Marriott International is to open its first Residence Inn by Marriott property in the Middle East with an 83-unit hotel in the Saudi Arabian province of Jizan on the Red Sea in 2012.

It will be part of a mixed-use development that will also include a new 129-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel that - once it opens - will be the fourth Courtyard property in the Middle East. The project also includes a 58,000sq m shopping mall. Marriott will manage both hotels under a long-term agreement with Abdulrahman Saad Al-Rashid & Sons. Both properties are currently under construction in two adjacent towers separated by a shared swimming pool in the northern part of Jizan City close to the new Jizan University.

Facilities at the Residence Inn will include a self-service lounge/coffee shop, a library and a small meeting room. A grab and go kiosk/market offering snacks, basic food items, newspapers, magazines and various sundries will be located adjacent to the front desk. Separate fitness rooms and lockers for men and women will also be available and guests will be able to share an outdoor pool area with those staying at the adjacent Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

The Courtyard by Marriott Jizan will feature 15 junior suites and two suites among its 129 rooms. Dining and entertainment options are to include a casual restaurant serving three meals daily, a lobby lounge, a grab and go kiosk/market in the lobby and a juice bar on the pool deck. Recreational amenities will include a shared fitness room with separate lockers and a sauna and steam room for male and female guests. The hotel's outdoor swimming pool will be shared with guests of the Residence Inn.

Marriott International currently manages three hotels in Saudi Arabia - the 389-room Riyadh Marriott, the 210-room Jeddah Marriott and the 150-room Medina Marriott. Marriott has also signed management contracts for the 238-room Courtyard by Marriott in Riyadh's CBD, the 288-room Courtyard by Marriott in Riyadh's diplomatic quarter and the 119-unit Marriott Executive Apartments property adjacent to the existing Riyadh Marriott. All three are currently under construction.