NEOM’s Trojena gears up to host 2029 Asian Winter Games
Saudi Arabia’s smart and sustainable city partners with first hospitality developer
NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s smart and sustainable city, has partnered with hospitality developer Ennismore for its Trojena project as the mountain tourism destination gears up to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029.
Under the deal, the developer will establish its iconic brands — 25hours Hotels and Morgans Originals — in Trojena, which is set to feature a ski village upon completion.
The deal with Ennismore is touted to be one of the many agreements that will be signed with hospitality developers, as Hotel Development, the NEOM division responsible for building a futurecentric hospitality ecosystem, aims to establish global partnerships with leading firms.
“Our partnership with Ennismore echoes our mission to pioneer in the space of experiential hospitality in a way that shapes the future of hotels in the Kingdom and beyond. With a shared passion for developing differentiated and imaginative hospitality concepts, we look forward to seeing this relationship — and others like it — flourish,” said Chris Newman, executive director, Hotel Development at NEOM.
Philip Gullett, executive director and region head at Trojena added: “Both 25hours Hotels and Morgans Originals are ideal brands for Trojena as we look to deliver extraordinary experiences for residents and visitors seeking luxury, adventure, entertainment, livability, and escape from the status quo.”
Trojena is expected to be completed in 2026, and it is an area where winter temperatures drop below zero and year-round temperatures are generally 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the region.
The site spans 60 sq. km, at an elevation of between 1,500 and 2,600 meters.
There will be 47 events at the
Trojena Games — 28 on snow and 19 on ice — including competitions for skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey and figure skating.
NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr said that Trojena will have all the necessary infrastructure to make the Winter Games an unprecedented global event.
Backed by the Kingdom’s vast Public Investment Fund, NEOM will operate as an independent economic zone powered solely by regenerative energy, spanning three countries, complete with its own self-governing laws and regulations and all strategically designed for economic stimulation.
Currently being developed in Tabuk, the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia that intersects Egypt and Jordan, NEOM is a pillar of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, and is being precisely constructed with a foundation that serves nine specialized investment sectors: Energy, biotech, food, mobility, advanced manufacturing, technological and digital sciences, tourism, media, and entertainment; all sectors strategically designed to attract international investment, and all part of a grand push to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-centric economy.