Types of building Hotels A hotel is an

Types of building Hotels

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, a safe, a mini-bar with snack foods and drinks, and facilities for making tea and coffee. Luxury features include bathrobes and slippers, a pillow menu, twin-sink vanities, and jacuzzi bathtubs. Larger hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a restaurant, swimming pool, fitness center, business center, childcare, conference facilities and social function services.

World record setting hotels Largest In 2006, Guinness World Records listed the First World Hotel in Genting Highlands, Malaysia as the world's largest hotel with a total of 6118 rooms.Similarly, the Venetian Palazzo Complex, in Las Vegas, has the most number of rooms. It has 7117 rooms followed by MGM Grand Hotel, which contains 6852 rooms. Oldest According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest hotel still in operation is the Hoshi Ryokan, in the Awazu Onsen area of Komatsu, Japan which opened in 718. Tallest The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong is claimed to be the world's highest hotel. It is located in the top floors of Hong Kong's tallest building, the 488 meter tall International Commerce Centre.

Many hotels can be considered destinations in themselves, by dint of unusual features of the lodging or its immediate environment: Boutique hotels- boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment; Treehouse hotels - some hotels are built with living trees as structural elements, Straw Bale Hotels - hotel built entirely with straw bales. Bunker hotels The Null Stern Hotel in Teufen, Switzerland and the Concrete Mushrooms in Albania are former nuclear bunkers transformed into hotels. Cave hotels Capsule hotels - capsule hotels are a type of economical hotel that are found in Japan, where people sleep in stacks of rectangular containers. Ice and snow hotels Garden hotels Garden hotels, famous for their gardens before they became hotels, include Gravetye Manor, the home of garden designer William Robinson, and Cliveden, designed by Charles Barry with a rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe. Underwater hotels Other unusual hotel is also The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built on an artificial island, is structured in the shape of a boat's sail.

Burj Al Arab

Burj Al Arab is a 5-star luxury hotel(often misleadingly referred to as 7-star) located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m , it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. Burj Al Arab is a 5-star luxury hotel(often misleadingly referred to as 7-star) located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m , it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship.

Burj Al Arab was designed by British architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory also of WS Atkins. Construction of the Island began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright said "The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, London with Big Ben, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country." The building opened in December 1999. The hotel cost $650 million to build.

Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-meter long concrete piles into the sand. Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took fewer than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel. Burj Al Arab is the world's second tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use).

The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. Despite its size, Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m2, the largest covers 780 m2. Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great influence. Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns. Prices of rooms vary from approximately $1,000 to $27,000 per night. Rooms and suites

Restaurants Al Muntaha("Highest" or "Ultimate"), , is located 200 m above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m from either side of the mast, and is accessed to a panoramic elevator. Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 litres of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm thick.

The hotel is officially rated Five-Star Deluxe. However, it is frequently described as "the world's only seven-Star hotel", although the hotel management claims to never have done that themselves. Rating