Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh (Arabic: فندق الريتز كارلتون بالرياض) is a luxury hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[2]

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh
General information
AddressMekkah Road, AlHada Area، Al Hada, Riyadh 12912
Town or cityRiyadh
CountrySaudi Arabia
Coordinates24.665646°N 46.628674°E / 24.665646; 46.628674
Completed2011
AffiliationThe Ritz-Carlton
Technical details
Floor area62,000 square feet
Grounds52 acres
Other information
Number of rooms492
Website
www.ritzcarlton.com/riyadh[1]

History

Prominent guests

Between 21–22 May 2017, President Donald Trump was a guest at the hotel as it hosted events for the 2017 Riyadh summit. Former President Barack Obama was a guest in 2014. In October 2017, the hotel hosted the Future Investment Initiative with over 3,500 invitees.

Use as a prison
Main article: 2017 Saudi Arabian purge

Since 4 November 2017 the hotel has been closed to business and become a detention center for those detained as part of the 2017 Saudi Arabian anti-corruption arrests. Guests staying at the hotel were notified that, “Due to unforeseen booking by local authorities which requires an elevated level of security, we are unable to accommodate guests until normal operations are restored.” Guests were ejected and no further bookings were accepted. A notice on the hotel's website read, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the hotel’s internet and telephone lines are currently disconnected until further notice."[3][4][5][6]

Re-opening to regular guests

According to CNN the hotel re-opened for regular guests in February 2018.[7]

References
  1. "Official Website of The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh". Ritzcarlton.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  2. "Luxury Hotels & Resorts - The Ritz-Carlton". Ritzcarlton.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  3. Kulish, Nicholas (6 November 2017). "Ritz-Carlton Has Become a Gilded Cage for Saudi Royals". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  4. "Ritzy Riyadh 'prison' for Saudi princes". Bbc.co.uk. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  5. Martin Chulov Middle East (6 November 2017). "How Saudi elite became five-star prisoners at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  6. "A house divided: How Saudi Crown Prince purged royal family rivals". Reuters. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  7. Angela Dewan, Schams Elwazer and Tamara Qiblawi,CNN (11 February 2018). "Saudi Ritz Carlton re-opens after stint as lavish prison". CNN.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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