By 2107 Mecca will be home to the largest hotel in the world with 10,000 rooms. According to reports, the Abraj Kudai hotel, with an investment of around US$ 3.5 billion, is expected be ready for visitors in 2017. Touted to be the largest hotel in the world, the project is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance and is being designed by the Dar Al-Handasah group. It will be located in the Manafia area of Mecca’s central zone, which is about two km from the Holy Haram in Mecca.
The property will have 70 restaurants across 48 storeys and12 towers (which will vary between 30 and 48 storeys). There are also plans of four helipads on the roof.
The hotel expects a a number of royal visits, so it’s being planned in such a manner that entire floors of the 1.4 million sq m complex could be reserved for royal families. There will also be a convention centre built inside the hotel compound. The hotel’s podium will accommodate a bus station, shopping mall, restaurants, food courts, conference centre and car parks. A dome located on top of two mid towers will house a ballroom and the convention centre.
Due to its size, location, exposure and architectural style, the building poses itself as a landmark with a modern multifunctional identity relating to both the Saudi locality and the Islamic universality of its expected users.