With 10,000 rooms, 45 stories, 70 restaurants, and four helipads, the larger-than-life Abraj Kudai hotel was envisioned as the world’s biggest. The nearly $3 billion project, which broke ground over a decade ago, was meant to complement Saudi Arabia’s wave of mega-developments. But the hotel, located in the heart of Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, has seemingly been left in limbo, no closer to completion than it was the day it was announced.
According to The Telegraph, a string of setbacks derailed the making of this monumental structure, which, according to the 2015 renderings, resembled a sprawling palace or a miniature city, draped in luxury. The design featured a colossal podium supporting 12 towers, each ranging from 30 to 48 stories. Inside, it would house everything from a bus terminal and a shopping mall to restaurants, food courts, a conference center, a multi-functional ballroom, and a convention hall.
But fluctuating oil prices, complications with contractors and management, and a series of unfortunate incidents caused the project to stall before a single tower was even completed. Many have written off Abraj Kudai as a grand vision that never left the drawing board.
But with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman leaving no stone unturned in his mission to transform the Kingdom into the world’s next tourism hotspot, hope remains. The hotel, if revived, could surpass the likes of the Bellagio and MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which collectively offer around 8,933 rooms.
In Saudi Arabia, scale is never a limitation. Which is why the completion of this long-stalled project still feels plausible. Just look at Neom, a $1.5 trillion futuristic city in northwest Saudi Arabia. With Sindalah, the seahorse-shaped superyacht island already complete, progress across the megacity is moving at breakneck speed. Other large-scale developments are also underway, including the country’s first private residential island in the Red Sea.
And then there’s The Line, the audacious 170-kilometer linear city that’s already capturing global headlines. Or Trojena, the ski resort in the desert set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. Saudi Arabia isn’t just building cities, it’s rewriting the very blueprint of urban living. In this landscape of extremes, where ambition often outpaces reality, Abraj Kudai may still have a second act. After all, in the Kingdom of Vision 2030, nothing is ever truly off the table.
