The Tallest Hotels in the World!!!

Dubai has become a hotbed for the tourism industry, and some of the grandest and most luxurious hotels have been erected in the country to cater to the influx of the all the world's vacationers who have the cash to spare. Among these hotels are the Burj Al Arab and the Rose Tower, the two tallest hotels in the world.

Hotels already stand as symbols of wealth and luxury, towering above all of us in all their skyscraping glory. Still, in a world where it is especially important to stand out, these two are totally in a class all their own.

The distinction of being the tallest among the tall once belonged to the Burj Al Arab, the iconic sail-like structure that stands at the edge of Dubai. It is to Dubai as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, or the Petronas Twin Towers to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It stood at 321 meters, or 1,050 feet-a remarkable feat considering the hotel's location on top of reclaimed soil.

Many critics had praise for the sheer architectural marvel that is the Burj Al Arab, which literally translates to "Tower of the Arabs." Aside from being on an artificial island, there was a need to keep such a tall structure from being toppled down by the Gulf coast winds. The building had no other neighbors in the vicinity, which meant it had to stand on its own.

Although there were praises, there were also some points given by critics that the structure itself stood for the excess and opulence of the oil-rich Arab nation, prioritizing the structure and the style rather than the practicality and utility of the hotel.

Thanks in part to the technology needed to make the Burj Al Arab's construction possible, room rates in the self-proclaimed "7-star property" are so high that only the wealthiest can book there. With rooms starting at a whopping $1,000 a night and topping out at an astounding $28,000 a night, there's no doubt it takes some serious cash or credit just to be able to book at the hotel.

In 2007, however, the Rose Tower overtook the Burj Al Arab in a veritable battle for the skies. The Rose Tower, otherwise known as the Rose Rotana, reached its full height of 333 meters, or 1,090 feet. With that height, the tower even eclipsed the mark of the incomplete Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea-claiming the title for world's tallest hotel without even a shred of a doubt.

While the Rose Tower's design pales in comparison to the symbolism and the technology present in the Burj Al Arab, it's still noteworthy if only for the feat of being the tallest hotel as well as the futuristic design laden with steel and glass elements, culminating in the spire.

The Rose Tower was completed a couple of years ago, but it isn't scheduled to open its doors to the eagerly awaiting public until later in 2009. When it finally does start letting guests in, there's no doubt that everyone will be able to say that they took their travels to unsurpassed heights.