2022 World Cup: New $1.6bn Hotel, Expo Centre Planned In Doha

A new $1.6 billion 1000-plus room hotel and expo centre has been proposed ahead of the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, its designer has revealed.

The Silver Pearl Hotel, designed by New York-based firm M. Castedo Architects, will be located one and a half kilometers off shore near Doha.

Pending approval, the project would be developed by Qatari hotel developer and operator Katara Hospitality, a statement said.

The luxury property will consist of two semicircular 30 storey towers separated by a vaulted, climate controlled atrium over gardens with an open view to the ocean.

An adjacent structure will house a conference and exposition center as well as a recreational landscaped roof deck to be located above a multistory parking facility.

The rooms and suites will be designed to showcase the country’s “rich cultural heritage and visual traditions,” the statement said.

The project will also feature a range of restaurants and high-end retail commercial spaces.

At night, the building’s stainless steel glass exterior will be lit with LEDs, and its reflection will “create an illusion of a shimmering pearl glowing in the sea,” the statement said.

The estimated cost of $1.6 billion includes the supporting infrastructure, but excludes the interior construction and fit out of the restaurants and commercial spaces, it added.

Visitors can access the venue by a four-lane elevated causeway, private yacht or by helicopter.

The complex has been engineered to be elevated above the seabed to allow for unimpeded currents and minimum environmental impact.

“A major environmental consultant with extensive marine experience in the area will be responsible for making sure that lessons learned on existing projects such as The Palm and The World in nearby Dubai are incorporated in the development of this particular site,” the statement added.

Qatar is investing heavily in ramping up infrastructure and related tourist facilities ahead of the major football tournament in 2022. In March this year, officials said that the country plans to expand the number of hotel rooms to 95,000 in 2022 from the existing 15,000.

However, a recent report by Samba Financial Group said the country could face oversupply in hotel rooms post the tournament.

The 13,551 hotel rooms that the Qatar Tourism Authority recorded at the end of 2013 achieved an average occupancy rate of 65 per cent during the year by attracting 1.2 million visitors, the report said.

“Although the recent growth of the tourism industry in Qatar has been robust, it will be difficult for the country to achieve the level of visitor growth which will garner enough demand to support a 400 per cent expansion in the number of hotel rooms in eight years,” it added.