Kerten Hospitality will manage Baheej Tourism Development Company’s hotel in Yanbu under the premium Cloud 7 brand, an innovative hotel and residence lifestyle brand, under a strategic agreement signed at the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh.

Cloud 7 brand is known for its vibrant designs, dynamic check-in lobbies, healthy food options, and curated retail boutiques.

The collaboration between Baheej Tourism Development Company, a joint venture between Asfar, the Saudi tourism investment company owned by PIF, and the Tamimi-AWN Alliance, and Kerten Hospitality, a global leader in the integrated living and hospitality sector, aims at enhancing the hospitality sector and demonstrates Asfar’s ability to leverage its extensive network for the benefit of its partners and subsidiaries.

Kerten Hospitality said its commitment to taking an innovative approach to shaping modern hospitality offerings and its dedication to fostering vibrant communities reflects Baheej’s dedication to not only uplift the hospitality experience in Yanbu but also to positively impact the local community and tourism sector. 

The PKF hospitality group, a global leader in hospitality consulting, elaborated the feasibility study and performed the operator search that led to Kerten’s appointment.

Nils Heckscher, head of Middle East and Africa at PKF Hospitality group, said: “Being involved from the conceptual stage and being present at the signing of this great partnership was special. Now we are looking forward to the project being built.”

Stefan Catic, Head of operator search at PKF Hospitality, said: “Finding the right operator for projects characterised by such uniqueness and complexity remains a significant challenge in the market and is crucial for success.

“Kerten has demonstrated an ability to leverage this complexity as an asset, deviating from the standardization commonly seen in larger hotel groups. This factor is often overlooked, which can lead to suboptimal outcomes and reduced profitability for both individual hospitality projects and larger developments as a whole. This is why spending a bit more time on the operator selection process is crucial.”

Stefano Lopez, Tourism Projects Director of Baheej: “Thanks go to Nils Heckscher and Stefan Catic and their team, your input and the advice that the PKF hospitality group brought to the conversation were determining for the project’s strategy and feasibility analysis. We look forward to more exciting announcements to come.” – TradeArabia News Service