NEWS
Rotana enters Saudi branded residences market
Rotana has signed an agreement with Zawaya Properties Company to develop The Residences by Rotana at Thakher in Makkah, marking the group’s debut in Saudi Arabia’s branded residences segment. The project will be located within Thakher, a major mixed-use destination near the Grand Mosque. Scheduled for 2030, the development will include 240 fully serviced hotel apartments designed for long-stay residents, business visitors, pilgrims and year-round travellers. The signing expands Rotana’s Saudi Arabia portfolio in operation and under development to 24 properties across five brands.
The agreement introduces The Residences by Rotana to the Kingdom for the first time. For Rotana, the project represents an important step beyond traditional hotel development, bringing a residential-style hospitality product to one of the world’s most visited religious destinations. The concept is designed to combine residential comfort with hotel-standard service, responding to demand in Makkah for accommodation that goes beyond the standard hotel stay.
The Residences by Rotana at Thakher will form part of the SAR 26 billion Thakher development. The wider project spans 320,000 square meters and is planned as a major hospitality and mixed-use destination serving pilgrims, visitors and residents. On completion, Thakher is expected to accommodate more than 1.6 million visitors and pilgrims, reinforcing its role in the future growth of Makkah’s hospitality infrastructure.
The location gives the project strong strategic value. Makkah remains one of the highest-demand hospitality markets in the region, driven by religious travel, domestic demand, international visitation and Saudi Arabia’s broader tourism ambitions. The introduction of branded residences within this setting reflects the growing need for flexible, high-quality accommodation formats serving different lengths of stay and guest profiles.
The project is also aligned with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030. The Kingdom is targeting 30 million Umrah performers and 6 million Hajj pilgrims annually by 2030, supported by plans to deliver 250,000 additional hotel rooms across the Holy Cities. Within that context, The Residences by Rotana at Thakher adds a branded serviced-apartment product to a market where scale, quality and operational consistency are becoming increasingly important.
The agreement was signed at the offices of Zawaya Properties Company in Riyadh on 7 July 2026. The signatories were Makram El Zyr, Corporate Vice President, Development at Rotana, and Khaled Qurashi, Head of Advisory & Investments at Zawaya Properties Company. The signing took place in the presence of Mohamad Al Thagafi, CEO of Zawaya Properties Company.
For Zawaya Properties Company, the partnership connects a major Saudi real estate development platform with an established regional hotel management group. The company brings more than a decade of experience in commercial, residential and mixed-use projects across the Kingdom. Its collaboration with Rotana gives Thakher an international hospitality brand with strong regional recognition and operational expertise.
The signing comes as Saudi Arabia’s branded residences segment continues to gain momentum. Rising domestic wealth and international investor interest are helping to position the sector as one of the region’s fastest-growing real estate categories. Investor attention is especially concentrated in destinations such as Makkah and Madinah, where religious travel, long-stay demand and infrastructure expansion are creating new opportunities for branded residential hospitality.
The project also deepens Rotana’s commitment to Saudi Arabia. The group already operates 13 properties across Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Makkah, Dammam, Al Khobar and Jubail. Its confirmed pipeline includes 10 additional properties representing 1,314 keys across Riyadh, Jeddah, Hail, Abha and Al Baha. With the addition of The Residences by Rotana at Thakher, the group’s Saudi portfolio reaches 24 properties in operation and under development.
Saudi Arabia is described by Rotana as its fastest-growing market and its most active development market outside the UAE. The signing in Makkah therefore reflects both market demand and the company’s broader expansion priorities. By entering the branded residences segment in the Kingdom, Rotana is extending its brand architecture into a product category that combines real estate, hospitality, long-stay accommodation and service-led residential living.
The Residences by Rotana at Thakher positions the group at the intersection of pilgrimage travel, branded residential demand and Saudi Arabia’s next phase of hospitality growth. With 240 serviced hotel apartments, a major mixed-use setting and proximity to one of the world’s most important religious destinations, the project gives Rotana a new platform in Makkah. It also signals how international and regional hospitality brands are adapting their offers to meet the evolving accommodation needs of the Holy Cities.
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