São Paulo – Saudi Arabia plans to transform palaces of historical significance in the country into ultra-luxury hotels. For this purpose, the kingdom launched the Boutique Group, a corporation responsible for this transformation. The Group is part of Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). The announcement was made by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Arab News reported. Pictured, the Red Palace in Saudi Arabia.
The move is part of the efforts to promote local tourism for domestic and foreign visitors. The first phase of the project focuses on the development of three historical destinations: Al-Hamra Palace in Jeddah, and Tuwaiq Palace and Red Palace in Saudi capital city Riyadh.
Al-Hamra Palace
One of the places chosen to welcome tourists is the Al-Hamra Palace. It is one of the most historically significant palaces of the modern era, Saleh Al-Misnad Al-Tamimi, a researcher in contemporary Saudi history, told the Arab News.
Inspired by Andalusian culture and style, it was built during the reign of Saud bin Abdulaziz for prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz but was not intended to host official receptions and conferences.
Built in the late 1950s, it was later expanded and turned into a place to receive royal guests and hold official meetings. The palace hosted many important events, Al-Tamimi said, including the first conference of Foreign ministers of Islamic countries in March 1970, which resulted in the formation of the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, now known as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
According to Arab News, the Boutique Group plans on renovating some of the historical buildings like Al-Hamra Palace, which will have 77 rooms, including 33 luxury suites.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
