The number of hotel rooms in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah will double from the current 8,600 to 17,200 by 2018, according to real estate advisory firm JLL.

The addition of another 8,600 rooms over the next few years will be the result of major projects in the pipeline including The Ritz Carlton, Radisson Blu Al Salamah, Movenpick City Star, Elaf Galleria and Assila Hotel & Residence by Rocco Forte.

“Jeddah was a clear choice for Rocco Forte Hotel’s development in the Middle East. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is also one of our strongest outbound markets worldwide for our European hotels, so we felt it important to have a presence in the region,” said Christian Renz, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Rocco Forte Hotels.

Olivier Granet, managing director and COO of AccorHotels Middle East, said: “We are on track to have 50 operational hotels in the kingdom with over 13,500 rooms. By 2020 we are quintupling our network in Jeddah with a fivefold increase from three existing hotels to 15.

“In order to attract both business and leisure clientele, AccorHotels has been focusing on the development of multi-brand projects; especially clusters that comprise midscale and economy hotels and serviced apartments. A particularly large-scale project in Jeddah will introduce a Novotel, ibis and Adagio to Al Andalus Road, which I personally believe will become a local landmark as it combines office, retail and hospitality components in one of the city’s most vibrant areas.”