With a rooftop helipad, underwater restaurant, indoor waterfalls and extravagant decor, the futuristic 321-metre tower of Dubai’s new Jumeirah Beach Hotel is a feat of technical wizardry.
Soaring into the sky from the shores of the Arabian Gulf, the tower adds a distinctive dimension to the city’s skyline. Taller than the Eiffel Tower, the Burj Al Arab or the Arabian Tower, the Jumeirah Beach will be the tallest hotel in the world when it opens next month.
Shaped like a billowing sail, the Arabian Tower continues the theme of the original hotel, which is built in the form of a wave. The tower stands on a man-made island 280 metres offshore and dwarfs the existing 26-storey building.
Chief architect for the project, Tom Wills-Wright of British architects WS Atkins, said: “The aim was to create an icon for Dubai, a building that would be recognisable. As Sydney has its Opera House and Paris the Eiffel Tower, so Dubai was to have a similar landmark.”
Of the 202 duplex suites, 160 are one-bedroom and cover 170sq metres, 28 are two-bedroomed, while six have three. For a taste of real opulence, there are two grand suites, which cover 780sq metres each and boast private cinemas, rotating beds and outstanding views.
A helipad stationed on the 26th floor will provide guests with a dramatic arrival after a 15min transfer from Dubai International Airport.
The extravagance of the tower continues with its dining facilities – the space-age Al Muntaha (Skyview) restaurant, which will serve Mediterranean cuisine to up to 100 guests, appears suspended in the air. It juts out into the sky 200 metres above the Gulf and can be reached by an express panoramic lift.
At the opposite extreme, the Al Mahara (Undersea) restaurant is a glass-walled structure under the Arabian Gulf. A 3min submarine journey from the hotel lobby takes diners to the seafood restaurant from where they can watch the marine life just beyond the walls.
Guests can also relax on the 18th floor with a choice of an indoor swimming pool lined with mosaic columns, a spa, whirlpool baths and several treatment rooms. An introductory price of $700 per night for a one-bedroom suite is valid from December 1-24 and January 8-February 29 2000.