World's largest Holiday Inn to open in Saudi Arabia

Johannesburg - The Holiday Inn Makkah Abraaj Al Tayseer, due to open in Makkah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will be the largest Holiday Inn in the world.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a management agreement with Al Majd Al Arabiah Company for the hotel.

Comprising 5 154 rooms across five towers, the Holiday Inn Makkah Abraaj Al Tayseer, located just 900 metres from the Grand Mosque, will take the site of the current Abraaj Al Tayseer pilgrim accommodation and open in phases.

Nearly 1 650 rooms across two towers are due to open its doors by the end of this year, while the remaining 3 500 rooms are slated to open over the following three years.

The opening hotel will cater to the growth in pilgrim visits to Makkah. Hajj visit numbers are expected to more than double, growing from 2 million in 2013 to exceed 5 million by 2025.

Infrastructure under development, such as the expansion of Jeddah’s airport, which is expected to increase its capacity to 80 million passengers by 2035, will further boost pilgrim numbers in the coming years.