ALULA: The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the AlUla Development Company (UDC), have chosen Kerten Hospitality to manage and operate a new facility in AlUla under one of the Groups’ lifestyle brands: Cloud7.

Kerten Hospitality, owns and operates a collection of bespoke brands for hotels, residences, serviced apartments, serviced offices, restaurants, entertainment and wellness, that aim to transform spaces through impactful local collaborations, innovation and the creation of unique experiences. Kerten Hospitality´s operations in the Kingdom are tripling in 2023, as the group is strongly invested in the delivery of Saudi Arabia´s Vision 2030.

The Cloud7 Residence AlUla will be home to 150 serviced bungalows in the initial phase, which in 2023 will be transformed into a true community where people can live and work or visit for a short stay. Collaborations with local artists, food-preneurs and businesses will stand at the forefront supporting local businesses by bringing them together within a self-sufficient ecosystem to bring forth the brand’s spirit in AlUla and create a strong ROI for all parties involved.

Cloud7´s vision is to create a unique and affordable community, led by local talent which will contribute to the mission of the Royal Commission for AlUla to create employment locally and to accelerate the development plans for AlUla and position the region as a global tourism hub while preserving the heritage sites in the area. Curated events around knowledge-share as well as a calendar of community-focused activities in sync with AlUla’s rich annual calendar will further support all efforts and activities that will help to place AlUla on the global tourism map.

John Northen, Vice President - Head of Hotels & Resorts, Royal Commission for AlUla said:

"The opening of the Cloud7 Residence, operated by Kerten Hospitality, is an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to expand and diversify AlUla’s hospitality offerings. This partnership with Kerten Hospitality brings us closer to achieving our goal of providing 5000+ keys within the destination by 2030 while catering to diverse guest segments and meeting various accommodation needs. The Cloud7 Residence is designed to offer a modern, comfortable experience that is deeply rooted in the local community. This milestone will contribute to the ongoing growth of AlUla's tourism sector in line with the vision set by the Royal Commission for AlUla."

Rolf Lippuner, CEO of AlUla Development Company commented: “We are thrilled to collaborate with RCU to announce this exciting partnership with Kerten Hospitality who will position the Cloud7 Residence as a place to live, work and visit. UDC was launched earlier this year with the aim of supporting the development of AlUla whilst preserving and protecting its rich cultural heritage and history and this new project will be in line with that vision. We look forward to announcing more partnerships in the near future.

Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality said: “We’re proud to support the development plan for AlUla working hand in hand with its visionary leadership. Our agility and innovation in managing assets of different sizes, each with a unique purpose, is enabling us to support the Kingdom in its mission to build destinations that encourage talent development, entrepreneurship and multicultural dialogues. These destinations include multiple components – hotels, residences and wellness resorts that gather the community together around curated culinary, culture and heritage journeys and purposeful connections while delivering strong ROI.”

Cloud7 Residence AlUla will add a further 150+ bungalows by the end of 2023. This expansion demonstrates a commitment to support the regions’ socio-economic development agenda as a leading global destination for art, culture and heritage.

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About RCU

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established to protect and safeguard AlUla, a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in North-West Saudi Arabia. RCU is embarking on a long-term plan to develop and deliver a sensitive, sustainable transformation of the region, reaffirming it as one of country’s most important archaeological and cultural destinations and preparing it to welcome visitors from around the world. RCU’s development work in AlUla encompasses a broad range of initiatives across archaeology, tourism, culture, education and the arts, reflecting the ambitious commitment to cultivate tourism and leisure in Saudi Arabia, outlined in Vision 2030.

About UDC

AlUla Development Company is a closed joint stock real estate business fully owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) established to support the development of AlUla. It will build and operate a world-class portfolio of hospitality, residential, retail, commercial and infrastructure assets and destinations in collaboration with the Royal Commission for AlUla and the private sector. With a long term investment strategy aimed at sustainable economic growth, AlUla Development Company will rejuvenate and preserve one of the world’s largest and oldest cultural sites and create opportunities for the local community in AlUla and the people of Saudi Arabia.

About Kerten Hospitality:

Kerten Hospitality is an end-to-end lifestyle hospitality operator creating bespoke destinations, experiences and communities. The Group manages and operates hospitality projects that transform destinations through impactful collaborations with own and/or other Food & Beverage, Retail, Entertainment, Art and Wellness brands focusing on curating Ecosystems and unique community-centric environments.

The Group has 12 lifestyle brands and 11 operational projects, part of a global footprint of 50 projects across three continents and in key destinations: Egypt, Georgia, Italy, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kuwait, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, etc.