Saudi mega-hotel to feature … 10,000 rooms, 70 restaurants

Petrol dollars to fund the world’s biggest hotel in Mecca

Forget war and jihadi mayhem in neighboring Iraq and Syria, an insurgency to the south in Yemen or even the droves of Middle Eastern and North African refugees and would-be migrants trying to sneak into Europe — the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has unveiled Abraj Kudai: a pharaonic mega hotel envisioned for Mecca, Islam’s holiest site.

The project carries a cool US$3.5-billion price tag that will translate into 10,000 rooms, 12 towers jutting out from the main structure and lots of helipads. An widely ambitious completion date is given for 2017.

Total floor space will take up 1.4 million square meters, hosting 70 restaurants, parking for 3,000 cars and a bus station. The location of the uber-hotel  roughly 2 kilometers south the spot deemed the most holy by Muslims.

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