Top 10 Middle East hotels they haven't built
Remember the days when a spectacular new project was announced every three minutes?
Money was no object (or so developers believed) and the landscape of the Middle East was changing by the day.
And then it all stopped. This is a look at some of those projects that fell foul to the ruthless sword of the economic crash and a couple of other hotels that simply didn’t have the legs to open.
1. Trump International Hotel & Tower, Dubai
Trump International Hotel & Tower was a proposed 62-storey mixed use tower and hotel at the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. It was a joint venture between the Trump Organization and Dubai-based Nakheel, announced on October 5, 2005.
The hotel was expected to boast 300 rooms and several star studded gala events in Los Angeles and New York in 2008 helped build the hype around the towers.
At one point the project’s penthouse became the most expensive property in Dubai with one buyer offering AED11,100 ($3,022) a sq ft, - almost AED110m for the whole unit.
But the project fell afoul of the global credit crunch in 2008 and rumours soon circulated that the project was unlikely to open its doors.
It was officially cancelled by Nakheel in February 2011, with reports the site will be converted into a shopping mall for Palm Jumeirah Island. The original design featured a circular tower surrounded by four golden petals attached to the sides.
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2. Anantara Towers
The Anantara Towers is a group of three towers in Jumeirah Lake Towers Free Zone in Dubai, well at least they are meant to be.
The three proposed towers are Anantara Hotel, Jumeirah Lake Apartments, and Jumeirah Lake Offices. Anantara Hotel is the tallest of the three with 45 floors, standing at 234 metres (768 feet). The other two towers have a height of 219 metres (719 ft), with 40 floors.
Although construction began, they are currently on-hold due to a change of contractor. They were scheduled to be completed in 2008.
The hotel was meant to comprise of 265 rooms and suites and 208 serviced apartments with signature restaurants and spas.
But in 2009 Anantara said the project was on hold. The project was later given a launch date of Q1, 2010, but we wouldn’t suggest you head there for dinner just yet.
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3. The Burj Al Alam
The Burj Al Alam (World Tower) was a proposed 108-story, 510 m hyperboloid (an architectural structure designed with hyperbolic geometry) skyscraper in the Business Bay area of Dubai.
It was meant to consist of 74 floors of office space, a retail area at the base, and a high-end hotel and serviced apartments in the top 27 floors. A luxury 5-star hotel section would contain the highest hotel rooms in the world. The building would also feature a six-storey crown that was going to contain a Turkish bath, sky garden and other club facilities.
Ground breaking occurred on 12 November 2006 with the tower slated for completion in 2009, but the project was dogged by delays in payments from investors due to the global financial crisis.
Construction of the tower was put on hold just after piling work on the foundations was completed. A report in 2009, at which point the main contractor for construction had not yet been selected, stated the structure was expected to be completed in 2012; however they will need to get a move on as there has been no sign of activity.
The official website has expired and the foundations are full of water – maybe they can turn it into a swimming pool instead?
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4. Meraas Tower
Meraas Tower was meant to be a 600 m tall tower rising proudly over Jumeirah Garden City, Dubai.
The tower design had a series of faceted surfaces that would help light and air travel throughout the building, maximise energy generation, balance natural light, and offer 360-degree views of the city below.
There were also going to be natural atrium spaces as the building ascended, allowing the creation of naturally lit sky gardens.
Meraas Tower was to include 300,000 square meters of hotel, convention, commercial and retail spaces. However, in 2009, the tower was cancelled, which if you think about it saved a lot more energy than if the building had been built.
5. Nakheel Tower
Touted to be the tallest tower ever built, Nakheel Tower by developer Nakheel was going to be the talk of the world.
Speculation was rife as to what dizzy height the tower would ultimately reach.
According to officials at Nakheel, the tower was originally designed to be at least 700 m tall and have more than 160 floors, although an early render showed the tower with more than 200 floors.
Companies involved in the project reported an initial height expectation of 1,600 m, which was later reduced to 1,200 m. In July, 2007, Nakheel CEO Chris O'Donnell was reported to have said that "height isn't everything" and suggested that Al Burj might not be any taller than the Burj Khalifa, which is 828 m. Yet only a week later, Nakheel reaffirmed that the tower would be taller than one kilometre and a report on June 20, 2008 claimed that the tower was planned to be 1,400 metres tall.
Ultimately though, they could have said it was going to be tall enough to reach the moon (363,104,000 metres if you are interested) as in January 2009, it was announced that the project was put on hold due to financial problems.
As a result of the Dubai World 2009 debt standstill, Nakheel Group's financial problems increased considerably and the tower was consequently cancelled in December 2009.
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6. Lighthouse Tower
The Lighthouse Tower, designed by architectural firm Atkins, was going to join the towers in DIFC with its 66 floors rising up 402 metres into the Dubai Skyline.
What made this tower with hotel so interesting was its emphasis on being eco-friendly.
The tower would rise as two separate towers, bridged from level 10, all the way up to approximately 300 meters above ground. The structure was to hold a number of skygardens.
Three large 225 kW wind turbines, 29 meters in diameter, on the building's south facing side were going to generate electricity.
The building was also going to be clad in 4,000 solar panels to generate additional electricity.
It was estimated the tower would reduce its overall energy consumption by 65%, and its water consumption by 40% in comparison to an equivalent building.
There was even going to be an environmental visitor centre at the base of the towers.
However, 2009, the year of tower culling, claimed yet another well-intentioned victim.
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7. Four Seasons Festival City
“Four Seasons, the world’s most exclusive luxury hotel brand, has found its first home in the UAE within Dubai Festival City. The stunning 400 room waterside hotel will include ultra-exclusive residential apartments and a splendid range of luxurious amenities and services that the Four Seasons is world famous for.” Four Seasons Press Release.
Moving in date was 2006, but things didn’t go according to plan. While the Four Seasons Golf Club (now Al Badia operated by IHG) swung into life, the hotel project stalled.
Al-Futtaim Group recently stated its intention for new partners with managing director of Al-Futtaim Capital Marwan Shehadeh adding the company was exploring JVs to “get the projects off the ground”.
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8. Element Abu Dhabi
In 2008 Starwood Hotels announced the debut of its long-stay Element brand outside North America, a new-build property in Abu Dhabi due to open in 2011.
The hotel was to feature 270 extended-stay units, located in Abu Dhabi's $2.3 billion Capital Centre, a mixed-use development.
A spin-off from the group’s Westin brand, Starwood placed particular emphasis on green construction and design techniques for the new Element concept.
However in 2011 the company said the first Starwood Hotels and Resorts Element hotel planned for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) had been put on hold.
"The project is delayed. Unfortunately, we are unable at present to provide a likely opening date. As we get more information from the developers, we will pass it on," Guido de Wilde, Starwood's senior vice president and regional director — Middle East, said in comments published by us.
A spokesperson from Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), master-developer of Capital Centre, confirmed: “The project is currently on hold pending a review of market conditions.”
The property was expected to feature 36 studios, 144 one-bedroom guest rooms and 90 two-bedroom units, a restaurant, swimming pool and fitness centre.
9: Sky Bridge, Abu Dhabi
New York architect Eytan Kaufman's Sky Bridge Hotel in Abu Dhabi was going to be a 264-room hotel suspended in a blimp-like structure over a bridge that connected the main island to Lulu Island.
There were plans for 40 suites, a conference area, restaurants, roof gardens retail space and a pedestrian promenade.
However, once again financial pressures pushed this design into the trash can, although we hope Kaufman will one day have his dream hotel realised.
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10. Hyatt Regency Kuwait
Kuwait Hotels Company had plans in place to build a stunning hotel in Kuwait City. The Hyatt Regency pictured was one of the proposals for the project, But it wasn’t a victim of the world economic crash.
It was due to start in 1975 and be completed in 1977 at a cost of 33,000,000 KD (US $117 million).
The site of the Hyatt Regency Kuwait on Kuwait Bay was to overlook a traditionally landscaped Arab park in downtown Kuwait City. The focus of the six-storey, 586 room luxury hotel was going to be a large landscaped atrium lobby. Restaurants, commercial space, recreational facilities, service amenities and the hotel rooms were to look on the atrium.
There were also plans for an adjoining conference centre, similar in character to the United Nations General Assembly Hall, with seating for 700.
Recreational activities such as swimming and boating and the hotel's health club were to be linked to the hotel by an underpass to the beach.
The plans were never taken on, and in our opinion, Kuwait missed out on an iconic hotel.