Chedi Hegra to open in AlUla this year

Hotel will have 35 guest rooms that will be distinctly connected to surrounding ancient landscape

The entrance of a restaurant inside the Hegra Fort. Photo: The Chedi Hegra

The Chedi Hegra is coming to AlUla and it is expected to open later this year, although an exact date has not been revealed.

The Royal Commission for AlUla has announced it has partnered with hotel operator GHM to bring the luxury hotel brand to the ancient Nabataean site in north-west Saudi Arabia. There will be 35 guest rooms, each with its own distinct connection to the Hegra landscape. There will also be three fine-dining restaurants, a cafe, spa and pool.

The hotel will be built directly into several existing structures, such as an old railway station and surrounding buildings, Hegra Fort and more. Structural and exterior walls — some still with historical mud-brick construction — are being preserved and integrated with modern architecture. However, the vast majority of the Unesco World Heritage Site will remain untouched by construction and be carefully 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,” said John Northen, the commission's vice president of hotels and resorts.

New Seven Wonders of the World

In January, Conde Nast Traveller named AlUla one of the must-visit places in the world. Author Aaron Millar, a celebrated travel writer and presenter, helps elect seven new wonders each year for the publication. He described AlUla as "the Acropolis of our day, the Stonehenge of now".

"They can be seen firsthand," he wrote. "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 added: "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."