Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts opened its first resort hotel in Saudi Arabia and its ninth property in the Kingdom last month, creating a new leisure destination and meetings venue on the Gulf coast.

Located 40 km from Al Khobar, the Half Moon Bay Holiday Inn Resort offers 60 one and two-bedroom villas complete with kitchenettes, parking and maids' rooms, as well as 41 guest rooms. All the accommodation is situated around a lagoon, and guests can enjoy three swimming pools, a range of watersports facilities, and a poolside restaurant.

Although mainly geared towards leisure, the resort can accommodate meetings, conferences and incentives for up to 30 delegates. Business services, with full meeting equipment, and support services are available on request.

The hotel has an international Blue Beach restaurant and a poolside snack bar, a fully equipped fitness centre, a gift shop, two children's playgrounds, a terrace for barbeques, and a spacious beach area.

"The Half Moon Bay Holiday Inn Resort is the first top quality beach resort of its kind in Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast region, " said David Atkinson, area director, Marketing, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Middle East and Africa.