Dubai set to become the next Xanadu with 42% of Middle East Hotels pipeline

"New Hotel Openings Will Mostly be Four and Five Star

New Hotel Openings in the Middle East look to be evenly spread over the next few years: 78 hotels in '07, 90 in '08 and 146 in '09.

Of the 304 projects in the Pipeline, 228 having 81,730 rooms, or 82% will be 4 and 5 Star hotels. Most will be iconic, world class structures designed by some of the world's most famous architects. A few are specifically designed to set new 6, even 7 Star standards of luxury; like Kempinski's Emirates Palace Hotel that recently opened in Abu Dhabi and Jumeirah's Burj al Arab which opened earlier in Dubai."'

Dubai has 101 of the 304 projects in the Middle East Pipeline. Their 41,771 rooms represent 42% of the Pipeline total. The average project size is an astonishing 414 rooms.