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French firm to run largest lavish hotel in Middle East
French hotel and tourism group Accor has won a bid to run the largest luxury hotel in the Middle East, located in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. | Luxury hotels for the potentates being the sixth pillar of Islam. You could look it up. |
Currently under construction, the Zam Zam Sofitel Grand Suites - named for the natural spring which Muslims believe yields holy water - will open its doors in September 2006, Accor said. The hotel, built with a total budget of USD 600 million (EUR 450 million ), will have 1,240 suites on 34 floors. It is part of a high-rise complex, Al Beit Towers, and is located a stone's throw 100 meters from the holy Kaaba stone. | "Hajj is for the little people, Excellency. The north terrazza affords you the best view of the tramplings, and remember to pray in the direction of the gift shop." |
The hotel, which could house as many as 6,000 guests, will employ 1,500 people, most of them Saudi nationals, the French tourism group added. | "We're Aryan pure here at the Zam Zam, your Eminence." |
Accor, which is active in 140 countries, currently has 17 hotels in the Middle East and is planning to boost its presence to 25 hotels in the next three years. So far, the group already has seven hotels under construction, slated to open in 2008: an Ibis hotel in Kuwait, a Novotel in the Saudi capital Riyadh, and five Sofitel hotels in Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.| Accor's not alone in this. The Ritz-Carlton in DC was just remodelled, and the windowsill of every room has a Mecca-directional arrow painted on it. |
Posted by: seafarious 2005-03-19 |
