The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is already one of the world’s most notable—and most photographed—hotels, but it’s about to get even more grand.
The sail-shaped luxury property, which sits on its own artificial island off the shores of the United Arab Emirates, is adding a brand-new outdoor space that will fan out over 300 feet into the ocean.
The hotel, which famously has a fleet of Rolls Royces for its guests to use, doesn’t do anything halfway, and the new outdoor space, called the North Deck, is no exception. The new addition will feature both fresh water and salt water pools and have enough room to accommodate 32 cabanas, 400 sun loungers, a restaurant, and a bar all set against the backdrop of the gulf.
While any hotel addition can face construction difficulties, when your hotel sits on an artificial island, adding more space can be a real challenge, as new land has to be reclaimed from the ocean. The 5,000-ton North Deck was constructed in six separate pieces in Finland’s Rauma Shipyard and is currently en route to Dubai via the sea. It’s expected to arrive in mid-February where it will be lifted onto 90 steel piles sitting in the Arabian Gulf. And while hotel guests will certainly appreciate the new amenities, the ocean inhabitants will, too—the environmentally friendly space will also provide an artificial reef and shade for marine life.
The North Deck is set to officially open to guests at the second quarter of 2016, but ogling the lounge chairs by the pool can begin now:
