Saudi builds world's largest hotel for pilgrims

OREDOLA ADEOLA 

Mecca Hotels side . Pic credit Dargroup

Setting a new global record in the hospitality industry, Saudi Authority has concluded plan to build the world's largest hotels in the Mecca. The world-class edifice which will rise out of the desert is expected to contain 10,000 rooms for Saudi Pilgrims from across the world. It is due to be completed in 2017.

The hotel when completed is expected to break the records of the USA based, Venetian and The Palazzo Hotels, which operate as a single hotel, with 7,117 rooms.  It will also challenge the record set by MGM Grand  in Las Vegas with 6,852 rooms.

Dar Al-Handasah who is the architect behind the hotel revealed that the hotel being situated in the Manafia area of Mecca’s central zone, just 2.2km south of the Masjid al-Haram (holy mosque), will be part of a mixed-use development at Abraj Kudai, a $3.5bn (£2.25bn) project intended to look like a desert fortress, that encompasses a ring of towers standing on top of a podium.
Design MENA also reported that the hotel will have 10,000 rooms in 12 separate towers, which are 44 storeys high that will also include 70 restaurants, rooftop helipads, royal floors and a full size convention centre.
According to Al-Handasah, two of the towers will offer five-star facilities. He also said that the other ten will provide four-star accommodation.  He also informed that the interiors will be designed by the London-based studio Areen Hospitality and are expected to be in keeping with the opulent style found elsewhere in the region.  
"Due to its unparalleled size, height as well as distinguished location, exposure and architectural style, the building appears as a striking landmark with a profoundly modern multifunctional identity relating to both the Saudi locality and the Islamic universality of its expected users, “ said architects Dar Al-Handasah on its website.
The site, which will also include residential facilities, a shopping mall and plenty of car parking for those visiting the mosque and black kaaba, has an approximate total site area of 60,000msq and a total built-up area of 1.4million msq.
Further indication emerged that the hotel at Abraj Kudai is not the only one planned at Mecca. Hilton, the worldwide brand, is developing the Conrad Makkah, due to open in 2016, which, after completion, will help to meet the demands for a wider variety of accommodation from the rising number of pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia every year. It will be the first Conrad in the country.