Business & Finance Club - Riyadh : Rotana is to launch its first Centro branded hotels in Saudi Arabia and is planning to open 25 of the budget business hotels across the MENA region over the next four years, the hotelier said in a statement on Sunday.

Rotana announced that it had signed a deal with the Elegant Hotels Company to build the first two Centro Business Traveller Hotels in Riyadh and Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia.

“Today, we are exceptionally pleased to be able to announce our strategic alliance with Rotana in the launch of Saudi Arabia first Centro Hotels. This is a hospitality concept that suits our rapidly expanding business traveller population. Innovative and forward facing, we see this as an excellent investment in the right time and place,” Abdulelah Al Khereiji, group chairman of Elegant Hotels Group.

The Riyadh hotel will be located between King Fahd Road and Olaya Street in the business district of Al Olaya and will offer 160 rooms and suites. The Centro Al Khobar will be positioned near the corniche and will have 235 rooms and suites.

The Centro Hotels by Rotana brand is a budget brand aimed at corporate entities, small and medium business owners and individual travellers.

Selim El Zyr, president and CEO of Rotana, confirmed that the hotel group, which already has over 70 properties, has plans to expand the brand across the Middle East and North Africa over the next four years.

“Rotana is working towards the opening of 25 ‘Centro Hotels by Rotana’ properties across the MENA Region by 2014, introducing a unique out-of-the-box solution for the mid-tier market,” said El Zyr.