The 76-story and 577-meter high Makkah Clock Royal Tower, scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2010, will become the world's tallest hotel, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Group said early this week. The opening of the hotel will replace Rotana's newly opened 333-meter tall Rose Rayhaan in Dubai for the world's title. The tower, which is being developed by the Saudi Bin Laden Group, will also house the Emaar Residences. The Fairmont hotel will be the center point of the iconic Abraj Al Bait Complex, part of the King Abdul Aziz Endowment Project which has been tasked with upgrading the areas around the Two Holy Mosques. Located in the holy city of Makkah, the hotel will be adjacent to the Masjid Al-Haram, the holiest site in Islam. The hotel will have 858 rooms and will include a 40-meter clock, more than five times larger than Big Ben in London, which will be visible up to 17 kilometers away and will announce the daily prayers to the Muslim world. The tower will also include the Lunar Observation Center and Islamic Museum. “The newly developed property, Makkah Clock Royal Tower in Saudi Arabia, will be a key destination for visitors from the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, strengthening the popularity of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts with travelers from the region,” the hotel group said in a statement. The $180 million Rose Rayhaan by Rotana on Sheikh Zayed Road was officially opened on Jan. 6 and has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest hotel.
