Hyatt has announced plans for its newest luxury hotel development, and… it almost doesn’t look real?
Continue reading: Futuristic Park Hyatt & Andaz Coming To Magna, On NEOM’s Coast
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Looks cool. Ben have you heard anything on the NEOM airline that was also rumored a few years back?
I wonder if this heavy investment into tourism is influenced by the eventual decline of petroleum as a major revenue source for their kingdom?
The Neom project is just going to end up being a 1.5 km square vanity project, it’s lacking global investment and these “partnerships” and letters of intent are literally aspirational designed to demonstrate to potential investors that’s there is international interest. Let’s see but my guess it will end being a giant AI server farm with accommodation mainly for employees and their families.
"Let’s see but my guess it will end being a giant AI server farm..."
The irony of having a server farm in Saudi Arabia is great.
Cool. As an LGBTQ+ person I will never visit.
It’s sad to see so many queer influencers talking up this project or Riyadh Air.
These buildings look like something out of Dune. I kinda like it - too bad it’s going somewhere I’ll never likely visit for the same reason.
The success of Dubai won’t be easily replicated due to financial loop holes been forced to close. For years and years, UAE banks especially in Dubai was basically blind and didn’t care where money came from. It was a very easy way to launder money into legit business. And provided that Dubai had one of the best tax regimes and progressive policies to expats, made it easy to convince foreigners to invest. Saudia Arabia wanting to do this by first building an amazing city just won’t be successful. First, it’s going to be scaled way down… and way over budget. Second, tourist wont come unless there is a vibrant local tourism, which needs people to actually live there… which is the third point, no one would live there due to the fact that there is no financial loophole to launder money, tax and policy regimes aren’t good at all compared to UAE…
Dubai is best done with a connection. Saudi Arabia is best done as a flyover. Not interested in any of them. Soulless desert outposts screaming for character and having little of it to offer.
They make some good airports though!
All great until one realises that the government actually ordered to shoot villagers who refused to leave their homes to make way for The Line - at least one was executed and many imprisoned for resisting to leave their home. At least three workers died due to a lack of health and safety implementation and not to mention the project is just a joke amongst the architectural community (coming from my wife who is an architect and urban designer having worked with the Norman Foster Foundation). No surprise that the Norman Foster Foundation has officially cut ties and distanced themselves from the project. Best description of Neom that resonated was by a reporter who posted “great! I’ve always dreamt of living on an industrial facility in the surface of the sun.”
In short, we have the decision to bring to the forefront topics as bloggers. We all have a voice - choosing not to report on a project is to making a conscious decision. This project is simply distasteful to endorse through anticipation. Frankly I hope it burns and dies before more people get hurt.
I am not challenging your comments. It is the first time that I am hearing about this. Can you please provide links so we can be exposed to additional information.
"All great until one realises that the government actually ordered to shoot villagers who refused to leave their homes to make way for The Line - at least one was executed and many imprisoned for resisting to leave their home."
“… while admittedly having a bit of a reputation issue in the West.”
Same line in every single post about Saudi Arabia, so here’s the same comment I make every time.
There’s more to the world than just “the west”, this western supremacy needs to end and so-called “westerners” need to understand they aren’t better than everyone else sharing the planet.
Billionaire Russian oligarchs, Saudi royals and Chinese elite have a new playground. Anyone who believes in democracy or basic human rights should avoid Saudi Arabia like the plague, no matter how alluring they try to make NOEM.
If you hate the "west" this much, please go immigrate to Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, pick your poison.
Nope! He’s not the only one who has talked up this project or RiyadhAir. There’s another blogger that I’m disappointed in (Nonstop Dan, looking at you bud) for giving Saudi Arabia a platform.
Ben truly only cares one thing - and that’s the ability to be arrogant about travel. I’ve found his silence on LGBTQ+ issues to be deafening.