Dallas-based Wilson Associates, one of the world's leading hospitality interior design firms, has been chosen to design 19 hotels coming up simultaneously in Makkah.

The hotels are part of a $6 billion redevelopment in Makkah, which sees more than 65,000 pilgrims from around the globe coming to the Grand Mosque every day.

To meet growing demand for quality accommodation from pilgrims, 26 hotels are being built at once by Jabal Omar Development Company, which has selected Wilson Associates to create the interiors for all but seven of them.

'There are multiple multibillion-dollar projects under way in Saudi Arabia,' said Trisha Wilson, CEO of Wilson Associates. 

'The significance of this project is its proximity to the holy site, its scale in terms of hospitality – more rooms in one go than ever before – and the massive earth-moving required to create the site.'
 
Wilson won't disclose the size of the contract, but industry estimates place it between $15 million and $20 million.

The firm will design more than 10,500 rooms in 25 towers, ranging from 20 to 48 stories, all with views of the city and surrounding holy sites. It will also design 17 grand lobbies and 40 food and beverage outlets.

The hotel brands involved are Conrad, Westin, Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton, Radisson Blu, Mercure and Novotel.

The design firm has worked on 59 Middle Eastern properties in 15 years.

Wilson Associates recently opened its first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi, where it is designing two wings in the new Presidential Palace development.-TradeArabia News Service