Saudi Arabia leads Mideast hotel construction activity: STR data  

With 42,033 hotel rooms, the Kingdom accounts for 35.1 percent of 119,505 total keys under construction in the region. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 24 April 2023
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Saudi Arabia leads Mideast hotel construction activity: STR data  

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East and Africa’s hotel construction activity with over 40,000 rooms under construction as of March, the latest data from hotel industry monitoring firm STR showed. 

With 42,033 hotel rooms, the Kingdom accounts for 35.1 percent of 119,505 total keys under construction in the region.  

That places Saudi Arabia only after China and the US — which currently have 299,458 rooms and 154,284 rooms under construction respectively — making it one of the biggest hotel construction markets in the world despite a global slowdown. 

The report indicated that the Middle East and Africa was the only region to have an increase in total rooms under contract by 6.4 percent to 249,150 in March 2023 compared to the same period last year.  

The region has 84,116 rooms in planning and 45,529 rooms in the final planning stages. 

The UAE also played a role in the region’s hotel sector growth, with 22,325 rooms under construction, accounting for 18.6 percent of the total number.  

The Kingdom has the third-highest number of rooms under construction in the world surpassing Europe’s leaders Germany and the UK.  

This comes as the Kingdom’s hospitality sector is witnessing steady growth in key performance indicators. For instance, Riyadh’s hotel occupancy rate hit 75.5 percent in February, the highest figure since 2008, according to data released by STR last month.  

Compared to 2019, the occupancy in February jumped 23.4 percent, the average daily rate rose 34 percent to SR801.46 ($213.46), and the revenue per available room increased 65.3 percent to SR605.06.  

In Abu Dhabi, the occupancy rate reached 75 percent in February with an ADR of $155 and RevPAR at $116, according to JLL.  

Saudi Arabia’s hospitality sector is witnessing rapid growth as the Kingdom plans to become a regional and global hotspot for all segments.  

Under Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s market is expected to have 310,000 hotel rooms by 2030 with an investment size of $110 billion, Knight Frank data indicated.  

Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s hotel segment is projected to generate $2.51 billion in revenue this year and is expected to reach $3.02 billion by 2027, according to Statista.  


Saudi Maaden reports 156% profit surge to $2bn on strong commodity prices, record production

Updated 05 March 2026
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Saudi Maaden reports 156% profit surge to $2bn on strong commodity prices, record production

RIYADH: Saudi mining and metals company Maaden has reported a 156 percent jump in its net profit attributable to shareholders for 2025, driven by higher commodity prices, record production volumes, and a one-off bargain purchase gain.

The state-backed giant posted a net profit of SR7.35 billion ($1.95 billion) for the full year 2025, an increase from SR2.87 billion in the previous year. The firm’s revenue surged by 19 percent to SR38.58 billion, up from SR32.55 billion in 2024.

This comes as Saudi Arabia steps up efforts to expand its mining sector as a pillar of economic diversification, encouraging international participation and private investment to unlock the Kingdom’s estimated $2.5 trillion in untapped mineral resources under Vision 2030.    

In a statement on Tadawul, the company said: “Performance was led by record phosphate production, near record aluminum production, an increase in all three of Maaden’s main output commodity prices.”

The performance was also fueled by a 60 percent increase in gross profit, which reached SR14.79 billion. In its annual results announcement, Maaden attributed the top-line growth to “higher commodity market prices for phosphate, aluminum and gold business units,” as well as increased sales volumes in its phosphate and aluminum segments. This was partially offset by slightly lower sales volume in the gold unit.

Maaden’s CEO, Bob Wilt, hailed 2025 as a transformative year for the company, marked by strategic growth and operational excellence. “This was a great year for Maaden’s strategic growth. We delivered strong financial results and sustained operational excellence across the business,” he said in a statement.

“This was driven by growth in production across all businesses, including record-breaking DAP (di-ammonium phosphatevolumes), disciplined cost control across and a clear commitment to our role as a cornerstone of the Saudi economy,” Wilt added.

Profitability was further bolstered by an increased share of net profit from joint ventures and an associate. This included a one-off bargain purchase gain of SR768 million related to Maaden’s investment in Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. The company also benefited from lower finance costs.

The fourth quarter of 2025 was strong, with Maaden swinging to a net profit of SR1.67 billion, compared to a loss of SR106 million in the same period of the prior year. Quarterly revenue rose 7 percent to SR10.64 billion.

The firm achieved record production of di-ammonium phosphate, reaching 6.72 million tonnes for the year, a 9 percent increase. Aluminum production remained near-record levels, while the company added a net 7.8 million ounces to its reportable gold mineral resources through discovery and resource development.

The phosphate division saw sales jump 17 percent to SR20.77 billion, with the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization margin expanding to 47 percent. The aluminum business reported a 9 percent increase in sales to SR10.99 billion, with EBITDA more than doubling in the fourth quarter.

Looking ahead, Wilt emphasized that the pace of growth will accelerate as the company advances key initiatives, including the Phosphate 3 Phase 1 and Ar Rjum projects, which remain on budget and schedule. Maaden has also secured a gas supply for its future Phosphate 4 project.

“This pace of growth will only accelerate. Not only as we advance projects and increase the scale of our exploration program, but as we continue to grow production and implement technology that will further modernize, streamline and unlock value,” Wilt added.

Earnings per share for the year rose sharply to SR1.91, up from SR0.78 in 2024. Total shareholders’ equity increased by 18.7 percent to SR61.59 billion.