Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022: Floating hotels to be constructed to house fans

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This was published 4 years ago

Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022: Floating hotels to be constructed to house fans

By Craig Platt
The 101-room hotels will be 72 metres long, 16 metres wide and each feature a restaurant and lounge bar.

The 101-room hotels will be 72 metres long, 16 metres wide and each feature a restaurant and lounge bar.

Qatar will build 16 floating hotels to host visitors during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The 101-room hotels will be 72 metres long, 16 metres wide and each feature a restaurant and lounge bar. All 16 will be identical, offering a total of 1616 rooms.

The hotels will be built by "alternative real estate" company Admares for Qetaifan Projects, a subsidiary of Katara Hospitality, the largest hotel owner in Qatar.

All 16 will be identical, offering a total of 1616 rooms.

All 16 will be identical, offering a total of 1616 rooms.

In a press release about the hotels, Admares states that the hotels would be designed to have minimum ecological impact, relying on solar power for their energy needs.

"This is the first time ever that pure floating real estate has been used as a temporary solution for accommodation needs at this scale," said Mikael Hedberg, CEO of Admares.

"These hotels do not require major ports and deep water as their draft is significantly less than large cruise ships."

The hotels will operate on solar power.

The hotels will operate on solar power.

The hotels will float off the shores of Qetaifan Island North, close to Lusail International Stadium, which will host the opening game of the World Cup as well as the final. The artificial island, about 20 kilometres north of Doha has been developed to become one of the key entertainment districts of Qatar, with seven beaches and various other attractions.

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The desert nation has launched various huge construction projects in order to prepare for the world's biggest sporting event.

That includes seven new stadiums using open-air cooling technology to combat the country's high temperatures. The World Cup will also break with tradition by being held in winter to avoid games being played in scorching heat.

Qatar has come under criticism for its treatment of migrant construction workers, with claims that hundreds have died due to working in extreme heat.

The tiny country will also hire two ships from cruise company MSC to act as hotels for visitors during the World Cup. Combined, the ships will provide 4000 cabins.

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