Promising potential, but finding its feet

The debut of the St. Regis brand into Saudi Arabia, The St. Regis Riyadh opened in November 2023 as part of a compact, high-end mixed-use development in the western part of the city. As a brand enthusiast who happened to have work in the Diplomatic Quarter across the road, this new hotel was a natural choice for my quick trip to Riyadh.

As referenced above, The St. Regis Riyadh forms the hospitality component of the new VIA Riyadh project, a small, luxurious development housing shops, restaurants and the hotel. Located in the western part of the city directly adjacent to the famous [or infamous, depending on how you look at it] Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, and across the Jeddah Road thoroughfare from the Diplomatic Quarter [an affluent, checkpoint-guarded residential district where the majority of embassies in the Kingdom are located]. The property is approximately 15 minutes away [on a good day] from the central artery of Olaya Street, where one can find many businesses, shops and eateries.

King Khalid International Airport [RUH] is located approximately 40 minutes away by car, although this time can extend dramatically if one is caught in the city’s notorious traffic.

The overall VIA Riyadh development is low-slung, and designed in a modern, Najdi-inspired look to pay homage to the local surroundings. With the hotel situated inside, the guest room floors only extend up three stories and contribute to a very intimate feel - fitting given the low room count of only 83 units.

The hotel has a dedicated driveway and entrance at the rear of VIA Riyadh; this is important to note, since many Uber/taxi drivers are unaware of the hotel and will most likely drop you off on the Jeddah Road side of VIA Riyadh, which means you have to cross the central courtyard and enter the hotel from the terrace entrance. Signage isn’t clearly available within the courtyard, so I got lucky when I turned right and found the hotel on that side.

The property’s driveway entrance is a discreet one, with a simple glass doorway and branded awning opening onto the beautiful lobby with sit-down island reception desks to the left, the lobby lounge straight ahead, and the rest of the lobby, lounge and St. Regis Bar [read: dry] to the right. A wave-shaped chandelier curls and unfolds above, and sets the tone for a refined stay ahead.

Upon check-in, I was greeted by an energetic Saudi team member who acknowledged my Titanium status, informed me of my upgrade from a standard room to a St. Regis Suite, and provided information about the property. I was offered assistance with my luggage and an escort to my suite, which I declined given my travel with only a carry-on, and was shown to the lifts to the left of the reception.

I was assigned a St. Regis Suite on the first floor, which was located off the elevator landing. A tall door opened onto a landing with a guest washroom on the right, and a table and artwork on the left that in turn led to a open-plan room with a four-seater dining table on the immediate right flanked by two large cabinets housing the minibar and shelving, a working desk to the back of a curved couch, a central coffee table and additional armchairs, an long chest of drawers with a large television above, and a statement sculpture. Given the architectural design of the building, there was only one window in the living room that overlooked the driveway, but this window was relatively narrow and despite its floor-to-ceiling height did not allow for much natural illumination.

A sliding door separated the living area from the bedroom, with the bathroom on the right, a full dressing area with multiple double-door closets and a seated preparation table on the left, and the bedroom dead ahead. The bedroom was furnished with a plush king-sized bed dressed in signature St. Regis linens, a chaise at the foot of the bed and a television with chest of drawers below it. The bedroom suffered from the same issue regarding windows as the living area, with only one set of windows that faced a neighboring building; this is a reminder that one does not come to this hotel seeking panoramic views. The hotel gets plus points for its powerful air conditioning; I enjoy a cold bedroom, and the climate control here was certainly arctic.

The bathroom was very spacious, with a massive, deep, freestanding tub, double vanity, and two separate cabins housing a commode and bidet in one, and a shower with marble bench in the other. Toiletries were provided in large-format refillable bottles [as is the sustainable rage in hotels nowadays] from the vegan, cruelty-free Australian brand Sodashi.

Wi-fi is complimentary for members of Marriott’s loyalty program, and is relatively high-speed when it works; I unfortunately had spotty coverage throughout my suite and the property, with the network not picking up in certain parts of the room, and frustratingly dropping out when connected.

I selected breakfast as my elite welcome amenity, and this was provided in the hotel’s main restaurant, Jackie.

If the name isn’t a total giveaway, Jackie is inspired by the late, fabulous Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and is a beautiful space with a double-height ceiling, dramatic staircase with a wall of framed photos of the former first lady, and furnishings in Mediterranean blue and floral prints; there’s even a Baldwin grand piano in their signature shade of blue. Breakfast is offered as a hybrid buffet and à la carte setup, with hot dishes made to order off a menu, in addition to a curated buffet of high-quality cheeses, cold cuts, vegetables and an extensive selection of pastries. Everything was delicious and beautifully made; I ordered the truffle scrambled eggs in brioche, and this dish was brought out in a tall slice of toasted brioche with a generous serving of truffle incorporated into the eggs.

Beverages are available to custom order, and this is where things went awry; I ordered an almond milk flat white and a double espresso from the waitress, and even after taking twenty minutes to bring them to the table [bearing in mind that I was seated at one of only two occupied tables in the restaurant], the flat white brought to me was… not quite right; I imagine it was plain coffee with almond milk added, as the beverage was merely a beige, runny thing with zero foam.

I didn’t have a chance to try out the St. Regis Bar or the Stella Sky lounge, the property’s other venues.

Given the brevity of my stay and the cool nip of Riyadh’s winter in the air, I did not experience the hotel’s pool, spa or gym, although these are available to guests. From what I gathered, the outdoor pool is open from 7 AM to 5 PM, and the gym is open 24 hours a day.

The hotel comes prepared with a ballroom and a total of six event rooms to handle smaller-scale events; these were not in use during my stay.

I will preface this section with the knowledge that the hotel was open for only one month when I stayed and as such, issues with service are to be expected from a hotel this new - and they were certainly experienced. Staff are well-intentioned, but they need exposure to iron out a more seamless and fluid guest experience.

In a part of the world where locals do not traditionally work service jobs, I was thrilled to find young Saudis occupying guest-facing roles. They executed their jobs fairly well, but they tended to cluster together to chat, and their adherence to rules was certainly strong; for instance, I asked for a check-out at 4:30 PM instead of my elite check-out of 4 PM, and they wouldn’t budge a minute past 4 PM. Although they technically are not in the wrong, I have always been lucky with my luxury-level Marriott stays where staff have given me check-outs of well into the night without issue or supplementary charges. Speaking of, I was charged a hefty pre-authorization during check-in, despite my experience at other hotels where guests can elect to pay as they go if they incur charges but alas, such was the team’s insistence here. I also ran into an issue with the St. Regis butler service, which is advertised as a 24-hour hallmark, but my 10 PM request to have clothing picked up for pressing was met with the information that the butler service shift ended hours beforehand. Lastly, I was hit with a series of charges from the property despite not ordering room service or incurring any incidentals; more than two weeks later, I have yet to hear from the property or Marriott as to what these charges were for.

Service at Jackie was a bit messy; as mentioned above, I was seated at one of only two occupied tables during the breakfast mealtime, yet my coffee inexplicably took more than twenty minutes to be served. I was also brought an omelette that I did not order after specifically ordering the truffle scrambled eggs.

All this said, I would like to recognize Valentine from the bell team and Dinara from Jackie for their wonderful, personable service - these are definitely star talent!

In a nutshell, this is a beautiful, boutique-scale property with a powerful name and the potential to be a prime player in the city; the hard product is certainly there, but the service needs more time to come together and deliver a more polished feel. I’d come back, but would give it time to find its feet.