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 , connected to the mainland only by a curving path. The path is extremely curving, with most corners being almost 90 degrees.

Construction of the hotel began in 1994 , and its doors were opened to guests on December 1 , 1999 . It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow (a type of Arabian vessel) and intentionally 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 . A remarkable element of its architecture is the outer beachward wall of the atrium, which is made of a woven, Teflon -coated fiberglass cloth.

The Burj al-Arab does not have ordinary rooms; rather it is divided into 202 duplex suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 square meters (1,819 square feet), and the largest one covers 780 square meters (8,396 square feet). It is 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. The most expensive suites can cost over $15,000 a night. However, the hotel will likely never be profitable; it was built to become a major landmark in Dubai, not to be a source of income. The full amount it cost to build the hotel and furnish it has not been publicly released.

The Burj al-Arab features 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

An example of one of the hotel suites.

Looking down at the upper lobby.

• The hotel is the only Seven Star Hotel in the world.

• The hotel's self-characterization as a "7-star" property is considered by travel professionals to be hyperbole , and an attempt to out-do a number of other hotels which claim "6-star" status. All major travel guides and hotel rating systems, however, have a 5-star maximum .

• One of its restaurants, the Al Muntaha (meaning "highest", or "ultimate"), is located 200 meters above the Persian Gulf , offering a view of Dubai from above. It is accessed by a panoramic elevator.

Another restaurant, the Al Mahara ( Arabic "The Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium , holding roughly 35,000 cubic feet (over one million liters) of water. The tank, made of plexiglass in order to reduce the magnification effect, is about 18 cm (7.5 inches) thick.

• The building's external lighting scheme can vary from white to multicolored, changing every 30 minutes. Occasionally there is a light show, where colors interchange rapidly.

• The Architect and Engineer for the project was Atkins, the UK based multidisciplinary consultancy. The hotel was built by South African construction company Murray & Roberts. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, and less than three years to construct the building itself.

• It is the world's tallest structure with a membrane façade and the world's tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use) and was the first 5-star hotel to surpass 1000 ft (305 m).

• In March 2004, the hotel received publicity when professional golfer Tiger Woods took the time to hit several golf balls from the hotel's helipad into the Arabian Gulf .

• In February 2005, professional tennis players Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played an exhibition game on the helipad, which was temporarily converted into a grass tennis court, at a height of 211 meters.