There is one Hyatt Hotel that I would love to review but will never be able to, a Hyatt locked behind the closed doors of a city that someone like me is not welcome in.
I’m talking about the Hyatt Regency in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It looks like a beautiful property:
But Mecca, Islam’s most holy city, is not open to non-Muslims. A checkpoint on the one road into the city ensures that only the faithful are admitted.
Travelers have snuck in…only to face severe consequences for doing so.
As much as I’d love to sneak in myself, I’m not sure if I would even if I could get away with it. It is not my intention to disrespect the rules over entrance into this city, especially as a guest in the Kingdom.
But who knows…Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has now opened up the country in many ways, including permitting women to drive (yes, it is 2018). Saudi Arabia also plans to introduce tourist visas soon, for the first time ever. Maybe Mecca will open too. From an architectural and cultural perspective, it would rise to the top of my travel wishlist.
CONCLUSION
Hyatt is not the only game in town. Mecca is full of luxury hotels including Marriott, Conrad, and InterContinental properties. For now, these hotels remain out of reach to non-Muslim travelers.
Why would anyone want to visit this absurdistan that’s stuck in dark ages and only slowly is digging itself out (which may never happen)?
I second that.
has anyone tried to “convert” to Islam like a week or month before, go there as a real Muslim, then “renounce” the religion after you come home ?
Spike Lee supposedly converted to Islam in order to film Malcom X
I believe that renouncing the faith makes you an apostate and therefore subject to death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam#Execution
But ymmv.
Gotta say that’s the funniest “YMMV” I’ve ever seen.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA SAME
I wonder if the JW Marriott Mecca has the “Book of Mormon” in the drawers.
Somehow, I doubt it.
I think “The One Hyatt Hotel I Will Never ***Get To*** Review” would make for a more accurate headline. At first I thought some hotel had so royally pissed you off that you’d never stay there.
True that, a little clickbaity I think
how do they know if your are muslim or not? it’s not like it is written on your passport, do they give you a pop quiz or something?!
It’s written on your visa if you are a foreigner and you will be asked to recite verses in Arabic.
there is many disrespectful comments in here, we try to solve our problem not just to don’t let other people called us stucked in the dark aged or stupid law.
by the way there is no JW Marriott in Mecca.
also they have Swissotel, Fairmount and Raffles
You are correct, just a Marriott:
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/qcamc-jabal-omar-marriott-hotel-makkah/
The negative comments speak for themselves.
I believe this is the month for Muslims to travel to Mecca. Perhaps one of the pilgrims can contribute to this blog?