Millennium & Copthorne to open hotels, apartments in Medina

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, a London-based hospitality company operating more than 120 hotels worldwide, is continuing expansion in the Middle East with four new properties in Medina.

The new Saudi Arabian properties include two Millennium hotels, as well as the company's budget and serviced apartment brands Studio M and Millennium Executive Apartments. The four hotels are set to open by 2020 and will range in size from six hundred to a thousand rooms per property.

The properties are part of the masterplan of Knowledge Economic City (KEC), an impressive $7 billion development in Medina. KEC is located five kilometers east of the Holy Haram in Medina and will feature an academy, museum, wellness center, retail, offices, residential housing and a mosque capable of housing 10 thousand worshippers.

The new Millennium & Copthorne properties in Medina will address the rising demand for quality international hotel brands and long-stay options in the city, especially during the religious pilgrimage periods of Hajj and Umrah.

Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels CEO in the Middle East, said expansion in Saudi Arabia is a key strategic focus for the company.

“The hospitality industry in the Holy City of Madinah is witnessing remarkable growth due to a rise in religious tourism as well as the thriving economy,” Alzaabi said. “There is currently an undersupply of branded hotels with international standards and we are confident that our expansion plans will help address this."