Kempinski Hotel Riyadh to Open in September

Saudi Arabia's luxury hotel scene keeps getting better: Hotelier Middle East is reporting that the new Kempinski hotel within Riyadh's $320 million Burj Rafal tower could get a soft launch before its official launch in September.

On a recent site visit by Construction Week, the project director overseeing the project for Riyadh-based developer Rafal, Eng Nazer Mohammed, said that by the end of June the works will be "substantially" finished, and that final completion is expected for September. 

The 1,010-foot-high, 70-story tower is the tallest residential building in Riyadh, with 360-degree views of the surrounding area including the nearby King Abdullah Financial District.

The 350-room Kempinski hotel will take up most of the first 23 stories of the hotel and has a six-level podium with 24 meeting rooms, a ballroom that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests, a spa area and external swimming pools, tennis courts and squash courts on the podium roof.

As the hotel's website notes, the Kempinski Hotel Riyadh will be the closest five-star hotel to the King Khalid International Airport, and offers easy access to the city center.