E L E VATO R P I TC H
The elevator pitch
Business Traveller gives Christopher Pike, General Manager, Radisson Hotel Riyadh Airport, five minutes to pitch his property to prospective guests
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Firstly, I invite you to throw out any preconceptions you may have of what a business hotel is. The recently opened Radisson Hotel Riyadh Airport should be considered more of a business village than your archetypal vertical hotel block. Our guests are settled in rooms located across nine attractive low-rise residences occupying a 50,000-squaremetre plot. Room sizes kick off at 47 square metres, before counting the nine-square-metre balconies. Then add into the mix, suites, duplexes and three-bedroom villas. Light, bright décor, full-width balcony windows, Chromecast mirroring TVs to name just a few features, have attracted fantastic feedback from guests who have discovered the unexpected since our recent opening. After a swift check-in at the main building, new arrivals are whisked by golf buggy to their retreat (even though it’s no more than a twominute stroll through the gardens). For many travellers dropping into
MARCH 2022
Riyadh for a one-day meeting, the old-school 2pm check-in and 12 noon check-out just don’t work, so we offer a 22-hour stay for a one-night charge. For those checking in after a late evening flight, there’s no need to haul luggage to the meeting the next day and then a long post-meeting wait at the airport for the trip home. Instead, after the working day, relax back at the ‘village’, refresh, feast, and then take a leisurely six-minute ride after check-out to the airport for your evening flight home. Some might use the extra time to take a dip in one of the three outdoor pools, ladies’ and gents’ indoor pools, de-stress in the professional gyms or drop in for a rejuvenating spa therapy. Better still, you can host a meeting at the village, choosing from nine contemporary meeting rooms with the latest teleconferencing facilities and a soon-to-be-added cinema-style auditorium (for 130 delegates) with multi-purpose events room, all just minutes from the airport, which
“New arrivals are whisked by golf buggy to their retreat”
TOP: Christopher Pike BOTTOM FROM LEFT: Recreational facilities include three outdoor pools; all rooms feature balconies
makes us a compelling location for local, country or area gatherings. As well as the regular favourite dining options at Lune Restaurant (with a stunning terrace overlooking the pool and gardens), our creative culinary team have a few surprises… camel burgers and Kabsa pizza to name a couple. Trust me, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it! The desire for casual dining and light bites can be more than satisfied at Kazbah Café, again, a great place to chill and watch village life go by. And for those who like to jog or indulge in a relaxing stroll, the walled village environment wins hands down. There is no traffic to worry about, no noise pollution, and you get to meet the neighbours. An evening shuttle to the nearby Riyadh Front business district and mall takes care of any retail therapy or alternative dining needs. Time to rethink how to plan business trips to Riyadh? We think so, and many of our new business traveller friends agree.
