Marriott International is proud to be part of the revolutionary hospitality project NEOM, one of the most highly-anticipated developments in the world. The multi-deal partnership includes multiple Marriott International hotels, including Saudi Arabia’s first Autograph Collection Hotels property and two Luxury Collection properties.
With no cars, streets or carbon emissions, NEOM is being described as ‘the land of the future’, with a vision to completely revolutionise world business with a sustainable model for the future of globalisation. So what does this mean for hospitality?
Changing the future of food
Topian is NEOM’s food company, aimed at creating new ways to feed the world with less by tackling issues arising from rapid population growth, changing consumption patterns, climate change, and the depletion of natural resources. At the centre of Topian is the ‘Future-to-Table’ model, a concept that invites the food industry to bring more quality and taste to the table with less environmental impact. The mission will be brought to life via six vertical pillars: climate-proof agriculture; regenerative aquaculture; novel foods; personalised nutrition; sustainable food supply and ESG (Environmental Social Governance). Together, this will allow Topian to redefine food production, distribution, and consumption through the creation of sustainable and innovative food solutions that can directly benefit the countries most affected by climate change.
“For 10,000 years, farmers were asked to do one thing – produce more food. Now we find ourselves in a unique moment in history when farmers not only need to produce more food, but need to do so sustainably.”
Dr Juan Carlos Motamayor, CEO of Topian.
Accelerating change for scalable impact
Topian has created the region’s first Agritech Food Accelerator, a sustainability incubator offering a plethora of world-class resources to startups looking to disrupt any of the organisation's pillars. Here, innovative thinkers will be able to develop, demonstrate and implement new sustainable food technologies and services that can be built and scaled up to improve global food systems. As Topian described it, the goal is “to give start-ups around the world the seed funding they need to fund the seeding of the world.”
Among the first cohort of startups are Punabio, Nemo’s Garden, Aquaai, Monitor Fish, Prevess, and Symbia Gro.
Using the desert as a testbed
NEOM is teaming up with a Dutch greenhouse company Van Der Hoeven to create “a synthetic climate” in the desert, growing crops in areas where agriculture is not currently possible. The desert will bloom, providing NEOM, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world with a horticulture oasis the size of 12 football pitches. In a dry, desert landscape, NEOM and Topian aim to perfect the ‘Art of More with Less’, embracing a new era of food to achieve an unprecedented level of food security to a region historically reliant on imports due to its scarce agricultural resources.
Questions raised…
Although NEOM is being sold as a sustainable utopia, there are questions being raised about the viability of the vision and credibility of the values. One such question that has gained a lot of media attention is over land rights, as significant sections of the 26,500 square kilometres are populated by local tribes NEOM plans to resettle. Another such question is around the sustainability of the water-intensive features planned for the desert testbed. There’s no doubt that the $500 billion project requires colossal infrastructure developments, and such drastic modifications to natural landscapes come at a cost, both culturally and environmentally.
Looking ahead
At the heart of every megaproject lies a groundbreaking concept demanding intricate execution to realise a vision. Such ambitions often appear unrealistic because they have never been done before. NEOM boldly positions itself as a pioneer for a greener, cleaner future. The ambitious commitment to eco cities is significant, and if realised, revolutionary. But with revolutions comes resistance, and for NEOM to unlock its full potential it must skillfully engage the world on its transformative journey, fostering collaboration and widespread acceptance of its pioneering ideas. We look forward to Marriott’s contribution to NEOM.