality options that travelers desire to the region.”

Mark Pearce, Senior Vice President, International Division, at Choice Hotels International added, “These agreements anchor our portfolio in the Kingdom and are symbolic of Choice Hotels’ strong international presence. The seven new-build projects are exemplary hotels to showcase our Quality and Comfort brands, as well as the guest experience Choice Hotels offers.”