Ritz-Carlton in Saudi Arabia reopens after being used as prison for months
The detainees, including politicians and tycoons, have all left the luxury hotel after striking deals or being exonerated.
Sunday 11 February 2018 15:26, UK
The luxury Ritz-Carlton in Saudi Arabia has reopened after it was used as a prison for three months to hold tycoons, politicians and royals.
The hotel gates in the capital Riyadh, where President Trump stayed during his state visit last year, had been locked to detain dozens of princes, former ministers and business leaders in an anti-corruption crackdown.
The detainees left the hotel two weeks ago after striking deals with authorities for their release or being found to have done nothing wrong.
A handful of businessmen who were forced to move to other hotels in November 2017 returned to the Ritz on Sunday.
One foreign consultant said: "It's an honour to be back."
He said there was no sign the 492-room hotel had been used as a makeshift prison.
"You forget about it as soon as you're in your room and you get lost in your own bubble," the man said.
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Managers refused to comment but the company confirmed the hotel had "resumed normal business operations as of today".
The most high-profile occupants during the anti-corruption campaign included global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, once seen as a leading contender for the throne.
Prince Alwaleed maintained his innocence in an interview hours before his release which was triggered when he agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement.
Prince Miteb was also released after agreeing to pay an unconfirmed sum believed to be billions of dollars.
The attorney general has said the government had arranged to seize more than $106bn (£76bn) through such agreements but there has been no official confirmation of this.
The campaign was criticised as a power grab by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is aiming to overhaul the way the hugely conservative kingdom is run and stop its dependence on oil revenues.
Ten days before the purge began, the Ritz hosted an international business conference where Prince Mohammed spoke onstage and had selfies with admirers. Some of those who attended ended up as detainees.
The attorney general has said 56 people remain in custody and are believed to have been moved to prison after refusing to admit any wrongdoing.
Yemeni-American businessman Ahmed al-Safer, who regularly stays at the Ritz, stopped to have tea with friends on the day it reopened and was asked if the purge had affected the hotel's reputation.
He said: "Right now it's famous. Everyone will visit just to take a picture."