Each year, more than 15 million Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. It makes sense that the city will be home to what is planned to be the largest hotel in the world.
According to Architectural Digest, the Abraj Kudai hotel is designed by consulting firm Dar Al-Handasah. With 10,000 rooms, the hotel will far surpass the current title of world’s largest hotel by room count—the 6,198-room MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
A budget of $3.5 billion is expected to complete the hotel in the Manafia area of Mecca’s central zone, less than two miles from the Masjid al-Haram, Mecca’s holy mosque.
In addition to guest rooms, the 645,830-sf, 12-tower complex will include a shopping center, restaurants, helipads, and a convention center.
Rapid development in Mecca has raised concerns about historical preservation. For example, an Ottoman citadel from the 18th century was demolished to make room for the behemoth Abraj Al Bait Towers, a government-owned megatall building complex.
The Abraj Kudai is scheduled to open in 2017.
Related Stories
| Nov 8, 2011
Transforming a landmark coastal resort
Originally built in 1973, the building had received several alterations over the years but the progressive deterioration caused by the harsh salt water environment had never been addressed.
| Nov 3, 2011
GREC Architects announces opening of the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort and Spa
The hotel was designed by GREC and an international team of consultants to enhance the offerings of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club without imposing upon the dramatic landscapes of the elite golf course.
| May 25, 2011
Hotel offers water beds on a grand scale
A semi-submerged resort hotel is the newest project from Giancarlo Zema, a Rome-based architect known for his organic maritime designs. The hotel spans one kilometer and has both land and sea portions.
| Mar 17, 2011
Hospitality industry turns to HTS Texas for ‘do not disturb’ air conditioned comfort
Large resort hotels and hospitality properties throughout the Southwest have been working with local contractors, engineers and HTS Texas for the latest innovations in quiet heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. The company has completed 12+ projects throughout Texas and the Southwestern U.S. over the past 18 to 24 months, and is currently working on six more hotel projects throughout the region.
| Mar 11, 2011
Holiday Inn reworked for Downtown Disney Resort
The Orlando, Fla., office of VOA Associates completed a comprehensive interior and exterior renovation of the 14-story Holiday Inn in the Downtown Disney Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The $25 million project involved rehabbing the hotel’s 332 guest rooms, atrium, swimming pool, restaurant, fitness center, and administrative spaces.
| Mar 11, 2011
Guests can check out hotel’s urban loft design, music selection
MODO, Advaya Hospitality’s affordable new lifestyle hotel brand, will have an urban Bauhaus loft design and target design-, music-, and tech-savvy guest who will have access to thousands of tracks in vinyl, CD, and MP3 formats through a partnership with Downtown Music. Guest can create their own playlists, and each guest room will feature iPod docks and large flat-screen TVs.