Dubai’s Rove Hotels Targets Saudi Arabia’s Mid-Scale Gap Before the Events Crunch Hits

Rove Hotels, the Dubai-born mid-scale lifestyle brand, is expanding across the Gulf and plans to more than double its portfolio over the next five years, with Saudi Arabia emerging as its most immediate priority.

Paul Bridger, chief operating officer at Rove Hotels, told Skift at the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh that the brand currently has just over 4,000 keys open in Dubai, with nearly 6,000 keys under development across markets including Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Egypt.

“We are actively working on being a regional player. We’ve announced two projects in Riyadh, we’ll announce more this year,” Bridger said. “Our priority was to get Riyadh over the line first, then Jeddah, and then the Holy Cities are next on the list. Abu Dhabi is also a key market for us.”

Luxury-Heavy, Mid-scale Light

Rove fills a gap in the  Saudi market. “There’s a big shortage of mid-tier properties in Saudi Arabia, particularly a lifestyle offering,