Wow - what a stunning property. This isn’t just another hotel - it’s a fantastic experience that mixes the expected Luxury Collection comforts with culturally significant architecture and some of the best service I’ve seen in Saudi Arabia so far. Here are my impressions and photos:

Note: Diriyah is still mostly construction - though, there is a street with restaurants and cafes walkable from Bab Samhan. The construction does not affect the enjoyment of Bab Samhan itself.

Pros:

• Upgraded before arrival to a Mesbah 1-Bedroom Suite from a base room (this appeared to be their base suite type)
• Beautiful architecture inside and outside
• Bed is very comfortable - plush mattress, plush covers, plush pillows - perfect LC bed as one would expect
• Shower pressure is good (I used the wand)
• Lovely and tasty welcome gift
• Asked to confirm, but they had no issue with late checkout
• Lovely service that was both very friendly and competent while also being very name-oriented - both the front desk staff and F&B staff were lovely - though, special shoutout to Daisy at the lobby lounge for a great conversation on different countries and the breakfast staff who even brought me a phone stand for watching videos and were always there to refill at just the right times without being overbearing
• Breakfast (Elite welcome gift) was good - selection might be slightly smaller - but all of the food was good - including my omelet and banana cake - good barista coffees, too

Neutral:

• Cell service was not great on property, but WiFi worked well
• Woke up in the morning and found the toilet had a flushing issue - this was resolved quickly by the staff while I was at breakfast - and I didn’t have to remind anyone!

Cons:

• Shower floor was not slanted enough towards the drain, so water stayed on the panel away from the drain and I had to use towels to prevent spillage out of the basin

I would definitely come back.

Photos (please expand the Spoiler tag):