Marriott International has announced the opening of the Makkah Marriott Hotel, its first flagship brand in the Holy city.
The Arabic-themed 426-room property sits on the hilltop of Makkah, providing guests with exquisite views of the Holy city and Haram. Those travelling to the city for Hajj will now have a comfortable and convenient place to stay while undertaking one of the most important journeys of their lives.
The property boasts spacious rooms and all are furnished with modern conveniences and serviced by some of the most professionally-trained hotel staff anywhere in the world. The Makkah Marriott Hotel also lives up to Marriott’s goal of reimagining the future of travel for the next generation of travellers, who demand style, substance and the technology to stay connected.
Signature features at the newly opened property include the Greatroom lobby and mobile check-in and check-out facility. With the Marriott Mobile App, guests can also easily check-in before their arrival and will receive an automatic notification when their room is ready, making it a seamless experience.
“It’s very fitting that our flagship brand, Marriott Hotels is seeing a rapid expansion in Saudi Arabia. The opening of a Marriott hotel in Makkah is part of our commitment to fill a growing gap in the religious tourism sector in the region, which experts estimate will exponentially increase as the population of the Islamic faith grows,” Alex Kyriakidis, President of Marriott Middle East & Africa said.
During the annual pilgrimage of Hajj and Umrah, a tradition that Muslims from all over the world need to fulfil at least once in their lifetime, millions from across the globe converge on Makkah. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) forecasts that domestic tourism will grow to a staggering 128 million trips and 640 million hotel nights by 2019.
Marriott’s commitment to Saudi Arabia is deep-rooted with its 35-year old legacy in the region. Marriott International began operations in the Middle East region back in 1980 with the opening of the 411-room Riyadh Marriott Hotel. Marriott International has set its sights on further strengthening its presence in the Middle East with 19 new Saudi properties in the pipeline.
