Raffles Hotels and Resorts is set to manage a new luxury hotel in the holy Islamic city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Located in the Abraj Al Bait Complex, the 198-bedroom Raffles Makkah Palace will include a cafe, an ice-creamery, a chocolate parlour and the Levantine Restaurant. An outdoor dining terrace will overlook the holiest site in Islam - the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque).

Health and fitness facilities will include his- and hers-only fitness centres, a beauty parlour and a grooming salon, and access to an adjoining retail mall and Raffles Amrita Spa.

Set to open in April 2010, the property is the company's second hotel in the Middle East, following the launch of Raffles Dubai in 2007.

Chris Cahill, CEO of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, said: "Raffles Hotels & Resorts are pleased to have been entrusted with the most prestigious development in Mecca, a city of such significant importance within the global Muslim community. The Middle East is also a region of strategic priority for Raffles Hotels & Resorts and we are delighted to be able to grow our presence here."

The Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the "Mecca Royal Clock Hotel Tower", is being built as massive obelisk.

When complete, the 595m-high building will be one of the tallest in the world and will also house a prayer room capable of housing up to 10,000 people.