The 1,608-room JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, when it opens its doors in the fourth quarter of the year, will be the tallest dedicated hotel building in the world at a height of 355 metres.

The hotel, which is just 26 metres shorter than the Empire State Building in New York, will open in two phases, with the first section featuring 807 rooms and numerous restaurants and lounges.

In addition to serving the luxury business traveler, the hotel is targeting the lucrative and increasingly important MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) market, which currently does not have a hotel of sufficient scale to host such large groups, a statement said.

In addition to all the dining and entertainment options, the hotel will have two ballrooms, 24 meeting rooms and a total of 5,100 sq m of event space.

'The potential to cater for the growing needs of the global business community is huge and we believe the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai is uniquely placed in that regard,' said Rupprecht Queitsch, general manager.

'The hotel will fill a long identified gap in the market where groups, meetings and conventions of up to 1,000 people can meet, sleep and dine under one roof, in one location. There are businesses of this size choosing various cities around the world in which to meet, but until now, Dubai has not had a single location of this size to accommodate this type of group. In simple terms, we will establish Dubai on the global conference market landscape.'

To give this market some context, the US’ MICE segment, which will be one of the key targets of the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai team, contributes $106 billion to that country's GDP - higher than automotive manufacturing ($78 billion), performing arts/spectator sports/museums ($71 billion) and information and data processing services ($76 billion).

Dubai's excellent air service, especially with the emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies, is expected to create further opportunity.

Nasser Saidi, chief economist for the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), has already noted the growth in Chinese firms coming to Dubai to set up a hub to access the African markets, and China is becoming an increasingly important export partner for the UAE.

'As for general business, Dubai is perfectly positioned, with its proximity to huge growth markets such as India and the fact it has literally billions of people within a five-hour flight range,' said Queitsch.

'What those business travelers are looking for is a hotel that has everything they could possibly need under one roof and we truly believe this iconic new property will set a new standard in business hotels, not just in the region but globally.'

Dining, entertainment & wellness options: The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will offer an enticing array of nine restaurants and five lounges and entertainment venues. The Vault lounge will sit on the 71st and 72nd floors with panoramic views of the city; a yet-to-be named late-night music venue will offer live music daily.

Restaurants will range from Prime 68, a boutique steakhouse, to Atul Kochhar's Rang Mahal Indian restaurant, Positano for Italian coastal cuisine, an Arabic restaurant and La Farine, an attractive boulangerie and social meeting spot.

The 1,500 sq m Saray Spa will offer treatments designed to ensure mind and body renewal. For sun worshippers, an enormous pool deck covers the seventh floor of the hotel with a 32 meter swimming pool and deck with elegant cabanas, lounges and umbrellas. – TradeArabia News Service