Corinthia Hotels has signed a management agreement to open a new hotel in historic Diriyah in Saudi Arabia.

In an announcement on the Malta Stock Exchange, International Hotel Investments said its operating arm, Corinthia Hotels Limited, signed the agreement with Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) to open a hotel in 2025 in Diriyah.

Corinthia Hotels will build a mudbrick 80-key hotel in traditional Najdi style, with 10 residential serviced villas and two specialty restaurants, forming part of their five dining outlets.

The project forms part of the wider development of Diriyah.

Saudi Arabia's government has said that it wants to establish more than a dozen new premium hotels in the area, transforming the “Jewel of the Kingdom” into the its foremost historical, cultural and lifestyle destination.

Situated to the northwest of Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh, Diriyah  served as the original home of the Saudi royal family. Its Turaif district was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.