The Burj al-Arab is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 meters (1,053 feet), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel, and one of the most distinctive structures for a hotel building in the world.

It stands in the sea on an artificial island 280 meters (919 feet) away from the beach in the Persian Gulf, and has the shape of a giant sail. It has been placed in such a way that its shadow does not cover the beach. On top of the hotel is a large helipad, extending from the side of the hotel over the ocean, and supported by cantilever.

Its construction began in 1994, and its doors were opened to guests on December 1, 1999. The Burj al-Arab does not have rooms, but rather 202 duplex suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 196 square meters (2,110 square feet), and the largest one 780 square meters (8,396 square feet). It has the tallest atrium lobby in the world (180 meters, or 590 feet), and the volume of the atrium can accommodate the Dubai World Trade Center building, which, at 38 stories, was the tallest building in Dubai from the late 1970s to the late 1990s.

Other facts

• The hotel was built by South African construction company Murray & Roberts.
• The outer beachward wall of the atrium is made of cloth.
• Contrary to a common belief, the Burj al-Arab is not rated as a 7-star, but as a 5-star deluxe hotel (the maximum possible rating for a hotel is five stars).
• The Burj al-Arab is considered to be one of the most expensive hotels in the world to stay in. The prices for the least expensive suites are in the range of $1,000 to over $6,000 a night.
• So expensive was the hotel's production that it is estimated that to make a profit, it must be entirely booked for 400 years.

External links

• Official site: http://www.burj-al-arab.com/