Oberoi Hotels & Resorts has revealed details of The Oberoi Sukoonvilas, Wadi Safar — the Indian luxury group's first resort in Saudi Arabia and the very first hotel to open in Wadi Safar, a new heritage-driven destination roughly 30 minutes from Riyadh and close to the UNESCO-listed At-Turaif district of Diriyah. Doors are slated to open in the first quarter of 2027.
The resort sits on a dramatic 70-metre escarpment above desert valleys, spread across more than 37 acres of landscaped terrain. There will be 60 standalone villas plus 10 branded residences, all drawing on Najdi architecture — the traditional mud-brick style of central Saudi Arabia — with shaded courtyards, water features and a strong indoor-outdoor flow. Architecture comes from Aedas, with interiors by design studio Blink.
Food is a headline act. Yatra will serve contemporary Indian cuisine curated by Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai, Linnet brings pastries and café culture from pastry chef Lily Vanilli, and Beyla covers international dishes, with poolside dining overlooking the escarpment rounding things out. There's a deliberate cultural thread linking Saudi Arabia and India woven through the food, design and service philosophy.
Wellbeing gets equal billing. The ASMI by Oberoi programme offers signature wellness journeys, backed by hammams, indoor wellness pools and a fitness centre. The showpiece is a 65-metre infinity pool gazing out over the valley — likely one of the most photographed pools in the Kingdom once it opens.
Why should this be on your radar? Saudi Arabia is racing to build a luxury hotel scene almost from scratch, and Wadi Safar — positioned by Diriyah Company as a destination blending heritage, sport, wellbeing and nature — is one of its flagship projects. Diriyah itself, birthplace of the First Saudi State, is already one of Riyadh's most compelling sights, and an Oberoi nearby gives travellers a genuinely high-end reason to linger rather than day-trip from the capital. If you've been curious about Saudi tourism but waiting for hotel product that matches global five-star standards, early 2027 is when the bar gets raised.
