Saudi Arabia’s Neom is unfolding at rapid pace, with a host of new developments and projects unfolding at the world's first cognitive, smart city.
And in the city’s Trojena — Neom’s snowcapped mountain district — the first glamping eco-retreat has been announced.
Collective Trojena will welcome guests for nature-laden stays from 2026.
Managed by Collective Retreats, a US outdoor experiential hospitality company, the new ultra-sustainable property will offer travellers access to Trojena’s outdoor beauty at its mountain location only 50km from the Gulf of Aqaba.
It will have 60 open-air guest rooms as well as innovative meeting spaces, dramatic water features, communal campfires and culinary experiences.
Collective Trojena will also have direct access to the development’s year-round outdoor activities, which will include skiing and snowboarding, high-altitude training, paragliding, mountain biking, hiking and water sports.
Guests staying at the retreat will be able to take part in a host of culturally themed events centred on film, art, music and food.
"We founded Collective Retreats with the singular goal of changing the way people travel," said Collective Retreats chief executive Peter Mack. "We want travellers to see the world with renewed curiosity and a greater appreciation for conservation of the extraordinary natural beauty that surrounds us."
"Trojena provides the ultimate backdrop to achieve this mission in ways we never imagined. In addition to giving a global audience a new perspective on this spectacular mountain setting, we are committed to demonstrating that luxury travel should not be extractive and it's possible to both preserve the environment and deliver extraordinary guest experiences."
The new resort in Saudi Arabia is the brand’s first foray in the Middle East, joining nature-centric Collective Retreats in Colorado, Texas and New York.
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Trojena will open in 2026 as part of Saudi Arabia's megacity of the future. Photo: Neom -
Trojena is designed to attract visitors, holidaymakers and winter sports enthusiasts from around the world. PA -
The design plan for Trojena, an area in Saudi Arabia's planned megacity of Neom chosen to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. AFP -
The Line is also being built at Neom. It will be free of cars and streets and have zero carbon emissions. Photo: Neom -
Neom chief executive Nadhmi Al Nasr said The Line would make use of artificial intelligence technology to the fullest. Photo: Neom -
Neom city will be powered by clean energy, officials say. Photo: Neom -
Trojena in Neom will host the first outdoor snow skiing destination in the GCC region. Photo: Neom -
Neom lies in a desert bordering the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. Reuters -
Architects say Neom will be designed to make the most of its environmental surroundings. Photo: Neom -
Andrew McEvoy, sector head for tourism at Neom, at Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Pawan Singh / The National -
The $500bn Neom project in the Tabuk Province of north-western Saudi Arabia is supported by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund. Photo: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Natural Heritage
Set within Neom, Trojena is championing sustainability by powering the mountain destination with a combination of solar and wind energy, while developing technology in water desalination and brine processing to achieve zero waste.
Philip Gullett, executive director at Trojena, said: “Collective Retreats will be outstanding stewards of this new outdoor retreat experience in Trojena and will perfectly complement the environmental and sustainability principles and practices that are at the core of the Neom project.”
Last month, plans for a futuristic Yotel hotel with space-saving smart beds and the brand's signature robot concierge were announced for Neom’s Oxagon district. A luxury hotel, The Chedi Trojena, is also headed to Neom.
