Category: Travel News

October 17, 2022, NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Ennismore has been signed as the first hotel partner by Hotel Development, the NEOM subsidiary tasked with creating a luxury hotel, future-focused hospitality environment in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. Hotel Development will take advantage of the region’s potential to usher in a new era for the industry, one of imagination and a feeling of duty to direct and influence how humanity interacts with our planet, with a blank slate and no existing infrastructure. The division will also help NEMO’s audacious plans to attract more than five million visitors by 2030. The arrangement signed with Ennismore, the fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality firm in the world, is in line with Hotel Development’s primary objective of forging international alliances. Making of the masterpiece In the first collaboration, two of Ennismore’s venerable brands—25hours Hotels Dubai and Morgans Originals—will establish residences in TROJENA, a ski village-equipped mountain resort in NEOM. TROJENA’s 25hours team “is inspired by the futuristic architecture of the building and will include nods to science-fiction movies as well as to the alpine heritage of the brand,” NEOM said in statement. The hotel will have a built-in movie theatre, a farm-to-table restaurant, a coworking bike store, and a rooftop restaurant with a pool. The two projects are in line with the objective of NEMO’s Hotel Development division to create strategic alliances. The 25hours team is developing a custom narrative and visual identity for TROJENA with the help of the company’s creator Christoph Hoffmann and Berlin’s Studio Aisslinger. The story is influenced by the structure’s futuristic design and will make references to both the brand’s alpine heritage and science fiction films. The 25hours Hotel will offer a rooftop restaurant with pool, a farm-to-table restaurant, a bike workshop with co-working space, and all of these amenities. A world steeped in the famous cultural legacy of the company will be created by the Morgans Originals hotel to transfer guests from the fantastical and natural landscapes of TROJENA. The hotel will have four top-notch restaurants, a 2,000-metre destination spa, a bathhouse, a ski slope roof with architectural significance, and a rooftop pool bar with views of the magnificent TROJENA mountains. Additionally, the hotel will have an eight-story vertical core featuring microclimates and immersive art experiences that will highlight the brand’s uniqueness. Redefining the hospitality experience The main building work on the ski village is scheduled to start towards the end of 2022, although early enabling construction work has already started in TROJENA. The town offers high-end retail and dining options in addition to hospitality, as well as residential areas centred around a public plaza. The booking of the hotel apartment might also start soon. With the mountain sides extending over the village roof, a spectacular ski slope skyline is created that can be utilized all year long by a variety of adventure sports facilities. Hotel Development is tasked with promoting the development of a top-tier tourism industry in order to support the diversification objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. Along with establishing strategic alliances, the division will collaborate with industry partners in the tourist sector to develop ambitious talent and proud Saudi ambassadors who will serve as the industry’s cornerstone. The division seeks to create an ambitious workforce equipped to think creatively and completely redefine hospitality by championing a culture of diversity and competence.    

Yas Island will soon be home to the newest marine life theme parks thanks to a partnership between SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The Park, which consists of six specially created realms, will provide immersive experiences and dynamic habitats where various species will coexist as they would in their natural habitat. Over 68,000 marine creatures, including sharks, dolphins, and sea turtles, will call SeaWorld Abu Dhabi home, which boasts the biggest and most extensive marine life aquarium in the world. Not Just an Aqua Park but More The UAE’s first dedicated marine research, rescue, rehabilitation, and return facility, Yas SeaWorld Research, and Rescue Center, will be located in the marine life theme park and will offer top-notch facilities to support local and international conservation efforts. As per the park’s motto, “We are connected to the ocean, and the ocean connects us all,” the SeaWorld Abu Dhabi experience will tell a cohesive “One Ocean” story based on the interconnectedness between all life on earth and our oceans. A New Addition to the Excitement of Yas Island The theme park SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is 90% finished and scheduled to open in 2023, according to property developer Miral on Wednesday. It is the most recent addition to Yas Island’s attractions, including Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, and Clymb Abu Dhabi. It will be the first SeaWorld location outside of North America. The complex of marine-life theme parks will also house the first marine research, rescue, rehabilitation, and return facility in the UAE, supporting local conservation initiatives and emphasizing the native ecosystems of the Arabian Gulf. The 183,000 square meter attraction is being constructed over five floors. It will have habitats, rides, interactive exhibits, and immersive guest experiences—the full scope of which has not yet been made public. With more than 58 million liters of water and 150 species—including sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates—it will house the largest multi-species aquarium in the region. In addition, hundreds of bird species, including penguins and puffins, will live in the park. Expert zoologists, veterinarians, nutritionists, and other animal specialists will take care of the animals. One Ocean, the park’s central zone, connects six marine environments, each of which tells a tale meant to highlight the interconnectedness of life on Earth and beneath the seas. In this area, there will also be a 360-degree media experience. The building will make use of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems with a combined capacity of 8.2 megawatts, according to a July announcement from Abu Dhabi’s Masdar clean energy company. The beginning of a New Chapter SeaWorld Abu Dhabi marks the beginning of a new chapter in the knowledge, conservation, and sustainability of marine life in the region and around the world, according to Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Miral. Abu Dhabi and the UAE have a long history of marine conservation. “Our partnership with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will further position Abu Dhabi as a global tourism hub and contribute to its economic growth and diversification vision by bringing this next-generation marine-life theme park to the capital.” A part of “Abu Dhabi’s innovative vision for economic diversification and growth, as well as the emirate’s commitment to marine-life conservation,” according to Scott Ross, chairman of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, the company is “honored.” Marc Swanson, chief executive of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, commented on the research and rescue center, saying, “SeaWorld’s nearly six decades of caring for such a vast array of marine animals is what makes this possible and what enables us to introduce another first for the UAE region.