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Author: Aoife Moriarty
Pritzker winning architect Zaha Hadid has designed everything from shoes to ski jumps and concert halls to civic buildings. Now the London starchitect’s first ever hotel – set to open in Dubai in 2016 – is due to send even more luxury travellers flocking to the city’s upmarket Burj Khalifa District.
The 250,000sq foot hotel will be housed in The Opus, a striking cube-shaped building designed by Hadid and her team. The focal point of the design, made up of two 21-storey towers, is a free-form void which gives the viewer the illusion that the ‘cube’ is melting, contrasting with its sharp edges.
![ME by Melia Hotel](https://dev-spears.pantheon.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ME20Dubai20exterior20600-1.jpg)
![ME by Melia Hotel Dubai](https://dev-spears.pantheon.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ME20Dubai20atrium20600-1.jpg)
Although Hadid has designed an entire floor of Madrid’s Hotel Puerta America, this is the first time she has conceived both the exterior and interior for a hotel project. New renderings of ME Dubai’s suites and apartments, recently released by her London office, give us a first look inside and they certainly don’t disappoint.
Hadid’s signature curved edges are in evidence, as are floor-to-ceiling views and a predictably whitewashed colour palette. Dubai visitors looking for a tranquil yet futuristic setting are in for a treat, with high tech rooms that fuse separate elements together seamlessly with a ‘sculptural sensibility’.
Burj Khalifa’s newest offering will also feature Michelin-starred dining, entertainment venues, as well as four penthouses with private roof terraces. At a cost of over AED 2.5 billion and with Hadid’s name attached, it’s yet another Dubai real estate investment that’s sure to pay off.
![ME by Melia Hotel Dubai](https://dev-spears.pantheon.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Bedroom20600-1.jpg)
![ME by Melia Hotel Dubai](https://dev-spears.pantheon.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Apartment20600-1.jpg)
![ME Hotel by Melia Dubai](https://dev-spears.pantheon.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Lounge20600-1.jpg)
![ME by Melia Hotel Dubai](https://dev-spears.pantheon.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Garden20600-1.jpg)
(Images courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects)