meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Region’s hotel projects pipeline balloons

4 April 2025

 

This package also includes: Beaches and luxury drive regional tourism

Despite a somewhat lackluster 2024 performance in the region for hospitality-linked project award activity, Middle East and North Africa (Mena) contractors are eyeing more than $60bn in projects in design and bid that are set to proceed to market in the near future.

Last year, project awards in the Mena region’s hospitality-linked construction segment declined slightly to $6.2bn, falling below the contract award values in both 2022 and 2023, while remaining above that of the three preceding years and the average for the past five years.

Also positively, the awards value for 2024 was commensurate with the value of projects in the bidding phase this time last year, when $1.3bn-worth of projects had been awarded and $5.2bn-worth of projects were in the bidding phase. This indicates that projects in the segment are delivering and not stalling.

Top projects

Saudi Arabia dominated the overall project activity in the segment with a total contract award value of $4.4bn. This was followed by the UAE at $1bn and a handful of other countries with a combined $700m in value – making for a significantly skewed project activity landscape.

The largest single project to be awarded was the $762m Keturah Creekside Resort, a Ritz-Carlton Residences scheme in Dubai that is being developed by the local Mag Property Development. The main contract was awarded to Cecep Techand Middle East, a Dubai-based contracting subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned enterprise that is generally better known for its involvement in utility projects.

The next largest award was for the $508m Six Senses Falcon’s Nest Hotel in the Wadi Safar area of Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah gigaproject. This contract was awarded by Diriyah Company to a joint venture (JV) of Qatar’s UCC Holding and local construction group Al-Bawani. 

Diriyah Company also let the contracts for four other hotels at Wadi Safar – Aman, Chedi, Faena and Oberoi-branded properties worth a combined $826m – to the same JV. 

Three further Diriyah projects worth a combined $519m were awarded for the building of a Capella hotel, a Raffles hotel and a Ritz-Carlton Residences to a variety of other contractors.

Significant gigaproject-linked contract awards were also made on the Amaala development within Red Sea Global’s project portfolio, and for a hotel complex at Qiddiya, the Riyadh-adjacent entertainment city. 

The largest contract awarded in a third country was a $125m Avani-Tivoli hotel and residences project in Bahrain let to local contractor Cebarco by Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company (Edamah) as part of the Bilaj Al-Jazayer development.

Project pipeline

Looking ahead in 2025, there are $8.6bn-worth of projects in the bidding phase, with $3.9bn at the prequalification stage, $2.2bn in bid submission and $2.5bn in bid evaluation. If all of this value is awarded as expected, alongside the $410m in awards so far this year, then 2025 could turn out to be the best year for hotel project activity since 2015.

There is also a much larger groundswell of projects in the design phase. This time last year, the value of projects in design was $15bn, but that value has swollen by 270% to $56bn in the past 12 months, led by Egypt’s launch of South Med, a 2,300-hectare tourism masterplan valued at $21bn. 

Launched by Talaat Moustafa Group, the South Med project is situated 165 kilometres (km) to the west of Alexandria on Egypt’s northern Mediterranean coastline and 60km east of Ras El-Hekma, an area earmarked for development by Abu Dhabi following a $24bn deal for the land rights.

Between the two masterplans, Egypt’s northern coast promises to generate a significant amount of construction work in the years to come, and developments in the area are also accelerating as the stretch of coastline grows in significance as a source of interest for investors. Local developer Sodic, which in 2021 become a subsidiary of UAE developer Aldar, launched its own plans in September to deliver a $500m Nobu hotel and residences complex just east of the Ras El-Hekma area.

In Saudi Arabia, which accounts for $41.6bn or 50% of the hospitality project pipeline in the Mena region – including $24.4bn-worth of projects in design – the pending work is led in value terms by the $7bn in-design second phase of the Red Sea Project. There are also four packages of work worth a combined $3bn in design for the towers and podiums of the Mukaab project – the cubic centrepiece of the New Murabba development in Riyadh. Meanwhile, a further $3.8bn of projects are in design or bid – split $1.8bn and $2bn, respectively – at the Rua Al-Madinah development.

The next-largest areas of pending hospitality projects in the region are in the UAE and Oman. The UAE’s pipeline is led by Emaar’s $1.5bn Dubai Creek Harbour Tower and a $1.3bn JW Marriott Resort & Residences planned by private developer Wow Resorts for Al-Marjan Island in Ras Al-Khaimah. In Oman, the projects are led by the $500m third phase of the tourism ministry’s Yenkit Hills development and a $500m Trump resort being developed by Omran, the UAE’s Dar Al-Arkan and the US’ Trump Organisation.

If even a small fraction of the $56bn of hospitality-linked projects in the design phase in the region proceeds to execution in 2025, it could swell the awards total to record levels. After a somewhat sluggish performance in Q1, awards activity could pick up markedly from Q2 onwards, given the $2.5bn in projects that are already in bid evaluation and are set for imminent award.

Beaches and luxury drive regional tourism

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13570689/main.gif
John Bambridge

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Wasl Group launches Cedarwood Estates South villas

    21 May 2026

    Dubai-based real estate developer Wasl Group has announced the launch of Cedarwood Estates South, the newest addition to its expanding freehold portfolio in Dubai.

    The project is located within The Next Chapter, Wasl’s development in the Jumeirah Golf Estates area.

    Cedarwood Estates South features 74 villas in four-, five- and six-bedroom layouts.

    The launch follows Wasl Group’s award of a contract to Beijing-headquartered China State Construction Engineering Corporation to develop the overall infrastructure for The Next Chapter.

    The masterplan spans 4.68 million square metres across six districts: Central Park, The Village, Town Centre & Grand Lake, Golf Course North, Golf Course South and Equestrian Village.

    The development will offer 780 villas, 62 mansions, 97 branded residences, 752 estate homes and 10,654 apartments.

    It will also include a five-star Mandarin Oriental resort, a tennis stadium, an 18-hole golf course and academy, an equestrian centre, a school, retail centres and other associated facilities.

    Wasl Group is one of Dubai’s largest real estate development and asset management entities, established in 2008 by the Dubai Real Estate Corporation.

    The company was set up to consolidate and manage a significant portfolio of government-owned real estate assets.

    Headquartered in Dubai, Wasl operates across residential, commercial, hospitality and mixed-use segments, and is known for masterplanned communities and urban regeneration projects.

    Over the years, Wasl has delivered several mid- to large-scale developments and partnered with international hospitality brands through its Wasl Hospitality arm, helping to expand Dubai’s hotel inventory and support the city’s wider tourism and economic growth agenda.

    According to data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects, Wasl Group has a portfolio of over 128 projects, valued at about $18bn.

    Wasl’s major developments include Wasl1, Wasl Gate, Wasl Village and Wasl 51.

    Its asset portfolio includes notable landmarks such as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, One & Only The Palm, One & Only Royal Mirage, Nikki Beach, Grand Hyatt Dubai, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club.

    > Be recognised among the best in the industry at the MEED Projects Awards 2026 …

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16936615/main.jpeg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Foundations progressing for Iraq gas gathering project

    21 May 2026

     

    The construction of foundations is ongoing for the $1.61bn project to develop a gas processing complex at Iraq’s Ratawi oil and gas field, according to industry sources.

    In May last year, China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work for the project.

    The Ratawi gas processing complex is one of four projects constituting Iraq’s Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), which is being developed by French energy major TotalEnergies and its partners. TotalEnergies is the main operator of the GGIP scheme. Basra Oil Company (30%) and QatarEnergy (25%) are the other stakeholders.

    The consortium formalised the investment agreement for the project with the Iraqi government in September 2021.

    The GGIP is estimated to have a total value of $27bn, and the first phase of the project is worth about $10bn.

    When commissioned, the planned facility is expected to process 300 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas. Its capacity is expected to double when a second expansion phase comes online.

    The Ratawi gas processing facility project aims to improve Iraq’s electricity supply by capturing associated gas that would have otherwise been flared at several oil fields, including:

    • Luhais
    • Majnoon
    • Ratawi
    • West Qurna 2
    • Tuba

    Large volumes of gas are flared from these oil fields, causing significant environmental damage. Collecting and processing flared gas will generate increased hydrocarbon revenues and reduce ecological damage.

    The gas tapped and processed from the oil fields will then be used to supply power plants, helping to reduce Iraq’s power import bill.

    As well as supplying to Iraq’s national gas network to generate electricity, the Ratawi gas processing complex will increase the production of gas products, including liquefied petroleum gas and condensates.

    US-based consultant KBR has performed the front-end engineering and design work on the project.

    GGIP masterplan

    The GGIP programme is focused on developing four major projects in Iraq:

    • The Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)
    • The Ratawi gas processing complex
    • A 1GW solar power project for Iraq’s electricity ministry
    • A field development project at Ratawi, known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project (AGUP)

    The CSSP is designed to support oil production in Iraq’s southern oil and gas fields – mainly Zubair, Rumaila, Majnoon, West Qurna and Ratawi – by delivering treated seawater for injection, a method used to boost crude recovery rates and improve long-term reservoir performance.

    In August last year, TotalEnergies awarded China Energy Engineering International Group the EPC contract for the 1GW solar project at the Ratawi field. A month later, QatarEnergy signed an agreement with TotalEnergies to acquire a 50% interest in the project.

    Civil works and piping work have started for the project to develop a second central processing facility (CPF) at Iraq’s Ratawi oil and gas field as part of the AGUP portion of the GGIP.

    In September, Turkiye’s Enka signed a contract to develop the second CPF at Iraq’s Ratawi field as part of the second phase of the field’s development.

    Enka has yet to give a value for the contract, but it is believed to be worth more than $1bn.

    In November, US-based KBR was selected by Enka to provide detailed design services for the project.

    Enka’s contract covers the engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning of the CPF for the project.

    The aim of the project is to process oil and associated gas from the Ratawi oil field to increase production capacity to 210,000 barrels a day of oil and 154 million standard cf/d of gas.

    The 1GW Ratawi solar scheme will be developed in phases, with each phase coming online between 2025 and 2027. It will have the capacity to provide electricity to about 350,000 homes in Iraq’s Basra region.

    The project, consisting of 2 million bifacial solar panels mounted on single-axis trackers, will include the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the photovoltaic power station site and 132kV booster station.

    Separately, in June, TotalEnergies awarded China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering an EPC contract worth $294m to build a pipeline as part of a package known as the Ratawi Gas Midstream Pipeline.

    Also, TotalEnergies awarded UK-based consultant Wood Group a pair of engineering framework agreements in April 2025, worth a combined $11m, under the GGIP scheme.

    The agreements have a three-year term under which Wood will support TotalEnergies in advancing the AGUP.

    One of the aims of the AGUP is to debottleneck and upgrade existing facilities to increase production capacity to 120,000 barrels a day of oil on completion of the first phase, according to a statement by Wood.

    READ THE MAY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Global energy sector forced to recalibrate; Conflict hits debt issuance and listings activity; UAE’s non-oil sector faces unclear recovery period amid disruption.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the May 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16934508/main.png
    Wil Crisp
  • WEBINAR: Iraq Projects Market 2026

    20 May 2026

    Webinar: Iraq Projects Market 2026 
    Thursday 4 June | 11:00 AM GST  |  Register now

    Agenda:

    • Overview of the Iraq projects market landscape
    • 2025-26 projects market performance
    • Value of work awarded 2026 YTD
    • Assessment of key current and future projects
    • Key drivers, challenges and opportunities
    • Summary of the key clients, contractors and consultants
    • Size of future pipeline by sector and status
    • Ranking of the top contractors and clients
    • Short and long-term market outlook
    • Audience Q&A

    Hosted by: Edward James, head of content and analysis at MEED

    A well-known and respected thought leader in Mena affairs, Edward James has been with MEED for more than 19 years, working as a researcher, consultant and content director. Today, he heads up all content and research produced by the MEED group. His specific areas of expertise are construction, hydrocarbons, power and water, and the petrochemicals market. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the Mena projects market. He is a regular guest commentator on Middle East issues for news channels such as the BBC, CNN and ABC News and is a regular speaker at events in the region. 

    Click here to register

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16925011/main.gif
    Edward James
  • Surbana Jurong to lead Jeddah airport expansion

    20 May 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Singapore-based engineering firm Surbana Jurong is expected to lead the future expansion and development plans of Jeddah Airports Company (Jedco).

    Surbana Jurong's group CEO, Sean Chiao, met with Jedco's CEO, Mazen Bin Mohammed Johar, earlier this week to explore expanded cooperation.

    The meeting focused on leveraging Surbana Jurong’s international expertise in delivering and managing major projects to help King Abdulaziz International airport (KAIA) scale towards more than 90 million passengers annually by 2030.

    Both sides also discussed talent development for Saudi engineers through Surbana Jurong Academy programmes, mentorship and participation in international airport projects, alongside establishing a joint governance framework and progressing towards a memorandum of understanding.

    Surbana Jurong is delivering project management consultancy services for over 100 capital projects at KAIA, valued at SR3bn ($800m).

    These upgrades will boost KAIA’s annual capacity from 29 million to 114 million passengers by 2030, supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and National Aviation Strategy, and enhancing the experience for domestic travellers and millions of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.

    According to data from regional project tracker MEED Projects, Surbana Jurong is involved in several major projects in the kingdom, including Red Sea Global's Amaala masterplan, the Trojena dams scheme, Oxagon, King Salman International airport and Saudi Arabia Railway's North-South Phosphate Railway 3.

    The firm has also been part of projects in the wider region, including the West Link project, Etihad high-speed rail and Abu Dhabi airport's Midfield Terminal.

    The firm has also secured masterplan project contracts from Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities & Transport and Abu Dhabi Ports.

    MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

    > COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
    > GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
    > BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
    > UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
    > DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
    > POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
    > WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
    > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
    > TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16922013/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Dubai seeks contractors for Metro Gold Line

    20 May 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has invited contractors to express interest in a contract to build the new Gold Line, as part of its expansion of the Dubai Metro network.

    The notice was issued in mid-May with a submission deadline of 13 June.

    Dubai officially announced the launch of the new Gold Line in April.

    In a post on social media site X, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said the project will cost about AED34bn ($9.2bn).

    The Gold Line will increase the total length of the Dubai Metro network by 35%.

    The project is scheduled for completion in September 2032.

    The Gold Line will be a fully underground network covering more than 42 kilometres, with 18 stations.

    It will pass through 15 areas in Dubai, benefiting 1.5 million residents.

    The project is expected to provide connectivity to over 55 under-construction real estate development projects.

    The Gold Line will start at Al-Ghubaiba in Bur Dubai and end at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

    It will be connected to Dubai Metro’s existing Red and Green lines and will integrate with the Etihad Rail passenger line.

    The contractor will be responsible for the design and build of all civil works, electromechanical equipment, rolling stock and rail systems.

    The selected contractor will also be required to assist in the systems maintenance and operations during an initial three-year period.

    In October last year, MEED exclusively reported that the RTA had selected US-based engineering firm Aecom to provide consultancy services for the Dubai Metro Gold Line project.

    Stage one covers concept design, stage two covers preliminary design, stage three covers the preparation of tender documents, stage four encompasses construction supervision and stage five covers the defects and liability period.

    MEED’s May 2026 report on the UAE includes:

    > COMMENT: Conflict tests UAE diversification
    > GVT &: ECONOMY: UAE economy absorbs multi-sector shock
    > BANKING: UAE banks ready to weather the storm
    > ATTACKS: UAE counts energy infrastructure costs
    > UPSTREAM: Adnoc builds long-term oil and gas production potential
    > DOWNSTREAM: Adnoc Gas to rally UAE downstream project spending
    > POWER: Large-scale IPPs drive UAE power market
    > WATER: UAE water investment broadens beyond desalination
    > CONSTRUCTION: War casts shadow over UAE construction boom
    > TRANSPORT: UAE rail momentum grows as trade routes face strain

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16919605/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal