Al-Murjan Rawaq Hotel Services Company has launched a new hospitality destination in Jeddah, with the official opening of the two hotels, Delta by Marriott Jeddah Al Salam and Marriott Hotel Apartments Jeddah Al Salam, in a move that combines hotel hospitality and residential accommodation within one project on King Abdulaziz Road.
The opening ceremony witnessed a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the participation of members of the Board of Directors: Tawfiq Muhammad Bahamdeen, Farouk Zahran, and Mishal Al-Nafa, Head of the Hospitality Sector, along with Bartolomé Mart, General Manager of the two hotels, and representatives of the owner company, Marriott International, and the work teams.
“Delta by Marriott Jeddah Al Salam” is the first property bearing the “Delta by Marriott” brand in Saudi Arabia, and includes 181 rooms and suites, in addition to a group of restaurants, recreation and wellness facilities, and spaces designated for meetings and events. Its facilities are at the top of the Delta Grand Hall, which extends over an area of 1,760 square metres, in addition to four flexible meeting rooms.
On the other hand, “Marriott Executive Apartments Jeddah Al Salam” includes 100 apartments varying between one-, two- and three-bedroom units, to meet the needs of short and extended stays, while providing privacy and residential comfort in addition to hotel services. Its facilities include a community lounge, fitness centre, outdoor rooftop pool, and kids club.
The destination offers various options for dining experiences, through the “Seven Seas” restaurant, which provides its services throughout the day, and the “Tria Lounge,” providing guests and Jeddah residents with additional spaces for dining and social gatherings.
Tawfiq Muhammad Bahmadin, a member of the Board of Directors at Al-Murjan Rawaq Hotel Services Company, said that the opening of the two hotels represents an important milestone for the company, and reflects its commitment to continuing to develop distinguished hospitality destinations in Jeddah, adding that the company looks forward to receiving its guests in the two facilities.
For his part, Mishal Al-Nafi, Head of the Hospitality Sector, explained that the opening is the result of months of planning, cooperation and joint work, pointing out that bringing together two different Marriott brands within one destination allows providing more diverse and integrated options to guests.
In turn, Bartolomé Mart, General Manager of the two hotels, said that their opening represents the beginning of a new phase for the work team, after months of preparation and training, expressing his aspiration to welcome the guests and introduce them to the two experiences offered by the new destination.
The opening ceremony concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony, with the participation of representatives of the owner company, the leaders of the two hotels, and the work team, marking the official start of their operations in Jeddah.
The “Jewells of the World Lux” exhibition kicked off in Riyadh, Friday, at the Four Seasons Hotel, with the participation of more than 180 jewelry houses and 35 houses specializing in luxury watches, in an event that brings together the most prominent international and regional names in the fine jewelry, gemstones and watches industry, and continues until October 13th.
The exhibition offers a wide variety of luxury jewelry, heritage pieces, wedding sets, and contemporary designs, in addition to the launch of the first edition of the “Timeology Nights” event, dedicated to the world of watches, in a move aimed at attracting watch collectors and enhancing the presence of this sector in the Saudi market.
Among the exhibits are exceptional pieces of jewelry studded with rare gemstones, including a set of blue sapphires and diamonds presented by the Musayev House, which consists of a necklace with a blue sapphire in the middle weighing 76.22 carats, and identical earrings with sapphires weighing 61.53 carats.
The “George Hakim” House participates with designs that combine rare stones and high-quality craftsmanship, while the “Nassouli” House showcases its expertise in the manufacture of luxury jewelry and wedding sets, in addition to other contributions that present designs inspired by artistic heritage and global cultures.
Among the striking pieces is the “Bosphorus” necklace presented by Ceylan House, which evokes the shades of blue in the famous strait through blue sapphire stones, while emerald stones symbolize the nature surrounding Istanbul. It took 1,560 hours of work to implement the necklace by hand, an embodiment of precision craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Ancient Italian houses will attend the exhibition with new collections inspired by nature and re-presenting classic designs with contemporary visions. The Pasquale Bruni house is displaying a group of its creations for the year 2026, while the Ferre Firenze house presents designs that highlight the purity of white diamonds and the flow of its lines. Luca Carati combines the traditions of Italian gold making with modern design, while Casato presents a new collection inspired by its famous design, with additions of diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
Participations also include European and Asian houses that offer collections inspired by flowers, nature and colours, as well as custom-made designs, and works that rely on selecting gemstones and crafting them by hand.
In the watch sector, the exhibition presents for the first time the “Timeology Nights” event, in partnership with a laboratory specialized in this field and with the support of a Saudi club for watch collectors. The event brings together an elite group of international watchmakers and retailers, in addition to interactive activities targeting the growing watch enthusiast community in the Kingdom, and allows learning about the industry’s innovations, technologies and trends.
The exhibition represents the first stop in a series of events hosted by Saudi Arabia during October, as the “Jewels of the World Fine Jewelry” exhibition begins at the Mandarin Oriental Al-Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh on October 11, and continues until the 15 of the same month, with the participation of regional jewelry houses, retailers, manufacturers, and emerging designers.
The series concludes in Jeddah, where the Jeddah Hilton Hotel will host the exhibition from October 19 to 22.
Services accompanying the exhibition include providing quality certificates for gemstones from the International Gemological Institute, in addition to jewelry modification and tax refund services for international buyers.
The 2026 Jewels of the World exhibition is supported by the International Gemological Institute, Brinks International, and Imperial Crest Real Estate.
CEO departures from companies listed in major global financial indices declined by 14.4 percent during the first half of 2026, recording the lowest level for this period in nine years, at a time when data showed the increasing reliance of major American companies on internal promotions to assume senior leadership positions.
A study issued by the global management consulting firm Russell Reynolds Associates, within its global index of CEO changes, revealed that 101 departures were recorded during the first six months of the year, compared to 118 cases in the corresponding period of 2025, while the number of new appointments reached 130 appointments, close to the average of the past nine years of 129 appointments.
The index covers companies listed in 13 major financial indices around the world, and does not include all companies or global markets.
The results showed an increase in the average tenure of departing CEOs to nine years, compared to 6.6 years during the first half of last year, which is the second highest average for this period since monitoring began.
In an indication of the increasing use of previous leadership experiences, it was found that 30 CEOs out of 130 newly appointed, equivalent to 23 percent, had previously led listed companies, which is the highest percentage recorded in nine years.
This trend was more evident in the companies listed in the US Standard & Poor’s 500 index. 34 percent of the new CEOs had previous experience leading listed companies, while 88 percent of the appointments came through internal paths, which included the promotion of executive officials and the transfer of board members to the position.
The results indicate that boards of directors are interested in continuity of leadership and planning for executive succession, although the data do not prove a direct causal relationship between decreased departures and improved corporate performance.
With regard to Saudi Arabia, the study believes that the expansion in the size of institutions and the complexity of their organizational structures, in conjunction with the implementation of “Vision 2030” projects and the growth of the private sector, reinforces the need to develop institutional plans for the succession of executive leadership and ensuring continuity of management.
She points out the importance of early preparation for the transition of leadership responsibilities, by preparing internal competencies and developing them according to long-term plans, in a way that supports companies’ ability to keep pace with expansion and achieve sustainable growth.
Nicholas Manset, head of the Middle East region at Russell Reynolds Associates, said that the most important lesson for Saudi companies is not to prolong the tenure of leaders in their positions, but rather to develop qualified cadres and clear paths for leadership succession, while preserving the option of seeking external expertise when needed.
