The UAE-based Al-Khaleej newspaper reported on March 20, 2005 that the Kuwaiti Investment Project Group awarded the French Accor Hotel and Tourism Group a contract to run the largest luxury hotel in the Middle East and North Africa, located in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The Zam Zam Sofitel Grand Suites - named for the natural spring which Muslims believe yields holy water - will open its doors in September 2006.The hotel, built with a total budget of $600 million (EUR 450 million), consists of 1,240 suites on 34 floors. It is part of a high-rise complex, Al Beit Towers, and is located 100 meters from the holy Kaaba stone.
