The Hydropolis hotel, a new luxury underwater hotel, is planned to open in Dubai, off the coast of Jumeirah, in October 2006.

The hotel is costing approximately £300m to build, will be made from a combination of concrete, steel and clear Plexiglass and will have around 220 suites which will be built down to 20 metres in depth.

The brainchild of German architect and designer, Joachim Hauser, suites at the Hydropolis may cost up to £3,500 a night but promise the ultimate “underwater luxury” experience, including bubble-shaped rooms with clear-glass sleeping areas and baths.

Artificial fog clouds will also be created to keep guests cool from the heat of the Middle Eastern sun.

Hotel security, unsurprisingly, will be very high. The multi-level system to be installed includes anti-missile radar and watertight doors that enable whole sections to be individually sealed off.

The hotel will be structured in three elements, comprising a land station of approximately 30,000sq m, connecting tunnel and submarine complex of around 75,000sq m. Linked by a single train system on a double track tunnel, the land station will serve as the reception and welcome centre while the hotel will be located within the submarine complex.

Additional facilities include a ballroom with a panoramic window to the underwater stage, a spa, three restaurants with 150 seats each and a retail area.

The Hydropolis will be receiving promotional support from the Dubai Development and Investment Authority, which will be working with potential investors to secure the rest of the required outlay. It is reported that nearly 20 per cent of the full outlay amount has already been secured.

Although the Hydropolis has been billed by some as the first submarine hotel in the world, that honour goes to Jules’ Underwater Lodge, a converted research laboratory located in Key Largo, Florida, which was named after Jules Verne.

Nonetheless, the new Dubai submarine complex could certainly usher in a new era of luxury hotel constructions. Hauser said in a recent statement: “To receive a location in Dubai for the first underwater luxury hotel worldwide is a notable stroke of good fortune. The progressiveness, the internationality and the open-mindedness in this country is singular without comparison. I am sure that this project will create an international sensation and will also be the beginning of a new era in architecture.” Details: http://hydropolis.com