Hotel prices in Makkah go up by 60 percent

[LRE]

Hotel prices in Makkah go up by 60 percent


MAKKAH: The price of a double room in a hotel overlooking the Grand Mosque in Makkah during the month of Ramadan has reached SR3,900 per night during weekdays and SR8,200 to SR13,000 during weekends.

In addition to the increase in prices, all hotels and furnished apartments in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque have been fully booked for the past two months. “There is not a single vacant room nowadays,” hoteliers say.

They explained that rooms for the last 10 days of Ramadan are being booked in package deals.

“There are no rooms available for single nights during these days. Booking a double room for the last 10 days of the fasting month will cost you at least SR43,000. Payments are being taken in advance,” said one hotelier, adding that suites for the same period cost over SR63,000.

According to real estate brokers, the prices of hotel rooms and furnished apartments in Makkah have skyrocketed, increasing by 60 percent when compared to the previous year.

They attributed the increase to two reasons: The ongoing real estate development projects around the Grand Mosque and the scarcity of land in the area for use as residential towers.

The current projects, which are being executed near the Grand Mosque, include the expansion of the northern areas, the Jabal Omar Project and the Jabal Al-Kaaba Project.

This is a blessing in disguise for the owners of residential towers located away from the central area. “In previous years we used to rent these towers to pilgrims during the Haj but now we are fully booked thanks to people coming to the Kingdom to perform Umrah in Ramadan. We have raised our prices to the maximum as if we are located near the Grand Mosque,” the manager of one tower said. Pilgrims are shocked at the high price of hotels and apartments and are now opting to live away from the Grand Mosque where the price of accommodation is cheaper. The problem for many, however, lies in finding transport, especially during rush hours. “Transport is a problem for us, particularly since we want to perform all the five prayers at the Grand Mosque. You will have to leave more than half an hour earlier if you want to make it for prayers,” said one visitor. “The cost of transportation has also increased,” he added.

Badea Abu Al-Naja I Arab News