Dubai-based Jumeirah Group has opened its first hotel in Saudi Arabia.
Jumeirah Jabal Omar Makkah is part of the second phase of the city's flagship project, Jabal Omar, designed by Foster and Partners.
Located a few steps from the Great Mosque of Mecca, the hotel has a total of 1,121 keys between rooms, suites and residences.
The hotel opens with 507 rooms and suites in two high-rise towers overlooking the city and the Grand Mosque of Mecca.
Another 526 rooms and suites will be added in phases in two more towers, accessible by express elevators. Hotel guests will also have the option to book entire floors, featuring 14 rooms and suites per level, to ensure privacy and exclusivity during their stay.
The hotel also houses 88 residences, which are located on the podium of the four towers of Jumeirah Jabal Omar Makkah. The residences offer spacious terraces, allowing guests to join group prayers at the Grand Mosque of Mecca from the comfort of their own accommodation.
The hotel will have a total of eight gastronomic destinations. These include the Mediterranean restaurant Patras and a lobby lounge which are currently open. Soon, six more restaurants will open in the East and West towers, with a regional Arabesque restaurant alongside Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian and Indo-Pakistani restaurants, as well as a cafe.
Jumeirah Jabal Omar Makkah will also have three meeting rooms and event spaces that can accommodate between 10 and 70 people.
Katerina Giannouka, CEO of Jumeirah Group, said: “We are proud to have opened the first Jumeirah hotel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in such an important location, in partnership with Jabal Omar Development Company. “Jumeirah Jabal Omar Makkah will deliver the exceptional service that Jumeirah is known for, enabling an enhanced experience for all who visit Makkah.”
Two other large-scale hotel openings were recently announced in Mecca. IHG Hotels and Resorts has opened its voco Makkah property which it says is the largest hotel within Makkah. The 4,321-key hotel has rooms that sleep between two and four people. The property is part of the Maad Hospitality Towers development in Makkah, a mixed-use development that includes restaurants, lounge areas and event halls. Voco Makkah is located near the Mina Valley and Mount Arafat, and is 1.5 km from Masjid al-Haram (city center).
In July last year, Address Hotels and Resorts also announced the opening of Address Jabal Omar Makkah. That property has 1,484 rooms and suites and at the time of its opening was the tallest currently within the Jabal Omar development. The Address Jabal Omar Makkah towers span more than 5,000 square meters of prime space.
jumeirah.com
