Hotel for Women to Open Tue. in Riyadh
Monday, 17 March 2008
By Suzan Zawawi
RIYADH – Luthan Hotel, a hotel catering exclusively to women, will open to the public Tuesday night in Riyadh.
The hotel is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and the Gulf region.
"It's a destination and an escape that caters specifically to women's needs," said Princess Madawi Bint Mohammed Bin Abdullah, Chair of the board at Luthan Hotel and Spa.
"This has been our dream for years, and finally we can see it become a reality," Princess Madawi said. "The idea of opening an exclusive women-only hotel was decided years ago along with the idea of opening a high quality spa for women, opened in 2005 in Riyadh."
"When we first thought of opening a spa we wanted to provide private rooms for clients, a hotel idea, so that the spa becomes more than a destination – it becomes an escape. Luthan is derived from the Arabic world Malath, meaning a place one escapes to," explained Princess Madawi.
Although the Ministry of Interior recently allowed women to be able to stay in hotels without a male guardian, a women-only hotel appeals to many women in the Kingdom.
"The concept is not new," said Princess Madawi. "Although this is the first of its kind in the Gulf, there are female-only hotels in the West and hotel floors allocated for female visitors only," Princess Madawi said.
"This shows that this type of service is not only needed in the Kingdom but all over the world. Women feel more comfortable, safe and their needs are catered to specifically in such an environment."
Luthan administrators plan to open several similar hotels for women around the Kingdom.
The hotel consists of 25 rooms with 24-hour service. Daily rates for rooms range SR350 for a studio style room, to SR975 for a suite.
Along with catering to the needs of women in the Kingdom, Princess Madawi and Luthan want to provide training for Saudi women in hotel services.
"Soon we will be providing a two year diploma in hotel service for Saudi women, a year in training and a year for (working)," said Princess Madawi.
"Not only have we been providing spa treatments from all over the world but we have also been keen on learning from our foreign experts and train Saudi women in such treatments."
On Tuesday night, Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Supervisor General of the Supreme Commission of Tourism will be inaugurating the Luthan Hotel and spa.
