Is it better for men and women who come to do ‘umrah to pray Taraweeh in Makkah and Madinah in the hotel or in the Haram?
Question

                I know that it is mustahabb to offer Sunnah prayers (such as tahajjud) at home, but if we are visiting Makkah or Madinah and are staying in the hotel, is the ruling different? I mean, is it better to offer Sunnah prayers in the hotel room or in the Haram? With regard to women, for whom it is regarded as being preferable to offer obligatory prayers at home – when my family travels with me to Makkah and Madinah, is it better for them to offer the obligatory prayers in the hotel or in the Haram? Are we regarded as travelling, as we are staying in the hotel?.
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    The scholars differed as to what is preferable in the case of 
    Taraweeh prayer: Is it better to offer it in the mosque in congregation or 
    to offer it at home individually? There are three opinions concerning that: 

    1.

    That offering it in congregation in the mosque is preferable. 
    This is the opinion of the earlier Hanafis, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the 
    majority of his companions. 

    We have quoted the evidence presented by those who hold this 
    view, in the answer to question no.
    45781, where we stated that we 
    regard it as more likely to be correct. 

    2.

    That praying it individually at home is preferable. This is 
    the view of Maalik and al-Shaafa‘i and most of their companions. Maalik (may 
    Allah have mercy on him) quoted as evidence the action of the seniors among 
    his shaykhs and the senior Sahaabah. 

    Al-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted as evidence 
    the hadeeth of Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allah be pleased with him), according 
    to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
    made a booth out of a reed mat in Ramadan and prayed in it at night, and 
    some men among his Companions followed him in prayer. When he realized that 
    they were doing that, he started praying seated (so that people could not 
    see him and follow him in prayer). Then he came out to them and said: “I 
    know what you did. O people, pray in your houses, for the best of a man’s 
    prayer is in his house, apart from the obligatory prayers.”

    Narrated by al-Bukhaari (698) and Muslim (781). 

    Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Maalik said: Rabee‘ah and more than one of our scholars would 
    leave and not pray qiyaam with the people. Maalik said: And I also do that; 
    and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did 
    not pray qiyaam except in his house. 

    Al-Shaafa‘i also quoted as evidence the hadeeth of Zayd ibn 
    Thaabit, which he quoted. And al-Shaafa‘i said: The point is further 
    emphasized by the fact that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of 
    Allah be upon him) told them to pray qiyaam in their homes rather than in 
    his mosque despite all the virtue that there is in that.

    End quote from al-Tamheed, 8/116 

    Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr also said: 

    If offering a naafil prayer at home is better than offering 
    it in the mosque of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
    in which one prayer is better than a thousand prayers offered anywhere else, 
    what can be clearer than this? Hence Maalik and al-Shaafa‘i, and those who 
    followed their path, thought that praying alone at home was better in the 
    case of all naafil prayers. If qiyaam is held in the mosque in Ramadan, even 
    with the smallest number of people, prayer at home is still better.

    End quote from al-Istidhkaar, 2/73 

    It should be noted that those imams who said that praying 
    Taraweeh alone at home is better than praying it in congregation in the 
    mosque only applied that to the one who has memorised some Qur’aan – or the 
    entire Qur’aan – and has the motivation to pray at home and there is no fear 
    that he will become lazy and miss the prayer, and that the prayer in 
    congregation in the mosque will not be affected by his absence. If these 
    conditions are not met, then there is no doubt, according to their view, 
    that praying Taraweeh in congregation in the mosque is better. 

    Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Our companions, the Iraqis, al-Saydalaani, al-Baghawi and 
    others among the Khorasanis said: The difference of opinion has to do with 
    one who has memorised Qur’aan and for whom there is no fear that he will 
    become lazy if he prays on his own and that the congregation in the mosque 
    will not be affected if he stays away. If one of these conditions is not 
    met, then praying in congregation is preferable and there is no difference 
    of opinion concerning that.

    End quote from al-Majmoo‘, 4/31 

    We may add another important condition here which was added 
    by some of the scholars and which is relevant to what the questioner asked 
    about. This is that for it to be preferable for a person to pray in his 
    house on his own rather than offering the prayer in the Haramain, he should 
    be one of the people of the Haramain (i.e., a resident of Makkah or 
    Madinah). The one who comes to the Haram in Makkah to do ‘umrah – and, 
    similarly, the one who comes to Madinah to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque – is 
    not subject to the ruling that praying Taraweeh in his house is preferable. 

    Muhammad al-Dasooqi al-Maaliki (may Allah have mercy on him) 
    said: 

    The recommendation to do it (pray Taraweeh) in one’s house is 
    subject to three conditions: that the mosques should not be left empty, that 
    he has the motivation to do it and he should not be one of those who are 
    coming from afar to visit the Haramain. If one of these conditions is 
    absent, then doing it in the mosque is preferable.

    End quote from Haashiyat al-Dasooqi, 1/315 

    Looking at the state of people nowadays – including many of 
    the good and righteous youth who are devoted to worship – we find that 
    praying Taraweeh in congregation in the mosque is better for them, because 
    praying in the mosque is very encouraging for them, as it is done at the 
    beginning of the night, and because of the beauty of the imam’s voice – for 
    those who seek to pray with an imam like this – and because of the large 
    numbers of people who pray. And also because there are many distractions in 
    the home that lead people to become lazy in offering the prayer. Hence we 
    think that calling on ordinary people nowadays to pray Taraweeh at home is 
    an invitation to abandon this prayer! Where are those who have memorized 
    anything of the Qur’aan among those people? What else will these people be 
    doing if they are not praying in the mosque at the beginning of the night? 
    Where is the motive that will make them get up at the end of the night to 
    pray qiyaam? 

    If we assume that the correct view concerning this matter 
    according to some people is the second opinion, then let this apply only to 
    the elite, not the common folk; perhaps this is what was meant by those 
    among the salaf who favoured this opinion. Hence ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may 
    Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people together in the mosque to 
    pray Taraweeh, and he prayed on his own in his house. 

    How beautiful are the words of Imam Malik, who summed up what 
    we are trying to say. When Ibn al-Qaasim asked him about whether it is 
    better for a man to pray qiyaam in Ramadan with the people or on his own in 
    his house? He replied: If he is able to do it in his house, then I prefer 
    that, but not all the people are able for that. 

    End quote from al-Mudawwanah al-Kubra, 1/287 

    Secondly: 

    With regard to women praying Taraweeh in their houses, this 
    has already been dealt with in the answer to question no.
    3457, where we said that it is 
    better for women to pray qiyaam in their houses, because the Prophet 
    (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not prevent your women 
    from going to the mosques, although their houses are better for them.” 
    Narrated by Abu Dawood. The fact that praying at home is preferred does not 
    mean that they should not be permitted to go to the mosques, but that is 
    subject to certain conditions, which are mentioned in the question referred 
    to. 

    In the same answer we quoted a fatwa of Shaykh Ibn Baaz which 
    states that Taraweeh at home is better for a woman than in the mosque. 

    In the answer to question no.
    12451, we quoted Shaykh Ibn 
    ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) as saying: 

    The Sunnah indicates that it is better for a woman to pray in 
    her house wherever she is, whether she is in Makkah or elsewhere. End 
    quote. 

    And Allah knows best.