Radisson Blu Signs First Abha Hotel, 123 Rooms, Q3 2029 Opening

Radisson Hotel Group has signed its first-ever property in Abha: a 123-room Radisson Blu slated to open in Q3 2029, pushing the group's Saudi portfolio — currently 50 hotels open or in development — one step closer to its stated target of 100 properties by 2030.

The signing matters for a simple reason. Abha, the gateway to the Aseer region in Saudi Arabia's southwest, has barely registered on international distribution maps. The arrival of an upper-upscale global brand (Radisson Blu sits at the top of Radisson's core brand ladder) gives sellers a nameable, bookable product in a market where Westin's recent arrival was until now the main signal. More brands mean more commissionable inventory.

What does the deal actually contain?

The hotel will rise in the Alarin district, roughly seven kilometers from Abha International Airport and 13 kilometers from the city center. The room count is modest by Saudi mega-project standards — 123 rooms and suites, including 14 suites — alongside:

• A restaurant, café and poolside juice bar
• Meeting and event spaces
• A gym, salon and swimming pool

Radisson positions the property for both leisure and business travelers, which reads as a bet on Aseer's domestic tourism pull plus whatever corporate demand the region's development agenda generates.

Who is building it?

The project is a partnership with two local players: Ahmed Abdullah Al Salamah Real Estate Development & Investment Group and Al Fahd Trading, Industry and Contracting Company. That's the standard Saudi playbook — a foreign brand licensing its flag onto local capital — and it keeps Radisson's balance-sheet exposure light while extending the flag.

Access should improve alongside the hotel. The source points to the airport's expansion and the Abha Airport Dual Road Project, plus a nearby retail and entertainment development called The Point. Better airports and roads typically precede better RevPAR (revenue per available room, the industry's core performance metric).

A two-hundred-room lesson in corporate history

Context on the brand itself: Radisson Hotels operates a multi-brand portfolio including Radisson, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Country Inn & Suites. In August 2022 it sold its Americas operations and brand rights to Choice Hotels for US$675 million, and continues to own and operate its brands everywhere else. So every new Radisson Blu in Saudi Arabia is revenue that flows to the group's Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia structure — not to Choice.

Saudi Arabia keeps handing out flags

The Abha signing lands in a crowded opening season. The Red Sea destination has just welcomed Grand Hyatt, Raffles and Nammos AMAALA. In Riyadh, the King Abdullah Financial District has added Atheel Hotel, the first creation of Saudi national hospitality champion Adeera Hospitality.

For travel sellers, the pattern is consistent: inventory in the Kingdom keeps thickening, from giga-project luxury resorts to regional flags like this one. Abha remains a four-year wait — Q3 2029, per the group's own timeline — but when it arrives, the Aseer region will have a second internationally distributed full-service hotel to sell.