A Pyongyang, North Korea, hotel with the nickname 'the hotel of doom' has seen building work recommence after a hiatus of 16 years.

Designed by Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers, construction of the 300m (984ft)-tall Ryugyong Hotel began in 1987 and it should have been opened in 1989. At that time it could have been the tallest hotel in the world and its seventh largest skyscraper, with 3,000 rooms, seven revolving restaurants, casinos, nightclubs and lounges occupying 360,000sq m (3.9m sq ft) across 105 floors. However, the opening date was delayed due to construction and material supply problems and building work halted completely in 1992 because of, amongst other things, funding problems and electricity shortages.

It is now reported that an Egyptian company, Orascom, has started refurbishing the top floors of the structure, putting glass panels into its concrete shell, fitting cladding to the walls and erecting telecommunications antennae. According to Orascom, the main goal is to make the tower more attractive, with work is expected to be finished by 2012. This would coincide with the 100th anniversary year of the birth of Kim Il Sung, ex-leader of the secretive East Asian state.

Estimates by South Korean observers say the cost of finishing the hotel and making it safe will be about US$2bn (£1.2bn, 1.37bn euro), more than ten per cent of the entire annual GDP of North Korea.