The world’s first luxury underwater hotel will be inaugurated in Dubai this December. A £300 million, 220-suite hotel designed and developed by Joachim Hauser, the Hydropolis is located 20m beneath the surface of the Arabian Gulf near the scenic Jumeirah Beach coastline. This stretch of coastline, on which the Hyrdopolis resides, actually belongs to the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Unlike Jules' Underwater Lodge, which we featured in a recent entry, guests need not dive to reach this subaquatic retreat. Instead, they will be transported by trains via connecting tunnels to the Land Station.

This is a 120m semi-circular structure that arches over a multi-storey building, housing amongst other facilities, a cosmetic surgical clinic, marine biological research laboratory, restaurant, and high-tech cinema. A children’s seaworld has also been planned. Upon reaching the Hydropolis, one will come face-to-face with a submarine leisure complex of restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, and theme suites. 

At its heart is a ballroom that connects to every storey of the hotel, and is installed with a petal-like retracting roof for staging of open-air events. Hauser’s company, Crescent Hydropolis Resorts PLC is already lining up a chain of similar-concept underwater hotels, which have attracted interest from several countries.

www.crescent-hydropolis.com