WHAT IS IT?
Dar Tantora is a boutique heritage‑eco‑hotel with just 30 rooms located in AlUla Old Town, Saudi Arabia.
“Here, stories of ancient civilizations entwine with a vision for a sustainable future, offering a unique journey back in time – where time is not measured in hours, but in moments and memories.”
WHY IS IT COOL?
It is inspiring as each home tells a story – blending traditional architecture with modern design, offering a genuine feel of AlUla’s heritage.
It has been built using traditional and locally sourced materials, employing the same methods that were used to build the heritage mud‑brick and stone houses in AlUla Old Town (some of which date from the 12th century).
And, moreover, the whole hotel, including the infinity pool, the terrace and the rooms, is designed to make the experience of staring at the beautiful night impossible to resist. Isn’t that attractive?
WHY DOES IT HAVE FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL?
I consider the Dar Tantora to be part of these categories of new hotel concepts:
- Sustainability and eco-innovation; the whole hotel is built with natural materials which make a minimum disruption to the earth. Moreover, they have irrigation systems to control the usage of the water, local sourcing of products and food waste control.
- Cultural social local innovative concept; both for the community and heritage that this hotel provides and for the fact that seasonal events, festival and crafts are celebrated here.
- Unconventional architecture Settings; the architecture of Dar Tantora is thanks to its location and design, impossible to copy. It is therefore really unconventional and unique.
At the same time I also consider this hotel to be a “Do it yourself Experience“, as the same hotel offers bread-making, Saudi coffee ceremonies, lighting lanterns, storytelling and guided tours of Old Town.
Last but not least, remembering the “Gay Ballerina”, I would like to add that even though it may seem like there are not enough people interested in staying in a hotel built as they were in the 12th century, once this hotel has enough publicity, it will for sure catch the attention of a lot more guests, as it is a unique and new hotel concept.
Paola Nicole Galdámez Quezada
Alexa Alarcón Arratia
Andreu Martí López
On top of all that, it still maintains that luxurious, unique touch and brings in eco-friendly innovation. Honestly, this is a TOP blog post for me, you really got the WOW from me, and at the same time, you touched on many of the points discussed by the professor and expressed them very well. Congratulations on your work!
Lucia Trelis Samper
I think this type of proposal has tremendous potential because it offers not only accommodation but also cultural connection and respect for the environment. It also fits very well with the concepts of innovation in hospitality we talked about, as it combines sustainability, local identity, and authentic experiences that go beyond the conventional.
José Bonich Castaño
Johanna Mau