Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea islands—90 desert islands in an archipelago largely overlooked by international travelers—are home to more than 1,200 fish species and 200 kinds of coral in clear turquoise waters.
Here, on Shura Island, a city’s worth of five-star resorts are jostling to make their debut—and the 240-room Red Sea Edition was the first to open in November 2025. On its heels are SLS the Red Sea, InterContinental, Faena, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Jumeirah, Raffles, Rosewood, and Miraval, the first international outpost of the acclaimed Arizona-based wellness brand. The island will eventually be home to 11 of the biggest names in luxury hotels, paired with Shura Links, an 18-hole championship golf course, and a marina with docking for sunset sails, diving excursions, and plenty of berths for the yachts expected to call here in the coming years.
Shura Island is one sliver of a $20 billion (and rising) investment in the Red Sea region of Saudi Arabia’s west coast, home to 10,800 square miles of dune-crested desert, beachfront, and islands; wellness destination Amaala has also begun a phased opening, with an Equinox, Four Seasons, Six Senses, and Rosewood expected in 2026. The scale is substantial, and it echoes the rapid development seen in other Gulf destinations such as Dubai. And among all these openings are hotel designs by prominent architecture firms, including Kengo Kuma and Foster + Partners.
Below are some of the most ambitious and architecturally stunning hotels to open across the Red Sea resort area to date—along with a standout upcoming 2026 debut. More
