[QUOTE=Kagehitokiri;11868464]whatever happened with this?
http://www.kingdomhotels.com/news_1mar07.html
thats a good 6 months before subprimes. did construction just happen to be delayed initially, then they suspended it because of economy? i dont recall anyone mentioning construction in reports since then.
I was at the resort when this was announced. Kingdom had just secured the tract of land which curves around the headland, beyond the existing Royal Villas. The idea was to build more Royal Villas. This was in 2007 - only 2 years ago. Let us remember how long it takes for hotels/additions/refurbishments to happen! No plans at that stage (2007) had been drawn up, so an architect/designer would have to be briefed and employed. Would Al Waleed use Bill Bensley again, who was originally employed by the Malaysian Airline owner? Probably not - in which case, you have to find the right architect/designer to complete the project in a sympathetic way. Then you have to submit planning permission, check out feasibility etc. Then you have to install utilities...and so on and so on. Two years is nothing! Equally, even Kingdom is cutting back these days, so strategic delays are not unheard of. I am sure it will happen - eventually.