A new up-market hotel, the Al-Ahsa Inter-Continental, is scheduled to open in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia within three months. Located near a 16th century castle, Qaser Ibrahim, the hotel will offer leisure and business tourists accommodations near trading, archaeological and Islamic sites.
The 166-room property becomes the 11th Inter-Continental hotel operated in Saudi Arabia by Six Continents Hotels, which also manages eight Holiday Inn hotels and resorts, one Crowne Plaza hotel and seven palaces in the Kingdom.
On the fringe of the Empty Quarter, one of the most dramatic desert regions on earth,
Al-Ahsa is situated on the centuries-old trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East and boasts the world’s largest palm oasis, producing top quality dates.
Other nearby attractions for visitors include the desert lake of Al-Asfar, the caves of Jabal Qaral, refreshingly cool for summer explorations, and the 300-year-old covered bazar at Al-Kaisariah. It also features the world’s largest oilfields, Al-Ghawar and Sheeba, and the Kingdom’s largest gas fields, at Harath and Haouieh.
Tourists may enjoy four-wheel drive dune bashing and sand skiing trips into the Empty Quarter, while visitors from the Gulf countries may stop over on their travels to the Holy Cities of Makkah and Medinah to perform Haj and Umrah.
Six Continents Hotels, the hotel business of Six Continents PLC of the United Kingdom owns, manages, leases or franchises more than 3,260 hotels and 514,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
