View source for Burj Al Arab

{{Short description|Luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates}}
{{Other uses|Burj (disambiguation)}}
{{About|Burj Al Arab Jumeirah||Borg El Arab (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Burj Al Arab<br />{{lang|ar|برج العرب}}
| status           = Completed
| image            = Burj Al Arab, Dubai, by Joi Ito Dec2007.jpg
| caption          = Jumeirah Burj Al Arab in 2007
| location         = [[Dubai]], United Arab Emirates
| start_date       = {{Start date and age|1994|07|10|df=yes}}
| completion_date  = {{Start date and age|1999}}
| opening          = {{Start date and age|1999|12|01|df=yes}}<ref name="factsheet"/>
| architect        = [[Tom Wright (British architect)|Tom Wright]] of [[www.wka.studio|WKA]]
| cost             = US$1 billion<ref name=forbes>{{Cite web|last=Swibel|first=Matthew|date=15 March 2014|title=Forbes.com: Arabian Knight|url=https://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/092.html|access-date=2 July 2020|website=www.forbes.com}}</ref>
| floor_area       = 
| top_floor        = {{convert|197.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| floor_count      = 56 (3 below ground)<ref name=skyscraperCenter/>
| website          = {{official URL}}
| references       = <ref name=skyscraperCenter/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/107803 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215025458/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/107803 |archive-date=15 February 2020 |title=Emporis building ID 107803 |url-status=usurped |work=[[Emporis]]}}</ref><ref>{{SkyscraperPage|48}}</ref><ref>{{Structurae|20001194}}</ref><ref name="Stay">{{cite web|url=http://www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and-Resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Burj-Al-Arab/Suites/Staying-with-Us1/|title=Stay at Burj Al Arab|publisher=Jumeirah|access-date=4 January 2010|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225034801/https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/burj-al-arab/}}</ref>
| building_type    = [[Luxury hotel]]
| architectural_style = [[Structural expressionism]]
| architectural    = {{convert|321|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| elevator_count   = 18<ref name=skyscraperCenter>{{cite web |url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/burj-al-arab/402 |title=Burj Al Arab Hotel – The Skyscraper Center |work=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat|access-date=7 May 2023}}</ref>
| structural_engineer = [[Atkins (company)|Atkins]]
| main_contractor  = Murray & Roberts / [[Concor]]
| room_count       = 202<ref name=skyscraperCenter/>
| operator         = [[Jumeirah (hotel chain)|Jumeirah]]
| developer        = [[Jumeirah Group]]
}}

The '''Jumeirah Burj Al Arab''' ({{langx|ar|برج العرب}}, {{lit|Arab Tower}}), commonly known as '''Burj Al Arab''', is a [[luxury hotel]] in [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/declaneytan/2015/08/04/1032/#581c78b0203d|title=Milan: Inside the World's Only Certified 7 Star Hotel|last=Eytan|first=Declan|work=Forbes|access-date=5 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> Developed and managed by [[Jumeirah (hotel chain)|Jumeirah]], it is one of [[List of tallest hotels in the world|the tallest hotels in the world]], although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ctbuh.org/Publications/Journal/InNumbers/TBINVanityHeight/tabid/5837/language/en-US/Default.aspx |title=Vanity Height: the Use-less Space in Today's Tallest |publisher=CTBUH |access-date=25 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117120309/http://www.ctbuh.org/Publications/Journal/InNumbers/TBINVanityHeight/tabid/5837/language/en-US/Default.aspx |archive-date=17 November 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldpropertychannel.com/middle-east-africa-commercial-news/skyscraper-heights-council-on-tall-buildings-and-urban-habitat-vanity-height-burj-al-arab-burj-khalifa-7319.php |title=Study: Skyscrapers Topped by Wasted Space |work=World Property Channel |date=6 September 2013 |access-date=25 November 2013 |archive-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193303/http://www.worldpropertychannel.com/middle-east-africa-commercial-news/skyscraper-heights-council-on-tall-buildings-and-urban-habitat-vanity-height-burj-al-arab-burj-khalifa-7319.php }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Solon |first=Olivia |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-09/06/architectural-willy-waving |title=Report names and shames vanity skyscrapers with unnecessary spires |publisher=Wired |date=6 September 2013 |access-date=25 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115084008/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-09/06/architectural-willy-waving |archive-date=15 November 2013 }}</ref> Burj Al Arab stands on an [[artificial island]] that is {{convert|280|m|ft|abbr=on}} from [[Jumeirah Beach]] and is connected to the mainland by a private curving [[bridge]]. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the [[sail]] of a [[dhow]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burj Al Arab |url=https://www.atkinsglobal.com/en-GB/projects/burj-al-arab |access-date=3 July 2020 |website=www.atkinsglobal.com}}</ref> It has a [[helipad]] near the roof, at a height of {{convert|210|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above ground.

== Site ==
The beachfront area where Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and [[Jumeirah Beach Hotel]] are located was previously called [[Jumeirah|Chicago Beach]].<ref name="Krane, Jim page 103">Krane, Jim ''City of Mud: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism'', page 103, St. Martin's Press (15 September 2009)</ref> The hotel is located on an island of [[land reclamation|reclaimed land]], {{convert|280|m|ft|abbr=on}} offshore of the beach of the former ''Chicago Beach Hotel''. The former hotel was demolished during the construction of the Burj Al Arab.<ref name="Chicago Beach">{{cite web|url=http://www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com/pages/galleries/chicagohotel.shtm |title=Dubai's Chicago Beach Hotel |publisher=Dubai As It Used To Be |access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref> The locale's name had its origins in the [[Chicago Bridge & Iron Company]], which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tanks, known locally as ''Kazzans'', on the site.<ref name="Krane, Jim page 103"/>

==History==
The Burj Al Arab was designed by the British multidisciplinary consultancy [[Atkins (company)|Atkins]], led by architect [[Tom Wright (British architect)|Tom Wright]] of [[www.wka.studio|WKA]]. He came up with the iconic design and signature translucent fiberglass facade that serves as a shield from the desert sun during the day and as a screen for illumination at night.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lonely Planet {{!}} Travel Guides & Travel Information |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Lonely Planet}}</ref> The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory, and construction managed by David Kirby also of WS Atkins. The Burj Al Arab's interior is by British-Chinese designer Khuan Chew. Construction of the island began in 1994 and involved up to 2,000 construction workers during peak construction. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The setting of a high rise building on saturated soil and the novelty of the project required groundbreaking dynamic analysis and design to take into consideration soil-structure interaction, effect of water, high winds, and helipad among other loads, to help finalize the design and take the project into construction.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chalhoub |first=Michel Soto |url=http://parsons.com |title=Structural Design and Deep Foundation Soil-Structure Interaction of Burj-Al-Arab - A Comparison of Two Alternatives |date=1993 |website=Parsons Engineering}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2023}}

The hotel was built by [[South Africa]]n construction contractor [[Murray & Roberts]], now renamed [[Concor]] and Al Habtoor Engineering. The interior designs were led and created by Khuan Chew and John Carolan of KCA international and delivered by UAE based [[Depa Group]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pantin|first=Travis|date=17 February 2009|title=Depa announces strong growth|url=https://www.thenational.ae/business/property/depa-announces-strong-growth-1.539070|access-date=2 July 2020|website=The National|language=en}}</ref>

The building opened on 1 December 1999.<ref name="factsheet">{{cite web|title=Media Fact File of Burj Al Arab|url=https://www.jumeirah.com/globalassets/global/jumeirah-group/press-centre-1/press-kits/eng---burj-al-arab-factsheet.pdf|access-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807111820/https://www.jumeirah.com/globalassets/global/jumeirah-group/press-centre-1/press-kits/eng---burj-al-arab-factsheet.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2018}}</ref>

The hotel's [[helipad]] was designed by Irish architect Rebecca Gernon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-11222-from-the-inside-out|title=From the inside out|website=Construction Week Online Middle East|date=March 2011 }}</ref> The helipad is at the building's 28th floor, and the helipad been used as a car race track, a boxing ring, has hosted a tennis match, and the jumping off point for the highest [[kite surfing]] jump in history.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 July 2020|title=Global Gateway|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/gallery/helipad-burj-al-arab/index.html|access-date=8 July 2020|website=CNN|language=en}}</ref>

In 2017, the hotel hosted the wedding of [[Daniel Kinahan]], head of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Caesar |first=Ed |date=2025-10-20 |title=The Cocaine Kingpin Living Large in Dubai |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/10/27/the-cocaine-kingpin-living-large-in-dubai |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> The wedding was attended by several prominent drug traffickers, such as [[Ridouan Taghi]], Edin Gačanin, '[[Ricardo Riquelme Vega|Ricardo (El Rico) Riquelme Vega]], and [[Raffaele Imperiale]].<ref name=":1" />

== Features ==

Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed {{convert|280|m|ft|abbr=on}} offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 {{convert|40|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} concrete [[Deep foundation|piles]] into the sand by drilling method.<ref name="egypteng1">{{cite news
| year= 2000
| title=Burj Al Arab
|url=http://egypteng.com/projectm/burj.asp
| publisher=EgyptEng.com engineering directory
| access-date = 24 January 2007
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117194511/http://www.egypteng.com/projectm/burj.asp | archive-date = 17 January 2007}}</ref>

Engineers created a ground surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete [[honeycomb]] pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to [[Land reclamation|reclaim]] the land from the sea, while it took less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over {{convert|70000|m3|yd3|abbr=on}} of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.<ref name="egypteng1"/>

Inside the building, the [[Atrium (architecture)|atrium]] is {{convert|180|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/22297-video-burj-al-arabs-15th-anniversary-dream|title=VIDEO: Burj Al Arab's 15th anniversary 'dream'|website=HotelierME|date=28 November 2014 }}</ref>

Given the height of the building, the Burj Al Arab is the world's fifth tallest hotel after [[Gevora Hotel]], [[JW Marriott Marquis Dubai]], [[Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Rose Rayhaan by Rotana|Rose and Rayhaan by Rotana]]. But if buildings with mixed use were stripped off [[List of tallest hotels in the world|the list]], the Burj Al Arab would be the world's third tallest hotel. The structure of the [[Rose Tower|Rose Rayhaan]], also in Dubai, is {{convert|333|m}} tall,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=11 February 2016|title=The world's 17 tallest hotels – for the ultimate room with a view|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/galleries/The-worlds-tallest-hotels/rose-rayhaan-by-rotana/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/galleries/The-worlds-tallest-hotels/rose-rayhaan-by-rotana/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=8 July 2020|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> {{convert|12|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} taller than the Burj Al Arab, which is {{convert|321|m}} tall.<ref name=":0" />The Burj Al Arab's helipad, located 210 meters above ground, has been the site of several high-profile events, including a tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, and stunts by Red Bull athletes.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

=== Rooms and suites ===

The hotel is managed by the [[Jumeirah (hotel chain)|Jumeirah Group]]. The hotel has 199 exclusive suites each allocated eight dedicated staff members and a 24-hour butler service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burj Al Arab |url=https://www.jumeirah.com/en/stay/dubai/burj-al-arab-jumeirah |access-date=21 September 2022 |website=www.jumeirah.com |language=en}}</ref> The smallest suite occupies an area of {{convert|169|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}, the largest covers {{convert|780|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="arcUAE">Damluji, Salma Samar, ''The Architecture of the U.A.E.''. Reading, UK: 2006.</ref>

The Royal Suite, billed at {{US$|24000|link=yes}} per night, is listed at number 12 on ''World's 15 most expensive hotel suites'' compiled by CNN Go in 2012.<ref>Arnold, Helen [http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/worlds-15-most-expensive-hotel-suites-747256 "World's 15 most expensive hotel suites"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102235454/http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/worlds-15-most-expensive-hotel-suites-747256 |date=2 November 2012 }} ''CNN Go''. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012</ref>

The Burj Al Arab is very popular with the [[China|Chinese]] market, which made up 25 percent of all bookings at the hotel in 2011 and 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jumeirah gets ravenous for China|url=http://www.ttgmice.com/magazine/?ID=32155&term_id=122&issues=229|publisher=TTGmice|access-date=27 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605133654/http://www.ttgmice.com/magazine/?ID=32155&term_id=122&issues=229|archive-date=5 June 2013}}</ref>

=== Restaurants ===

[[File:Al Muntaha restaurant - Burj Al Arab.jpg|thumb|right|Al Muntaha]]
[[File:Al Mahara Burj al Araba Dubai March 2008c.JPG|thumb|right|Al Mahara]]

There are six restaurants in the hotel, including:

''Al Muntaha'' ("The Ultimate"), is located {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the [[Persian Gulf]], offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full [[cantilever]] that extends {{convert|27|m|ft|abbr=on}} from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a [[Panorama|panoramic]] elevator.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

''Al Mahara'' ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater [[aquarium]], holding roughly {{convert| 990,000|L|gal|abbr=on}} of water. The wall of the tank, made of [[poly(methyl methacrylate)|acrylic glass]] in order to withstand the water pressure, is about {{convert|18|cm|in|abbr=on}} thick.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}

===Rating===
While the hotel has sometimes been described as "the world's only 'seven-star' [[hotel]]", the hotel management claims never to have done so themselves. The term appeared due to a British journalist who had visited the hotel on a tour before it was officially opened. The journalist described Burj al Arab as "more than anything she has ever seen" and therefore referred to it as a seven-star hotel.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parr|first=Christopher|title=Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai: Inside The 7 Star Luxury Hotel|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/burj-al-arab-jumeirah-dubai-inside-the-7-star-luxury-hotel-2012-9|access-date=23 July 2020|website=Business Insider}}</ref> A Jumeirah Group spokesperson said "There's not a lot we can do to stop it. We're not encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising."<ref name="The National">{{cite news|last=Bundhun|first=Rebecca|date=14 July 2009|title=Hotel star ratings standards long overdue|newspaper=[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]]|url=http://www.thenational.ae/business/travel-tourism/hotel-star-ratings-standards-long-overdue|access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref>

==Reception==
Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be."<ref name="arcUAE"/> The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel's decor. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes negative critiques for the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance."<ref name="arcUAE"/> Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab ... The result is a baroque effect".<ref name="arcUAE"/>

== In popular culture ==
The last chapter of the espionage novel ''Performance Anomalies''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16034814-performance-anomalies|title=Performance Anomalies|website=Goodreads|access-date=15 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/performanceanoma0000leev|title=Performance Anomalies|last=Lee|first=Victor Robert|date=20 December 2012|publisher=Perimeter Six|isbn=978-1-938409-22-6|location=USA|language=en|url-access=registration}}</ref> takes place at the top of the Burj Al Arab,<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Victor Robert|title=Performance Anomalies: A Novel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R4xrWxfC_DUC&pg=PT327|date=15 January 2013|publisher=Perimeter Six Press|isbn=978-1-938409-20-2|page=327}}</ref> where the spy protagonist Cono 7Q discovers that through deadly betrayal his spy nemesis Katerina has maneuvered herself into the top echelon of the government of [[Kazakhstan]]. The hotel can also be seen in ''[[Syriana]]'' and also some [[Bollywood]] movies.{{which|date=November 2017}}

Richard Hammond included the building in his television series ''[[Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections]]''.

The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab serves as the cover image for the 2009 album ''[[Ocean Eyes (album)|Ocean Eyes]]'' by [[Owl City]].

The Burj Al Arab was the site of the last task of the fifth episode of the [[The Amazing Race 1 (China)|first season]] of the [[The Amazing Race China|Chinese edition of ''The Amazing Race'']], where teams had to clean up a room to the hotel's standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arabianbusiness.com/burj-al-arab-hotel-stars-in-chinese-reality-tv-show-572227.html|title=Burj Al Arab hotel stars in Chinese reality TV show|work=[[Arabian Business]]|date=18 November 2014|access-date=7 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.neeu.com/read/51235.html|title=卓美亚集团与「极速前进」首次合作|language=zh|trans-title=Jumeirah Group collaborates with The Amazing Race for the first time|website=Neeu|access-date=7 January 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727052952/https://www.neeu.com/read/51235.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The building is featured in [[Matthew Reilly|Matthew Reilly's]] novel ''[[The Six Sacred Stones]]'', where a kamikaze pilot crashes a plane into the hotel, destroying it in an attempt to kill the protagonist, Jack West Jr.

The building was the location of the main challenge of the ninth episode of the Canadian-American animated television series ''[[Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race]]'',<ref name="race">{{cite web|url=http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=2720|title=Press Release|publisher=corusent.com|access-date=16 June 2014|archive-date=15 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715042756/http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=2720|url-status=dead}}</ref> where contestants were tasked to either return a serve from a tennis robot (which resembles a [[Dalek]]) on the hotel's helipad, or squeegee an entire column of the hotel's windows.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Hotels}}
* [[W Barcelona]] (''Hotel Vela'') – skyscraper of similar appearance in Barcelona, Spain (sail)
* [[Oman TiT]] – residential skyscraper of similar appearance in [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]] (sail)
* [[Elite Plaza]] – a similar-shaped skyscraper in Yerevan, Armenia
* [[JW Marriott Panama]] (Panama City) – similar structure
* [[Spinnaker Tower]], Portsmouth – similar structure in Portsmouth, UK
* [[Vasco da Gama Tower]] – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Lisbon, Portugal (sail)
* [[Sail Tower]] – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Haifa, Israel (sail)
* [[List of tallest buildings in the United Arab Emirates]]
* [[List of buildings in Dubai]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Dubai]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |last1=Rose |first1=Steve |title=Architecture: Sand and freedom |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/nov/28/architecture |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 November 2005}}

== External links ==
{{Commons and category|Burj Al Arab|Burj Al Arab}}
* {{Official website}}

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{{S-ach|rec}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Dubai World Trade Center]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of tallest buildings in Dubai|Tallest building in Dubai]]|years=1999&nbsp;– 2000}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Emirates Office Tower]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Jumeirah (hotel chain)}}
{{Tallest hotels}}
{{Dubai skyscrapers}}
{{Supertall skyscrapers|current}}
{{Dubai landmarks}}
{{Portal bar|United Arab Emirates|Architecture}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1999 establishments in the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Artificial islands of Dubai]]
[[Category:Futurist architecture]]
[[Category:High-tech architecture]]
[[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1999]]
[[Category:Postmodern architecture in Dubai]]
[[Category:Skyscraper hotels in Dubai]]