Swiss hotel brand Kempinski is breaking tradition to launch an ultra-luxury floating hotel off the coast of Dubai, complete with seaworthy satellite villas. Jenny Southan Reporting
Opening planned for 2023, luxury hotel group Kempinsky plans to open a floating hotel in Dubai, with 12 satellite “houseboat villas” surrounding it that can undertake their own micro-trips along the coast.
The Kempinski Floating Palace, as it will be known, will be located next to one of the most exclusive beaches in the emirate on Jumeirah Beach Road and will be built by the Emirati company Seagate Shipyard.
Arriving guests will be transported to the 156-room hotel by speedboat (either their own or Kempinski’s) with drop-offs at a mooring deck that can accommodate up to 16 yachts. There will also be a floating helipad for helicopter transfers.
The main hotel building will be organized into four parts. At its center will be a glass pyramid atrium, beneath which will be gourmet waterfront restaurants, bars, a spa, pools, shops and banquet spaces. There will even be room for yachts to get in and out.Meanwhile, the 12 floating villas will be connected to the main building by pontoons. Some will be for sale, while others will be available for short-term stays by hotel guests.
Each of the two-story floating residences will have between two and four bedrooms, plus a rooftop terrace, indoor and outdoor living rooms, panoramic windows, smart home technology and infinity pools. There will also be staff and crew accommodation.
What’s really interesting is that seaworthy villas can also move to new locations, cruising at a maximum speed of six nautical miles thanks to solar panels that provide emission-free power.
Mohamed El Bahrawy, CEO and Founder of Seagate Shipyard, said, “It’s exciting to see that for the first time a brand of Kempinski’s caliber will manage a floating hotel of such magnitude, and we are confident that our hotel will soon be one of Dubai‘s top tourist attractions. It will undoubtedly occupy an iconic position among floating hotels around the world. 
Seagate Shipyard was founded in 2017 in Dubai and sees itself as a pioneer in building floating facilities in the region. Kempinski’s floating hotel will be built in dry dock in Dubai before being installed at sea.
The company relies on the experience of sister company Giza Shipyard, the leading Egyptian company in the construction and maintenance of floating installations since 1984 in more than ten countries around the world.
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