Interesting Facts about Burj al Arab

Despite its size, the Burj al-Arab holds only 28 double-storey floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites.

The smallest suite of the hotel Burj al Arab occupies an area of 169 square meters (1,819 square feet), the largest covers 780 square meters (8,396 square feet).

Burj al Arab is one of the most expensive hotels in the world to stay in. The cost of staying in a suite begins at $1,000 per night and increases to over $15,000 per night; the Royal Suite is the most expensive, at $28,000 per night.

The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 meters offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 40-meter long concrete piles into the sand. The foundation is held in place not by bedrock, but by the friction of the sand and silt along the length of the piles.

It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, and less than three years to construct the building itself.

The building contains over 70,000 cubic meters of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.

The total cost to construct the hotel was $650 million.

It is the world's tallest structure with a membrane façade and the world's tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use) and was the first 5-star hotel to surpass 1000 ft (305 m) in height.

Burj al Arab has a 24 meter ( 79 feet ) wide helipad which is 210 meters above the ground.