Abraj Kudai is a partially built hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.[1] Originally projected to open in 2017, construction was halted in 2015 due to financial difficulties.[2] As of 2023, the hotel has yet to be opened to the public.[3] If completed, it will be one of the largest hotels in the world, consisting of a ring of 12 towers 45 stories high, with 10,000 bedrooms, 70 restaurants, and four rooftop helipads. There will also be five floors for the sole use of the Saudi royal family.[4] According to Arabian Business, 10 of the towers will provide four-star accommodations, while the other two towers will be reserved for special clientele offering five-star amenities.[5][6]
| Abraj Kudai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | On-hold |
| Type | Hotel |
| Location | Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| Construction started | 2015 |
| Cost | US$3.5 billion |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 45 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 10,000 |
| Number of restaurants | 70 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The estimated project cost is US$3.5 billion, and will cover approximately 1.4 million square metres.[7] The London-based firm Areen Hospitality has been contracted to design the hotel and the rooms' interiors.[5]
Controversy
editAs the owner of the Abraj Kudai project, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance is also a prime customer of The Saudi Binladin Group (SBL), one of the country's largest construction companies. The actions of the government directly affect SBL and so when low oil prices began propelling the government "to cancel or suspend projects and delay payments", SBL suffers too. Further exacerbating the situation, as reported by Gulf Business, was when one of SBL's cranes fell into the Grand Mosque in Mecca, resulting in 107 deaths and the company being banned "from receiving new state contracts altogether." In response to its potential financial collapse, the conglomerate laid off thousands of employees and stopped work on several important projects including Abraj Kudai.
References
edit- ^ Anil, Kumar. "Abraj Kudai the World's Largest Hotel in Makkah, Saudi Arabia". trendingbird.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ Aswad, Celine (14 August 2017). "Exclusive: Saudi Arabia to resume building mammoth Mecca hotel - sources". Reuters. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Basu, Arpit (2 July 2021). "Fact Check: No, Hotel Abraj Kudai in Mecca is not the tallest hotel in the world". India Today. New Delhi. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Oliver Wainwright (22 May 2015). "City in the sky: world's biggest hotel to open in Mecca". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Luxury hotel in Saudi Arabia to become world's largest hotel". Yahoo!. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ^ Natalie Paris (20 May 2015). "World's largest hotel to be built in Mecca". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ^ Marnie Hunter (21 May 2015). "World's largest hotel coming to Mecca". CNN. Retrieved 22 May 2015.