Mecca hotel boom predicted for 2010

The holy city of Mecca is on track to boom in 2010, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts area director of sales and marketing Middle East Raki Phillips has claimed.

He said demand for religious tourism to Mecca had been thwarted in 2009 due to Swine Flu fears.

“There were many travel directives from countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, for example, warning against [pilgrimage/religious tourism] travel,” he said. “There were travel restrictions for the over 65s, children and those with medical conditions, so many held off travelling to Mecca.”

This meant there was pent-up demand, which would help fill the several new hotels coming online in Mecca in 2010, he added.

They include The Makkah Clock Royal Tower, which will be operated by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. It will be located in one of the world’s tallest towers (76 stories and 577-metres high) boasting a 40-metre clock that is five times larger than London’s iconic Big Ben and is visible from 17kms away.

The property will have 1005 guestrooms and suites, as well as Fairmont Gold, the company’s ‘hotel within a hotel’ concept.

“Opening next year is perfect timing,” said Phillips.

Raffles Makkah Palace is also due to open next year (April), boasting 211 suites and within three minutes’ walk from the Al Masjid Al Haram, offering residents convenient access to the Grand Mosque.