It’s common knowledge that Dubai, on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf, is well-known as a business hub extraordinaire with a dry desert climate.
But by 2019, visitors to this iconic city of skyscrapers and high-rises will find a much different attraction should they decide to stay at the Rosemont Hotel and Residences, currently under construction. It reflects a modern city where innovative development shapes the destination.
This five-star hotel, a two-tower property owned by the Saudi Arabia-based Royal International group, will feature a 75,000-square-foot outdoor rainforest, complete with an sand-less beach and splash pool. Moreover, it will also provide an adventure play area for children, a trampoline park, laser tag area, and indoor bowling alley.
The first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the hotel will be spread over 13,000 square metres, and many of the extras will be developed inside a five-storey podium that will serve as a pedestal between the two towers, each 53 storeys high.
Designed by ZAS Architects Dubai, this $550-million (U.S.) creation goes way beyond the norm when it comes to unique offerings. There will be robotic luggage handlers and a glass-bottomed sky pool that lights up at night, but its pièce de résistance will be the man-made rainforest.
Besides the splash pool, there will be a ‘prehistoric marsh’ with a ‘tropical mist’ spraying through trees, waterfalls, streams, a rainforest café and trails. This will be done by using stored recycled water to create the humidity, mirroring a real tropical rainforest environment.
Designers also tout the site’s ‘sensory rain system that will create a 360-degree experience, providing the sensation of being surrounded by rainfall without actually getting wet.’
Besides the obvious wow factor, it should be noted that the Rosemont Hotel and Residences is actually combining advanced design, digital technology and the natural world. It’s a first-of-its-kind hybrid, operated by Hilton’s Curio Collection.
Set against the dynamic backdrop of an ever-evolving skyline, Rosemont’s architecture will capture a contemporary Dubai. Animated and dynamic, the bold façades will reflect the city’s vibrant pulse. Inspired by reflection, light and texture, Rosemont’s evocative design is expected to transport guests into nature’s most exotic destinations – from the lush tropical rainforest to an alluring digital underwater world, or cosmic experience.
The hotel tower is conceptualized as a flowing river, with the façade’s dynamic lighting enhancing the architecture. Wrapping around the tower, lighting will spiral around the podium, which, in turn, will shape the dynamic form. Representing shells and pearls, moving lights will illuminate the tower’s apartment area in a pattern inspired by atomic, orbital rings.
After spiraling around the hotel’s façade, lighting will then dive directly into the projected pool from above, and continue to flow through the bottom of the pool into the lower level, highlighting canopies.
All in all, this should mean a breathtaking experience for guests. And that sensory experience will begin immediately upon their arrival as the advanced technology will transform the upper ground floor drop-off area with ever-changing 3D projections, ranging from lush rainforests to underwater scenes.
Two separate, opulent lobbies accessible from the upper ground floor drop-off area will provide exclusive and private access for guests. Visitors to the rainforest and entertainment area will arrive from a third, separate lobby, connecting to the entertainment podium.
Steps inside the upper ground-floor hotel lobby, guests will be welcomed by robotic luggage handling, digital waterfalls, and evocative hi-tech projections. High-speed elevators will transport guests to check-in on the 26th floor sky lobby, with magnificent views of the Gulf and city beyond. A floating kinetic sculpture will be suspended above, with shimmering LEDs moving slowly to create a mystical, ever-changing visual centerpiece.
Visitors will have a choice of accommodation options, from executive rooms to junior suites to designer suites, with a 6,300-square-foot presidential suite topping things off. Bars and rooftop lounges, many with exclusive features, will also be available, along with event space, meeting rooms, private pools, aqua massage, wet spa, private treatment rooms and ice room.
Promoted as a new global hospitality brand, there’s little doubt this project will be quickly recognized as a unique ultra-luxury urban resort destination.
