Saudi Arabia has announced a fancy new hotel project, in its Neom special zone. The hotel, which will be called Epicon, is located not far from The Line, the dystopian city under construction.
“ Epicon », this is the name of the latest project of Neom, the hyper futuristic and dystopian zone of Saudi Arabia. After The Line, Trojena and Leyja, Epicon was revealed on X (ex-Twitter) on November 15, 2023, with an advertising video.
Neom has no shortage of qualifiers for her new baby: “ Epicon is a luxury destination located on the far north coast of Neom », Explains the official X account of the area. “ A perfect alliance of majestic nature, extraordinary experiences and architectural ingenuity, Epicon will be the starting point for great adventures. » However, like all of Saudi Arabia’s other grandiose projects in Neom, everything is not necessarily so rosy.
The hashtag-shaped luxury hotel project will further disrupt the region
There are currently few details shared about the project. The official Neom website has, however, been updated to accommodate a page dedicated to Epicon. It is specified that it must be located on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, north of the Neom area. Epicon will include a hotel, the hashtag-shaped building (or ladder, depending on how you see things) that we can see in the video, but also “ luxury residences “.
All activities and accommodation are designed to accommodate the richest tourists, and to allow them to have access to all their needs. Neom promises in all humility “ a shimmering sanctuary that stands out elegantly from the coastal plain at the northern edge “.
Concretely, Epicon will be composed of “ an ultra-premium hotel, luxury resort and residences, plus world-renowned spas, gyms, swimming pools, beach club and more “. The total for luxury tourism.
However, many controversies surround Neom. The construction of The Line will give rise to numerous environmental problems, cutting off circulation for endemic species and disturbing birds in the region. Leyja, which is to be installed in the heart of a desert canyon, will also irreparably damage the region’s ecosystem. The Saudi government also sentenced to death opponents of the project, members of a neighboring tribe expropriated to make way for construction work who had openly attacked The Line on social media.
The Neom project was initiated by the Saudi government in order to change the image of the country and to prepare its economy for the post-oil era. Neom seems to have been inspired by the example of Dubai, which has transformed in a few years – with impressive architectural projects – into a tourist destination very popular with the richest. For now, Neom mainly promises to be very dystopian.
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