Skift Take

Diriyah Gate's CEO Jerry Inzerillo believes the project will be as vibrant as Marrakech by 2030, yet the first hotel only opens in January. Can his team pull it off?

Sean O'Neill and Josh Corder, Skift

Will Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Gate be finished on schedule by 2030? Does it have the right mix of luxury and affordable hotels? Will tourists come year-round? 

Those are some of the questions we had for Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, who was in New York City Tuesday for the United Nations General Assembly.

Inzerillo was previously CEO of Forbes Travel Guide and spent decades at Kerzner, where he drove the creation of One&Only Resorts and Atlantis.

Diriyah Gate, near Riyadh, is one of several major projects Saudi Arabia is developing as part of its Vision 2030 plan to spur its tourism economy. Diriyah’s hotel development has seen some delays, but Inzerillo said the project is on track. “After six years, we’re on time and on budget,” he said. “We’re roaring towards 2030 when Diriyah Gate will be finished.”

Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection hotel run by Marriott International, offers views across Wadi Hanifah and a base for exploring Diriyah in Saudi Arabia. Source: Diriyah Corporation. Hotel Lineup

Inzerillo said 37 hotel management deals are signed, with groundbreakings on about a dozen due in October. The plan allows room for five more hotels to be signed.

The first of the luxury hotels planned fo