A joint venture of the local Saudi Arabian Baytur Construction Company and the local Azmeel Contracting & Construction Corporation has won an estimated SR1.49bn ($397m) contract to build the second phase of the Jabal Omar project in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The contract involves the construction of four hotel towers to be operated by the Starwood Hotels and Resorts group. Two of the towers will be built under The Westin hotel brand, with the remaining towers planned for constuction under the Sheraton hotel brand.

Client for the scheme, the local Jabal Omar Development Company, recently invited contractors to prequalify for phase three of the project. The third phase will involve the construction of a further four hotel towers, each standing 31-40 storeys high. The total built up area will be 388,000 square metres.

The developer has also achieved financing for phases four and five of the development, both of which are at the design stage.

The Jabal Omar development will comprise 37 towers when completed. The local Nesma & Partners Construction is currently working on the first phase of the development, which involves the construction of nine towers. In December 2010, Nesma was awarded SR3.4bn construction contract for the work. Nesma replaced the local Saudi Binladin and Saudi Oger companies, which had originally been appointed to build the first phase.