Marriott International is to operate three hotels in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, under a long-term agreement with Jabal Omar Development Company.

The three properties are the 636-room luxury JW Marriott Hotel Makkah; the 540-room deluxe Makkah Marriott Hotel; and the 432-room mid scale Courtyard by Marriott Makkah.

The hotels will be opened in phases with the first one, Makkah Marriott, scheduled to launch in 2014.

Marriott’s Saudi Arabian portfolio currently includes three hotels: the Riyadh Marriott, the Jeddah Marriott and the Madina Marriott.

Another five properties are currently under development and are scheduled to open through 2014. They are the 119-unit Riyadh Marriott Executive Apartments (2011), the 495-room The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh (2011), the 288-room Courtyard by Marriott Riyadh (2012), the 129-room Courtyard by Marriott Jizan and the 100-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Jeddah (2014).