Chedi Hegra Hotel Will Be Open to the Public in AlUla This Year

AlUla is getting the Chedi Hegra, and although a date for its opening hasn't been announced yet, it is expected that it will open in late this year.

The Royal Commission for AlUla announced that it had partnered with the hotel operator GHM in order to bring the luxury brand to the ancient Nabataean sites of north-west Saudi Arabia. The hotel will have 35 rooms, all with a connection to Hegra's landscape. Three fine dining restaurants, a café, spa, and pool will be available.

The hotel will be built into existing structures such as the old railway station, surrounding buildings, Hegra Fort, and others. The structural and exterior walls, some of which still have the historical mud brick construction, are being preserved. They will be integrated into modern architecture. The vast majority of Unesco World Heritage Sites will be left untouched and preserved.

"Sitting at the nexus of AlUla's living museum, The Chedi Hegra embodies the fulfilment of our Journey Through Time masterplan with its deep respect for heritage, sustainable design features, and an authentic luxury experience that celebrates what makes AlUla a special destination for travellers seeking both comfort and adventure," mentioned John Northen, the commission's vice president of hotels and resorts.

New Seven Wonders of the World

Conde Nast Traveller ranked AlUla as one of the top places to visit in the world. Aaron Millar is a renowned travel writer and journalist who helps select seven new wonders for the publication each year. He called AlUla "the Acropolis of our day, the Stonehenge of now".

He wrote: "They can be seen firsthand. And so they should. Because the real magic of wonder is not in the thing itself, but in the fact that the more you look for wonder in the world, the more the wonder of the world becomes a part of you."

Millar said: "AlUla is a place of extraordinary history and cultural heritage. But until recently, almost no one had heard of it, let alone visited. That's changing. At the end of 2022, the site officially opened its doors to visitors and, in doing so, unveiled a more than 200,000-year-old piece of Arabian history."

Source: thenationalnews.com