BRESI OVERVIEW: FHS Saudi Arabia
Record-Breaking 2025 Success: This year’s summit attracted over 1,100 global hospitality investors and decision-makers, generating $1.6 billion in business opportunities and facilitating 11 major hotel signings, cementing FHS as the region’s leading deal-making platform.
2026 Theme and Focus: Under the banner “Where Opportunity Meets Capital,” the April 20-22, 2026 event will bring industry leaders together at Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah to discuss hotel performance, investment outlook, and market trends driving Saudi Arabia’s unprecedented hospitality growth.
Vision 2030 Momentum: The summit supports Saudi Arabia’s ambitious goal to deliver over 362,000 new hotel rooms by 2030 through a $10 billion tourism development pipeline, with approximately 50% of new developments concentrated in the luxury segment.
Strategic Industry Priorities: The Advisory Board highlighted key challenges including the need for homegrown Saudi hospitality brands, better industry data and pipeline visibility, rebalancing luxury and mid-market segments, and diversifying financing beyond traditional banking models.
Comprehensive Program Agenda: FHS Saudi Arabia 2026 will feature six content themes—Investment & Real Estate, Technology & Innovation, Talent & Education, Wellness & Lifestyle, F&B and Experiences, plus a dedicated Branded Residences Forum addressing the sector’s 455% growth over the past decade.
Future Hospitality Summit Saudi Arabia Marks Ninth Edition in Riyadh
The FHS Saudi Arabia Advisory Board met in Riyadh last week to discuss and shape next year’s event programme
The Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) Saudi Arabia – the Kingdom’s most influential hospitality investment conference – will return to the Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah in Riyadh from 20-22 April 2026 following the success of this year’s event, which brought together over 1,100 global hospitality investors, innovators and senior decision-makers and facilitated 11 high-profile hotel signings and strategic announcements, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s drive to deliver over 362,000 new hotel rooms by 2030 through its USD$10 billion tourism development pipeline as part of Vision 2030.
Across this year’s summit delegates reported USD 1.6 billion in business opportunities, underscoring FHS’s role as the region’s premier deal-making forum.
Under next year’s theme “Where Opportunity Meets Capital,” FHS Saudi Arabia2026 will unite hospitality leaders and decision-makers to discuss hotel performance and development, the outlook for hospitality investment in the Kingdom and the key market trends driving the sector, aiming for actionable outcomes that will transform the industry, which continues to witness unprecedented growth.
Top Insights From Industry Leaders
Comprising some of the hospitality industry’s most prominent leaders, the FHS 2026 Saudi Arabia Advisory Board met in Riyadh last week to discuss what’s driving Saudi hospitality, and provided perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing the Kingdom’s tourism sector as the journey toward Vision 2030 accelerates.
Top insights that emerged from the discussions included the opportunity to further proliferate homegrown Saudi hospitality brands that define the Kingdom’s identity; the development of experience-driven and organic tourism segments; and the global boom in branded residences—with under-construction projects up 455% over the past decade—and what this growth could mean for the sector in Saudi Arabia.
Participants also highlighted the need for greater clarity around evolving foreign ownership and FDI laws, particularly as interest in branded residential offerings continues to rise.
Saudi Arabia’s Hospitality Boom
The rapid pace of new development in the Kingdom, which represents the biggest hotel pipeline in the region, also highlighted several areas of strategic focus to ensure development plans remain on track, including the need for more robust industry data and pipeline visibility.
With approximately 50 percent of new developments coming from the luxury segment, a rebalance between luxury and mid market segments would be critical. In addition, the reliance on traditional finance models and the banking sector was raised with the need to diversify to alternative forms of debt financing such as capital markets, in line with new Government regulations.
These, and a range of other topics will be featured across six content themes in the FHS Saudi Arabia 2026 agenda: Investment & Real Estate, Technology & Innovation, Talent & Education, Wellness & Lifestyle, F&B and Experiences and the dedicated Branded Residences Forum.
Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench, said: “Our Advisory Board meetings are instrumental in helping us steer our conference agendas and we were thrilled to have so many of the industry’s most senior leaders in the room in Riyadh last week. We look forward to another milestone event in 2026, driven by the industry, for the industry.”
Mr. Khalid S. Abuhaimed, Chief Executive Officer, Al Khozama Investments commented:” “Hosting FHS reflects our continued involvement in shaping the hospitality landscape in Saudi Arabia. The summit brings together leaders who are actively defining the sector’s next phase, and we value the opportunity to contribute our experience in this dialogue. As Saudi advances its tourism ambitions, we remain committed to supporting the market with measured, high-quality development”
For more information about the 2026 edition of the Future Hospitality Summit, please visit https://www.futurehospitality.com/
About The Bench
The Bench has built a legacy as a global curator of opportunity, designing transformative forums and summits that empower the hospitality and travel industries to connect, innovate, and thrive. With over two decades of expertise, The Bench creates platforms that go beyond transactions to inspire collaboration and drive meaningful change.
Each event brings together government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel associations, leading hospitality brands, hotel owners and investors, airlines, destination developers, and more. From flagship gatherings like FHS World (formerly AHIC) and FHS Saudi Arabia, to FHS Africa (formerly AHIF) and AviaDev, The Bench creates events where ideas spark, relationships deepen, and investments take flight.
The Bench thrives on fostering dynamic and forward-looking dialogues, uniting industry pioneers to address challenges, seize opportunities, and co-create the future. Each event is crafted to deliver more than just connections – it’s about transforming ideas into action and building a better tomorrow.
Discover more at thebench.com.
About FHS Saudi Arabia
Dates: 20-22 April 2026
Location: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sponsors: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh and Al Khozama Investment as Host Sponsors; Taiba Investments as Founding Partner; Amsa Hospitality, Jabal Omar Development Company, Radisson Hotel Group and Red Sea Group as Strategic Partners; BWH Hotels, ClubMed, IHG, Italia Hospitality, Story Hospitality, The Ascott Limited as Headline Sponsors; Accor, Aleph Hospitality, IHCL, JT + Partners, Knight Frank, Legacy Hotels Holding, Minor Hotels, Quo, Serb Holding Co., Sommet Education, STR and The First Group Hospitality as Sponsors; DAR Engineering, Echelonet Concierge, Melia Hotels International, Rove Hotels, Shaza Hotels, Sophos and WhiteWater as Exhibitors.
About Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh
With an enviable location in the heart of the prestigious Olaya district, Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh is the epitome of Arabian hospitality in Riyadh. The luxurious hotel features 325 tastefully designed rooms and suites, complemented by around-the-clock butler service, an array of exquisite dining options, an award-winning ladies-only Spa and a state-of-the-art fitness centre. The hotel’s 6,300 square meters of customisable meeting facilities have been designed to accommodate events of any size. Surrounded by Al Faisaliah Tower, Mode Mall and other Riyadh’s key attractions, Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh is a cosmopolitan hub with Saudi charm.
About Al Khozama Investment
Al Khozama Investment (AK) is a pioneering developer and manager of premium commercial properties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1995, the company follows a progressive and diversified business model that covers the ownership, investment and management of properties in hospitality, retail, commercial, F&B and residential sectors.
With numerous international awards garnered by company over the past 25 years, in 2019 AK Investment was named Saudi Arabia’s leading luxury hospitality company by the World Travel Awards. In addition to presently managed five hotels including Al Faisaliah Hotel and Al Faisaliah Suites, Riyadh; Bay La Sun Hotel & Marina and Views Hotel & Residences, King Abdullah Economic City and Al Bustan Residences, Riyadh. For more information, visit
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