Ten-thousand bedrooms, 70 restaurants, a bus station and a shopping mall—these are some of the main features inside what will be the world’s largest hotel, slated for development in the Middle Eastern city of Mecca.
Designed by the Dar Al-Handasah group, the £2.3bn Abraj Kudai Hotel is scheduled for a 2017 completion, in time for the annual Hajj pilgrimage which attracts millions of Muslims to the most holy of Islamic cities.
On completion, the total built up area of Abraj Kudai will reach 1.4 million sqm, spread out across 12 towers and a massive 10-storey podium. At the centre-point of the development is the large cylindrical tower which will rise for a total of 45-storeys and feature one of the world’s largest domed roofs.
Besides the restaurants and shopping mall, the building will also house food courts, four helicopter pads, a conference centre and a lavishly appointed ballroom. Five floors of the five-star hotel will be devoted for the sole use of the Saudi royal family.
If realised, the Abraj Kudai will overtake Las Vegas’ The Venetian Hotel, designed by The Stubbins Associates and WAT&G, as the largest hotel in the world.
Images: Dar Al-Handasah
