Saudi Arabia
401 projects and 109,320 rooms, a record high.
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Luxury Hotels Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom Leads a Record Middle East Hotel Pipeline
The Middle East is building more hotels than ever, and Saudi Arabia is building most of them. A new report from Lodging Econometrics counts 771 hotel projects across the region at the end of the third quarter of 2026, a record, with 401 of them in the kingdom.
At a glance
A Record Hotel Pipeline at a glance
- Middle East pipeline
- 771 projects, 188,960 rooms (record high)
- Saudi Arabia
- 401 projects, 109,320 rooms (record high)
- Riyadh
- 114 projects, 23,049 rooms, the region's top city
- Luxury tier
- 213 projects, 47,150 rooms (record high)
- Openings forecast
- 94 hotels in 2027, 96 in 2028
Luxury hotels Saudi Arabia
Luxury hotels Saudi Arabia: a record year for building
For anyone following luxury hotels Saudi Arabia, the numbers published on November 11, 2026 tell a clear story. Lodging Econometrics, the hotel research firm that tracks construction around the world, reports that the Middle East hotel pipeline reached 771 projects and 188,960 rooms at the close of the third quarter, both record highs. That is 17 percent more projects and 15 percent more rooms than a year earlier.
Saudi Arabia sits at the center of it. The kingdom accounts for 401 projects and 109,320 rooms, also a record, which means more than half of all the hotels planned or rising in the region are Saudi. Its pipeline grew 15 percent by projects and 16 percent by rooms in a year, carried by the hotels, resorts and new districts of Vision 2030.
Built at the top of the market
This is a pipeline shaped for travelers who expect the very best. Luxury hotels make up 213 projects and 47,150 rooms, a record for the category, and together the luxury and upscale tiers account for 53 percent of all projects. Upper upscale hotels add another 191 projects.
The work is well advanced. Lodging Econometrics counts 329 projects with 82,594 rooms already under construction across the region, 184 projects due to start building within the next twelve months, and 258 in early planning, the last two both record highs. In the third quarter alone, 66 new hotel projects were announced.
Riyadh and Jeddah lead the cities
Riyadh has the largest hotel pipeline of any city in the Middle East, with 114 projects and 23,049 rooms, a record for the capital. Jeddah follows with 63 projects and 14,384 rooms, its own record by project count. Cairo, with 71 projects, and Dubai, with 65, complete the leading group.
In Riyadh, the newcomers will join a hotel scene that already includes the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh and the St. Regis Riyadh; our guide to the best hotels in Riyadh follows the city's finest addresses. On the coast, our Jeddah travel guide covers Al-Balad and the hotels of the Corniche, where Jeddah Tower, now past 120 floors, is rising above the northern skyline.
Openings building toward 2028
The new rooms are already arriving. Across the region, 36 hotels with 6,319 rooms opened in the first nine months of 2026, and 28 more with 4,091 rooms are forecast for the fourth quarter. Lodging Econometrics expects 94 hotels with 14,716 rooms to open in 2027 and 96 hotels with 22,101 rooms in 2028.
Saudi Arabia's resort coast is part of that rise. On the Red Sea, Grand Hyatt The Red Sea opened on Shura Island at the end of October, and in the same month the kingdom approved 19 new hotel projects with more than 3,000 rooms, both covered in The Leader: Grand Hyatt on Shura Island and 19 hotel projects approved. Our overview of Saudi Vision 2030 and its giga-projects places these openings among the kingdom's larger plans.
The region's leading hotel pipelines
Egypt
192 projects and 40,661 rooms, a record high, up 47 percent by projects in a year.
United Arab Emirates
111 projects and 26,800 rooms.
Oman
27 projects and 4,618 rooms.
What it means for your next trip
For travelers, a record pipeline means more choice in the places that are drawing the most interest, from the Riyadh skyline to the Red Sea islands, and from Cairo to the Egyptian coast. For a first visit, our guide to the finest five-star hotels of the Middle East is a good place to begin, with the hotels that are open today.
Questions readers ask
How many hotels are being built in Saudi Arabia?
Lodging Econometrics counts 401 hotel projects with 109,320 rooms in Saudi Arabia's pipeline at the end of the third quarter of 2026, a record high.
Which Middle East city has the most hotels in development?
Riyadh, with 114 projects and 23,049 rooms, followed by Cairo, Dubai and Jeddah.
How many new hotels will open in the Middle East?
Lodging Econometrics forecasts 94 hotel openings in 2027 and 96 in 2028.
Note for readers
A note for investors
This article is for information only and is not investment advice. Speak to a licensed adviser before investing in hotels or property in any country.
Sources
- Hospitality Net (Lodging Econometrics): Middle East Hotel Construction Pipeline Reaches Record-High Project and Room Counts at Q3 Close (November 11, 2026)
- Arab News: Saudi Arabia announces first batch of hospitality investment projects worth $1.78bn (October 20, 2026)
- Hyatt Newsroom: Grand Hyatt The Red Sea Officially Opens On Shura Island
Checked on 11/11/2026. Prices and dates are approximate and can change. See our standard.