Middle East hotel operator Rotana used the FHS World 2026 forum to lay out an ambitious expansion slate, and there's plenty in it for travellers watching where to stay next across the region.
The headline signing is a new Edge by Rotana property in Beirut, agreed with ACHRAFIEH 5418 SAL. An existing 85-unit hotel will be fully renovated and expanded to 95 units, with meeting space added, and is slated to open under the Edge by Rotana brand in January 2027. It's a meaningful vote of confidence in Lebanon's hospitality market.
The UAE, Rotana's home turf, saw Bloom Arjaan by Rotana open on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi this year, while Rotana Ras Al Khaimah – The Mangroves is preparing to welcome guests — two destinations that have been quietly building serious leisure credentials.
Saudi Arabia is the group's busiest development market. Edge Riyadh – Al Rabie opened earlier in the year, and in July Rotana signed The Residences by Rotana at Thakher in Makkah, a 240-apartment project that marks the brand's first foray into the Kingdom. Rotana now runs 13 hotels in Saudi Arabia with 10 more in the pipeline.
The most intriguing item for holidaymakers may be further afield: Rotana's first ski resort in Gudauri, Georgia — a dual-property development of roughly 400 keys that takes the Dubai-based group into mountain hospitality for the first time. The company is also cooking up Egypt-specific concepts and pushing branded residences, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where master-planned destinations are driving demand for serviced living.
The numbers behind all this: Rotana currently operates 78 properties, with another 40 hotels and 8,334 rooms under development. It's also investing behind the scenes, rolling out an AI chat tool, a Voice AI pilot and a data partnership with Microsoft to smooth the guest experience.
Why should a traveller care? Because this is a snapshot of where new, mid-to-upper-scale rooms will appear over the next few years — from a refreshed Beirut address to a Georgian ski base — giving early planners fresh options in markets that don't always see steady hotel investment. COO Eddy Tannous summed up the company's stance as betting on the region's long-term potential through its cycles. For anyone building a Middle East or Caucasus itinerary, the map is about to get more interesting.
