Raffles Makkah Palace is a hotel located in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. The 18-story hotel is a 5-star luxury hotel operated by

Raffles Hotels & Resorts Raffles Hotels & Resorts is a Singaporean chain of luxury hotels which traces its roots to 1887 with the opening of the original Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The company started to develop internationally in the late 1990s. Since 2015, Raffles has ...

, which is under the

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a global chain of luxury hotel that operates more than 70 properties worldwide, with a strong presence in Canada. The company originated from two hotel businesses established in the late 19th century, the Canadian Pac ...

corporate umbrella. The property is located directly adjacent to

Masjid al-Haram Masjid al-Haram (), also known as the Sacred Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca, is considered to be the most significant mosque in Islam. It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca, in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia. It is among the ...

, the Grand Mosque.

History

Construction on the hotel began in 2009 and was officially opened on August 12, 2010 . The exterior and interior of the hotel were designed and constructed by Areen Hospitality, a London based firm. The design goal was to incorporate touches of local Saudi Arabian architecture and culture. While Raffles Makkah Palace is managed by Fairmont hotels & Resort, Kingdom Hotels International and Colony Capital LLC both remain key shareholders in the property. The hotel is also a part of the Kind Abdul Aziz Endowment, which has the goal to modernize the city in catering to the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

pilgrims. The property is located close to various tourist attractions such as Masjid Al-Haram,

Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...

, Jabal Al Nour (Mountain of Light), Al Jamarat,

Jabal Thawr Jabal Thawr () is a mountain in Saudi Arabia, located in the lower part of Mecca to the south of the district of Misfalah. The height of the mountain is . Cave The mountain is notable for housing a cave known as ''Ghār Thawr'' (), in which th ...

, and

Abraj Al Bait The Clock Towers (, formerly known as ), is a State ownership, government-owned complex of seven skyscraper hotels in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. These towers are part of the Abdullah of Saudi Arabia#Domestic affairs, King Abdulaziz Endowment Project ...

Shopping Mall.

Awards and accolades

Raffles Makkah Palace has won a variety of luxury hospitality awards including: * Raffles Makkah Palace Honorable Mention – The Middle East Interior Design Competition (2013) * 2013 Middle East’s Leading Luxury Hotel (World Travel Awards) * 2012 Middle East’s Leading Luxury Hotel (World Travel Awards) * 2011 World’s Leading Luxury All Suite Hotel (World Travel Awards) * 2011 Middle East’s Leading Luxury Hotel (World Travel Awards)"World's Leading Luxury All Suite Hotel 2011"
Retrieved 11.04.2014

Footnotes

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Mecca Hotels in Saudi Arabia Raffles Hotels & Resorts 2010 establishments in Saudi Arabia Hotels established in 2010 Hotel buildings completed in 2010