A Hotel-Turned-Jail Will Soon Turn Back

The Saudi kingdom’s most luxurious hotel has been doubling as a detention facility. How bad is that for business?

- Vivienne Walt

FOR THE OILMEN, consultants, and dealmakers frequenting Saudi Arabia, the best place to rub shoulders with the rich and powerful has long been under the crystal chandeliers in the marble lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh. “It can take 45 minutes to walk from one side [of the hotel] to another,” said one longtime American guest. “It feels like a palace.”