Everything You Need To Know About Staying At Dubai's Iconic Luxury Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab is one of the most famous luxury hotels in the world and is one of the tallest hotels in the world (although 39% of its height is non-occupiable space). The Burj Al Arab is not only an icon of the United Arab Emirates, it is also an icon of luxurious living all around the world. If in Dubai, then shop at the Dubai Mall, it is one of the largest, most popular, and most luxurious malls in the world.

The Burj Al Arab sits on an artificial island and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is sometimes difficult to grasp just how big the hotel is - being off on a private island by itself, it lacks other skyscrapers for context.

Background and Facts Of The Burj Al Arab

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai and he had the vision to build the most luxurious hotel in the world. He wants a luxury hotel that could also become a powerful icon for his city too. Going to work to fulfill the Sheikh's vision, the architects realized it couldn't be rooted in the past, and so they opted for a futuristic sail-shaped building we see today.

Height: 321 Tall (3 Meters Shorter Than The Eiffel Tower And 60 Meters Shorter Than The Empire State Building)
Doubled Floored: Each Suite is Spread Over Two Floors
Time To Build: 5 Years - Two To Build The Artificial Island and Three To Build The Hotel Itself

The interior of the hotel is truly jaw-dropping, its design is inspired by Arabic styles with a contemporary interpretation. One will be impressed by both its attention to detail and by the size and grandeur of the hotel.

Number Of Rooms: 202 Bedroom Suites

Despite the large size of the hotel, the Burj Al Arab only has 28 floors (double-story floors), and only 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite is 169 m² (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m² (8,400 sq ft).

Tours are Coming To The Burj Al Arab

It is one of the world's most exclusive hotels and it has just opened to the public for touring. Previously one could only access the hotel if one was a guest or dining at its exclusive restaurant.

Tours: 90 Minutes

They will now have a new welcome center and will be offering 90-minute tours with a buggy ride over the 340-meter bridge. When the visitors arrive at the Burj Al Arab (after a traditional welcome - the welcome being a sprinkle of rosewater by Emirati hosts), they will enter the cavernous atrium. At 180 meters the cavernous atrium is the tallest in the world. The CNN describes this massive room as feeling "modern and retro at the same time, an Arabian Nights-meets-Jetsons setting".

Tours Start: 15th October

Going up the escalators, one passes twin aquariums and a fountain dancing to traditional Emirati dance. The jets of water shoot 42 meters up into the air.

The elevator is a glass elevator that shoots the visitors up to the 25th floor (equivalent to the 50th floor in normal buildings). The main attraction on the tour is the opulent Royal Suite, after that there's also exploring the Experience Suite.

Rooms At The Burj Al Arab

There are many luxury rooms to pick from - but don't expect any of them to be affordable! They the prices that are shown are for March 2022. The most expensive suite is the Royal Suite that goes for around $24,000 per night. The Burj Al Arab is one of the most expensive hotels in the world and is particularly popular with the Chinese market.