Emaar Hospitality Group has signed a deal with Jabal Omar Development to operate a new Address Hotels + Resorts project in Mecca, close to the Grand Mosque.
The Jabal Omar Address Makkah property will have 1,490 hotel rooms and suites – some of which will be available for freehold purchase. It is scheduled to open in 2019.
Jabal Omar is a listed developer of a master planned series of tower clusters within walking distance of the Grand Mosque that will contain more than 2 million square metres of four and five-star hotels. The first phase is already complete, and contains Hilton and Marriott Hotels.
Thus far, the site has been developed over four phases, but in March this year Jabal Omar announced that it had been granted permission from the Makkah Region Development Authority to increase the size of its project site by 42 per cent to 167 hectares. It said the increase would allow it to build fifth, sixth and seventh phases.
Emaar Hospitality said that the project would be the first Address Hotels and Resorts site in Saudi Arabia, although Emaar’s Saudi subsidiary, Emaar Middle East, had previously developed 316 serviced apartments within the nearby Makkah Clock Tower development, but these are operated by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. They were completed in 2013.
“We are honoured to mark the expansion of Address Hotels + Resorts, the premium luxury hotel brand under Emaar Hospitality Group, to Saudi Arabia with the signing of this important management contract with Jabal Omar Development Company,” said Mohamed Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar Properties.
“As an iconic development situated near the Grand Mosque, Jabal Omar Address Makkah will appeal to visitors from across the world.”
Yasser Faisal Al Sharif, the Jabal Omar chief executive, said: “By choosing a brand that has its roots in the region, we are confident of delivering a hospitality choice that will support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to promote religious and cultural experiences.”
Figures published by the hospitality consultancy STR yesterday confirmed that Saudi Arabia is the fastest-growing hospitality market in the region, with 40,145 rooms under development across 95 projects.
According to property consultancy Colliers International, the supply of hotel rooms in the holy city is expected to grow by 150 per cent by the end of 2019. The number of rooms stood at 14,675 by the end of the first quarter of this year, but this is predicted to grow to 36,758 by the end of 2019.
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AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
