A Saudi Tourism Vision for AlUla: The Mud-brick Hotel Dar Tantora

by: Juergen T Steinmetz |

Sustainable Tourism is more than a word for His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, the Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is known to be a global and local leader with a vision for developing the travel and tourism industry at home and abroad.

Sustainable tourism, climate change, and keeping the cultural value for a unique Saudi Arabian tourism experience are top priorities in the Kingdom.

With HE Gloria Guevara on the ministers’ side, the minister allowed her to put a dream team together that ensures this priority is well-preserved and expanded.

Under his leadership, new regions are being developed for tourism. One of these regions is AlUla.

AlUla, Saudi Arabia

AlUla is a place of extraordinary human and natural heritage.

Visitors to AlUla journey through a living museum of preserved tombs, sandstone outcrops, historic dwellings, and natural and human-made monuments with 200,000 years of largely unexplored human history.

Known as the hidden gem of tourism, the AlUla in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has long been a crossroads of ancient civilizations — a place of deep history but constantly evolving.

AlUla is an extraordinary example of this; its visitors can soon help write the future pages of its history.

The local arm of tourism leadership in AlUla is the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU).

RCU expanded the accommodation offering in AlUla with Dar Tantora by The House Hotel, an immersive and authentic hospitality experience in AlUla Old Town.

The project delivers on the Journey Through Time master plan in alignment with the Sustainability Charter for AlUla.

Dar Tantora will have a pool, spa, restaurant, and café.

RCU is developing the 30-room landmark property by restoring several historical mud-brick buildings using contemporary engineering methods and time-honored techniques.

The development will showcase the Old Town village as a vibrant cultural hub. The rooms will be adorned with traditional décor, furniture, and artistic accents, incorporating storytelling elements that capture the area’s intangible heritage.

Local artisans received specialized training to participate in the restoration endeavors.

The project reflects RCU’s comprehensive efforts to revive AlUla Old Town with tourism as the development and job creation engine.

The unique concept for House Hotels

Part of the Kerten Hospitality brand, the journey for the House Hotel concept started with the idea to create luxury boutique hotels in key locations where customers would dream of staying while submersing themselves in the local neighborhood ambiance.

The vision was that design did not need to be sacrificed for value, and that honest pricing would drive loyal guests.

The House Hotel’s name has since established itself as a coveted luxury boutique hotel brand with a global reputation for quality and individuality, grabbing numerous international awards each year.

House Hotels have developed numerous new concepts applying our same hospitality philosophies.

House Hotels Irish owner, Kerten, aims to leverage its international know-how and experience to continue the brand’s expansion while maintaining the core customer values and boutique spirit.

Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is driven by an ongoing commitment to innovation and sustainability in its comprehensive regeneration efforts, including the Sustainability Charter that governs each project’s economic, social, and environmental impacts.

AlUla Old Town was recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) as a “Best Tourism Village” for delivering on this vision in 2022.

AlUla, known as the ancient crossroads of civilizations in north-west Arabia is now emerging as a global destination for cultural and natural heritage. It hosted the first-ever in-person meeting of representatives of the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO.

John Northen, Vice President- Head of Hotels and Resorts, Royal Commission for AlUla, said, “Dar Tantora by The House Hotel will allow guests to live the rich heritage of the AlUla Old Town historical village. Steeped in the past yet embracing progress, this hotel encapsulates RCU’s vision for a diverse range of accommodations as we continue to deliver on our plans for more than 5,000 keys by 2030.”

Full article: A Saudi Tourism Vision for AlUla: The Mud-brick Hotel Dar Tantora
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