autoevolution
 

World’s First Floating Sea Palace Is the Kempinski Resort, Opens in 2023

When it comes to living a dream life, few other destinations are as ideal for it as Dubai. “The land of unlimited possibilities,” as luxury Swiss hotelier Kempinski calls it, will also be the home of a brand new luxury resort unlike any other in the world.
The Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5-star resort with eco-friendly features 7 photos
Photo: Kempinski Hotels
The Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5-star resort with eco-friendly featuresThe Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5-star resort with eco-friendly featuresThe Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5-star resort with eco-friendly featuresThe Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5-star resort with eco-friendly featuresThe Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5-star resort with eco-friendly featuresThe Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5-star resort with eco-friendly features
Floating villas are slowly gaining popularity with the world’s one-percenters who may or may not be virtue-signaling environmentalists. They are luxurious houseboats that can cruise slowly from one location to another on solar power, docking in exclusive locations as part of a floating resort, and offering all the amenities of a five-star hotel.

For the time being, only that first part has materialized: floating villas do exist, and a handful of rich owners have taken deliveries of their units, but floating resorts remain a dream. Starting with 2023, that will change, as the Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will take the title of world’s first floating resort.

Kempinski is a well-known luxury Swiss hotelier, but obviously, it knows nothing about boats – house-shaped boats, in particular. To deliver this floating resort, it has partnered with Seagate Shipyard, which will build the hulls of the “luxury houseboats” that will serve as satellites to the main floating structure, the hotel itself. The project is one on a huge scale, but Kempinski is convinced it will fit right in with Dubai’s exorbitant and unique hotelier and vacation services, as well as with the discerning clients that use them.

The Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5\-star resort with eco\-friendly features
Photo: Kempinski Hotels
Put it simply, this floating resort will cost a fortune to build, and to live in once completed, even for a short while. This makes Dubai the perfect choice for location – “the land of unlimited possibilities*” (*as long as you’re loaded, we could add), Kempinski says. The Floating Sea Palace will be anchored next to Jumeirah Beach Road, “one of the most exclusive beach stretches in Dubai.”

The resort will be made up of a central platform holding the 156-room hotel, and 12 villas connected to it by pontoons. Details on the main floating platform have not been made public yet, but we do know that the hotel will be made up of four parts connected by a glass pyramid that hides a dock for large yachts right in the middle. If you’re a gazillionaire and you wish to sail right into the hotel without having peasants outside see your gazillionaire face, you can do so.

The hotel itself will be a typical Kempinski establishment, offering five-star amenities, like spa and pools, gourmet restaurants, bars, boutiques and banquet areas. Next to it is another floating platform of a smaller size, housing a helipad. Guests can also arrive to the hotel by boat, either the resort’s or their own. A parking deck offering docking for up to 16 yachts at a time will be provided for the latter case.

Well-heeled guests looking for a bit more independence during their stay can check in at one of the 12 villas floating around. These are actually houseboats, with a flat hull and electric motors, able to cruise on smooth waters at a top speed of 6 knots. Whether guests can take out the villa to sea or not is up to the management of the resort, as certain weather conditions have to be considered. But if their request is granted, they can either have a skipper from the resort on board, or sail it themselves. That said, the villas can’t be taken offshore or anchored elsewhere, so nothing but a short trip will be possible.

The Kempinski Floating Sea Palace will be a floating 5\-star resort with eco\-friendly features
Photo: Kempinski Hotels
Each villa is a two-story structure offering between two and four bedrooms, and the expected luxury amenities. They all have private terrace and private pool, separate quarters for crew and staff, and indoor and outdoor living rooms. They also feature “large panoramic windows and all the technical features of a smart home.” Admittedly, they’re not as fancy and all-inclusive as the floating hotel, but they will make up for it with an increased sense of independence and more privacy.

Kempinski says that villas will be offered for sale and for rent. A price list is not included with the announcement for the 2023 deadline for the project, but considering all of the things above, it’s safe to say it will be of the “if you have to ask (you can’t afford it)” variety.

“Kempinski Floating Palace is envisioned to be positioned as one of its kind – a novelty which guarantees unforgettable moments and an outstanding experience to all guests,” the hotelier says in the same announcement.

Some emphasis is placed on how this floating resort will incorporate environmentally friendly features, like solar-electric propulsion and other unspecified features, but let’s not kid ourselves. This place is just another gazillionaire’s fancy vacation place, and an unattainable dream for everyone else.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories