The vision for Jumeirah Burj Al Arab began with an ambitious directive from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: create a global symbol for Dubai - one so instantly recognisable that it could stand alongside the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, and the Statue of Liberty. 

Rising from the Arabian Gulf like a sail caught in the wind, Jumeirah Burj Al Arab has, for more than two decades, embodied Dubai’s audacity and ambition. Its very name, The Tower of the Arabs, reflects a cultural pride and a regional identity that the structure carries with striking elegance. Since its unveiling in 1999, the hotel has become inseparable from Dubai’s global image: a gleaming emblem of possibility, standing guard over the city’s shoreline. 

Every resident can recount a personal memory of seeing its silhouette illuminated at night – a structure that inspires an unexpectedly sentimental pull. During its launch, one journalist famously declared that it must be rated ‘seven stars’ out of five. Hyperbole perhaps, yet for many the building evokes exactly that: a sense of wonder that photographs can never quite capture. 

Beyond its gleaming façade lies a story of vision, resilience, and extraordinary craftsmanship: It is a story of the architects, designers, and artisans who transformed an ambitious sketch into one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world. 

 
Iconic Design

The architectural identity of Jumeirah Burj Al Arab is rooted in the region’s maritime heritage. Tasked with designing the building, British architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins turned to the iconic shape of an Arabian dhow sail. One evening, he sketched the first outline on a napkin while sitting at the once then Chicago Beach hotel – a simple drawing that would evolve into the 321-meter-tall structure known today. 

Constructed on a man-made island 280 metres from the coastline, the hotel required pioneering engineering. More than 230 massive concrete piles, each driven 40 meters deep into the seabed, support the island – a foundation that ensures the building remains resilient against shifting sand and tides. The result is a superstructure that appears to float above the sea, connected to the mainland by a private curving causeway. 

Inside, the design is equally dramatic. The atrium, the tallest of its kind in the world, rises over 180 metres, its vertical sweep accentuated by towering golden columns and a kaleidoscope of geometric colour. It is a space that feels both theatrical and palatial, its scale echoing the ambition that shapes the entire project. 

The interiors, led by celebrated designer Khuan Chew of KCA International of a design competition, combine Arabesque influences with bold contemporary luxury. Over 30 different types of Statuario marble - the same prized stone used by Michelangelo – cloak nearly 24,000 square metres of flooring and walls. Approximately 1,790 square metres of 24-carat gold leaf shimmer across interior surfaces, catching light in subtle, glowing layers. Even the smallest details were made to dazzle: 86,500 hand-fixed Swarovski crystals embellish mirrors and features within the hotel.

The Art of Service 

The hotel’s architecture may turn heads, but it is the human touch that defines its soul. At Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, service is elevated to an art form. Guests are greeted with the hotel’s signature Marhaba ritual: rose water, refreshing cold towels, dates, and aromatic Arabic coffee – a gesture rooted in centuries-old Arabian hospitality. 

Each suite is assigned a dedicated butler trained to anticipate needs before they arise. On grounds, Musafir, the hotel’s resident camel whose name means ‘traveller’ in Arabic, offers guests a symbolic walk, a nod to the desert journeys that once connected this region.

For travel across the city, a fleet of Rolls-Royces stand ready ensuring that even a simple airport transfer feels like an extension of the hotel’s rarefied world. 


Dining Reimagined
 
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab has long been a culinary destination in its own right. Each restaurant is conceived not just as a dining venue but as chapter in the hotel’s larger narrative of craftmanship. 
At SAL, contemporary Mediterranean flavours meet laid-back beachside elegance beside the shimmering Terrace. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Michelin-starred Al Muntaha reached via a high-speed elevator – serves refined French and Italian cuisine suspended 200 metres above the sea with sweeping views of the Dubai coastline. 

Ristorante L'Olivo at Al Mahara, immerses diners in an underwater universe framed by a living reef aquarium, where the culinary identity originally shaped by Chef Andrea Migliaccio – reinterprets the flavours of Capri with delicate precision. In contrast, Al Iwan offers the warmth and generosity of Arabian hospitality in a setting of gilded columns and rich textiles, serving timeless mezze, grills, and Levantine classics.

Moments of pause are equally memorable. Sahn Eddar, the hotel’s grand atrium lounge, reimagines afternoon tea with delicate patisserie by Chef Tom Coll, and it is here that the signature Gold Cappuccino is served, dusted with 24-carat gold leaf. Elsewhere, mixologists at Gilt and Skyview Bar & Lounge craft beverages that match the view: creative, surprising, and distinctly Dubai. 

A Legacy That Endures

From its first conceptual sketch to its current status as one of the world’s most photographed buildings, Jumeirah Burj Al Arab has shaped Dubai’s narrative like no other structure. It has become a symbol not only of luxury but of imagination — a reminder of what can be achieved when bold ideas are given room to flourish.

Its influence reaches far beyond the realm of hospitality. Over the years, the hotel has welcomed global personalities, staged cultural milestones, and pioneered architectural innovation. It also plays a meaningful role in the community as home to the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project, which has successfully returned more than 2,000 rescued turtles to the Arabian Gulf. Even its helipad has achieved iconic status, serving as a backdrop for headline-making sporting feats and cultural spectacles broadcast around the world.

Today, more than twenty-five years after it first redefined global luxury, Jumeirah Burj Al Arab continues to inspire. It remains the building that announced Dubai to the world and the icon that still, every night, lights up the horizon with a promise of possibility.