Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh

Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh

General information
Address| Mekkah Road, AlHada Area، Al Hada, Riyadh 12912
Town or city| Riyadh
Country| Saudi Arabia
Coordinates| 24°39′56″N 46°37′43″E﻿ / ﻿24.665646°N 46.628674°E﻿ / 24.665646; 46.628674
Completed| 2011
Affiliation| The Ritz-Carlton
Technical details
Floor area| 62,000 square feet
Grounds| 52 acres
Other information
Number of rooms| 492
Website
www.ritzcarlton.com/riyadh[1]

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh (Arabic: فندق الريتز كارلتون بالرياض) is a luxury hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which briefly served as a prison consequent to the 2017 Saudi Arabian purge.[2]

## History

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Hotel driveway

### Prominent guests

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Between 21–22 May 2017, President Donald Trump was a guest at the hotel as it hosted events for the 2017 Riyadh summit. He returned to the hotel for an overnight visit during his second term on 14-15 May, 2025 as the first stop on a four day visit to the Middle East.

Former President Barack Obama was a guest in 2014.

In October 2017, the hotel hosted the Future Investment Initiative with over 3,500 invitees.

### Use as a prison

[edit]

Main article: 2017 Saudi Arabian purge

From 4 November 2017 until February 2018,[3] the hotel was closed to regular guests and become a detention center for those detained as part of the 2017 Saudi Arabian anti-corruption arrests. Guests staying at the hotel were notified that, “Due to unforeseen booking by local authorities which requires an elevated level of security, we are unable to accommodate guests until normal operations are restored.” Guests were ejected and no further bookings were accepted. A notice on the hotel's website read, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the hotel’s internet and telephone lines are currently disconnected until further notice."[4][5][6][7]

## See also

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* Hotels portal

## References

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1. ^ "Official Website of The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh". Ritzcarlton.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
2. ^ "Luxury Hotels & Resorts - The Ritz-Carlton". Ritzcarlton.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
3. ^ Angela Dewan, Schams Elwazer and Tamara Qiblawi, CNN (11 February 2018). "Saudi Ritz Carlton re-opens after stint as lavish prison". CNN.com. Retrieved 4 November 2018. `{{cite web}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ^ Kulish, Nicholas (6 November 2017). "Ritz-Carlton Has Become a Gilded Cage for Saudi Royals". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
5. ^ "Ritzy Riyadh 'prison' for Saudi princes". Bbc.co.uk. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
6. ^ Martin Chulov Middle East (6 November 2017). "How Saudi elite became five-star prisoners at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
7. ^ "A house divided: How Saudi Crown Prince purged royal family rivals". Reuters. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.

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