Dubai's Jumeirah Group is planning to open a new hotel near the Grand Mosque in Makkah (also called Mecca), Saudi Arabia. According to Arabian Business, the Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah Hotel will be the first hotel the brand will operate in the kingdom when it opens in early 2019. Jabal Omar Development will develop the new hotel, which will have four towers with 1,033 guestrooms and 93 villas.
“As the company embarks on its next phase of growth, adding such a strategic and large hotel to the portfolio is a key milestone in our ambitious international expansion strategy,” Dubai Holding CEO Edris Al Rafi told Arabian Business.
ConstructionWeekOnline.com reported that Makkah has several ongoing hotel projects lined up in response to the shortage of lodging caused by the rapid increase in travelers over the past few years. The city has one of the highest real estate values in the kingdom.
Hilton and Jabal Omar opened their Hilton Makkah Convention Hotel in April 2017, increasing the holy city's room stock by 764 guestrooms. This includes 90 executive guestrooms, 25 executive suites and 16 suites with views of Haram. It also has the city's largest pillar-based ballroom and the first and largest convention center. “The opening of Hilton Makkah Convention Hotel marks Hilton’s 12th hotel in Saudi Arabia,” Andreas Lackner, RH of brand management, Hilton, told EHotelier.“With more than 30 hotels under development, Saudi Arabia features our largest development pipeline in the Middle East.”
Jabal Omar Development is also partnering with Four Seasons International Group to develop a Four Seasons in Makkah as part of the Jabal Omar Project. Yaser Faisal Al Sharif, CEO of Jabal Omar, said in a statement that the hotels in the company's project are run by various hotel brands, such as Conrad, Hilton, Hyatt Regency and Marriott. The developer is looking to increase the capacity of its developments.