Saudi Arabia to lure ultra-luxury travellers with palace stays

In the south of Riyadh, nestled into downtown streets steeped in rare desert greenery, sits a 365,000 square-foot palace once lived in by King Saud bin Abdulaziz, the second ruler of modern Saudi Arabia.

The Red Palace was built in the 1940s for the then-crown prince. Now, the 9-acre, art-deco manse is being transformed into an ultraluxury hotel designed to give guests a taste of the Saudi royal life.

The conversion, by hospitality company Boutique Group, is the kind of rarified tourism project that doubles as historic preservation. The Red Palace served as a government headquarters as the kingdom emerged a global energy superpower; when it opens in 2025, it will have 70 rooms that preserve not just the physical spaces but the entire lifestyle that came with them.

Menus will feature the Saud family's favorite recipes. Spa treatments will use the area's ancient healing rituals. Scents from the native Taif rose-a favorite of King Saud-will waft through the air.

Boutique Group says the Red Palace will be a first-of-its-kind experience in the country. And it will likely cost more than most anything in the global luxury market.