Neom reveals Zardun: a luxury eco-resort

Neom/Unsplash

• Three boutique hotels
• Architecture reflects landscape
• Outdoor pursuits meet rewilding

Neom, the smart city being developed in the north west of Saudi Arabia, has announced another luxury ecotourism resort on the Gulf of Aqaba, called Zardun. 

Neom has rolled out plans for a range of luxury resorts in recent months. These include Aquellum, with a floating marina; a tower complex called Epicon; the mountain hotel Leyja; one hotel carved into a mountainside, called Utamo, and another called Siranna. 

Zardun will include three boutique hotels with 100 rooms, a beach club and jetty, spas and outdoor pursuits such as hiking, biking, mountain climbing and stargazing, Neom said on its website. 

• Neom launches ‘futuristic’ project on Aqaba coast
• The world is moving to Saudi Arabia
• $203m Neom catering contract goes to Alhokair

Wildlife and plants that had become extinct in the region, including the Nubian ibex and Arabian oryx, have been reintroduced. 

The planned hotels are The Wedge, which fits into the sides of two hills; the Tower Hotel, which is designed to resemble weathered rock; and the Stacked Hotel that is supposed to look like sedimented rock formations. 

“Each building relates to a different topographic element,” says architect Chris van Duijn in a promotional video. “It’s almost like time travel. In the experience centre there are scientists who work and live there.” 

“Zardun is a new movement to transform how we live and how we coexist on the planet,” architect Alicja Krzywinska says in the video. 

Neom Company has made 45 applications for names and logos to the US patent and trademark office since June 2021, including 33 in 2023. Some still to come, and which might simply be service companies, include Elanan, Treyam, Gidori and Xaynor. 

Information about Neom’s main development, a 170 km-long concept city called The Line, has been scant. A video released in October showed foundational work laying out the path of the city through an empty desert. 

Neom is under pressure to finish some of its projects. The mountain resort of Trojena is intended to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. 

Neom will also attract attention when the 2030 World Expo is held in Riyadh and during Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 2034 football World Cup when some games could be held there.