Hyatt Hotels Corporation has signed its first franchise agreements in Saudi Arabia, bringing the Unscripted by Hyatt brand to the Middle East through three hotels in Riyadh, TradeArabia reported on 9 November 2026. The deals also mark the first Unscripted by Hyatt projects anywhere in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
A Hyatt affiliate signed franchise agreements with Artal Company Hotel for the three properties. Artal Hotels has appointed Amsa Hospitality to run all of them. According to the report, the agreements represent two firsts for Hyatt: its first franchise arrangements in the Kingdom and the first Unscripted by Hyatt projects in EMEA.
Unscripted by Hyatt is built for independent hotels that want to keep their own character while using Hyatt’s global distribution network and the World of Hyatt loyalty programme.
The 99-room hotel sits in central Riyadh near the city’s healthcare and university districts. It offers all-day dining, a coffee house, a fitness centre and a spa and wellness centre, and carries the wellness focus within the portfolio.
Located in Al Sahafah on King Fahd Branch Road, the 131-room hotel gives access to the King Abdullah Financial District, Boulevard City and King Khalid International Airport. Facilities include all-day dining, a café, a fitness centre, a spa and a rooftop pool.
The 66-suite property, mostly one- and two-bedroom units, targets extended stays and sits within a mixed-use development on King Abdulaziz Road. It has completed refurbishment and is preparing to reopen under the new affiliation. Gardino and Vittori Garden are already welcoming guests.
“These agreements represent two significant firsts for us.”
Briana Swift, Regional Vice President Development, Saudi Arabia at Hyatt, made the comment and added that Saudi Arabia continues to be an important growth market. Muin Serhan, CEO of Amsa Hospitality, said Riyadh continues to grow as a hospitality hub and that Amsa focuses on hotels that respond to clear demand in the Kingdom’s most active destinations.
The structure is a conversion play: existing independent hotels take on an international brand and its distribution rather than a ground-up build. For owners and operators in the Gulf, that is a route to international distribution and loyalty reach without giving up a hotel’s own identity. The deal also shows an international group using a franchise model, with a local operator in place, as its first entry format in a new Saudi relationship.
Investors watching Gulf hospitality should note the pattern: a regional operator that already runs the assets, an owner converting existing stock, and an international brand supplying demand channels. The same logic applies to franchise rights in other sectors, where a capable local operator is often the deciding factor. See how similar signings played out in Wyndham’s Vienna House Residences deal in Ras Al Khaimah and the Wyndham Registry Collection signing in Nathdwara, and read the regional context in our Bahrain franchise entry routes guide.
