Asian-based hotel group Alila Hotels & Resorts will open its first hotel in Oman at the end of 2014. The luxury establishment will be set in the Jabal Akhdar mountain range, a region of the Sultanate that has seen limited tourist development, two hours' drive from the capital Muscat. This new hotel called Alila Jabal Akhdar will offer 78 rooms, six suites and two royal suites as well as a hillside restaurant. There will also be a pool, a spa, a fitness center and an event space. This establishment at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level will offer all its visitors a luxurious retreat in a part of the sultanate that is largely unknown to tourists. This hotel will be the group's first establishment in the Middle East. Alila also has plans to open more establishments in Indonesia, China and Europe.

The second phase of the tallest hotel scheme in the world is to start in Dubai. The Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid ordered the start of the second phase of Emirates Group's twin tower JW Marriott Marquis Dubai hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road after being shown around the first phase, an 804 room tower, which opened to the public earlier this month. The hotel, which is scheduled to be completed in late 2014 or early 2015, will eventually have 1,600 rooms, making it Dubai's biggest hotel by room number. And at 355 meters tall, the structures will be only 26 meters shorter than the Empire State Building in New York. The hotel also boasts the largest function room in the Middle East and 19 restaurants.

The first tower of the world's tallest hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, has opened its doors adding 804 rooms, reported Arabian Business. Earlier this year, the official site of Marriott Hotel announced, that the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will open its doors to guests in Q4 this year. Officially recognized as the world's tallest hotel at a height of 355 meters, only 26 meters short of the Empire State Building in New York, the JW Marriott Marquis has been dubbed Dubai's first world-class convention and business destination hotel. The hotel is opening in several phases, with its first tower of 804 rooms and suites in its soft opening phase, and with three of the final nine restaurants. By January, the hotel will have all nine restaurants and five bars and lounges open, with a grand opening scheduled to take place in February. The 82-storey, 1,608-room hotel represents another record-breaking structure for a city that already boasts the tallest building and the largest shopping mall. Till now the tallest dedicated hotel building in the world was Rose Rayhaan in Dubai. 72 story's, 333 meters high and certified as the World's tallest hotel by Guinness Records hotel building opened its doors in 2010. But the world's highest located hotel is Ritz-Carlton housed in 484 meters high International Commerce Center in Hong-Kong. It is situated on 102-118 floors.

"Hyatt Hotels" Corporation announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into an agreement with "Ginekar" Limited Liability Company for a Hyatt Place hotel in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, reported The Financial. Hyatt Place Yerevan is the First Hyatt Place hotel in CIS countries and the third Hyatt Place hotel under development in Europe, joining Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport and Hyatt Place Zurich Airport. Slated to open in the spring of 2013, Hyatt Place Yerevan will offer 96 guestrooms, in addition to more than 120 square meters of meeting space, an open market with made-to-order meals and snacks around the clock, a restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner; a bar; a four-station e-room, and a well-equipped fitness center. As Hyatt Hotels Corporation reported, the hotel will be located next to Republic Square, the heart of Yerevan's city center, and is in close proximity to the Government House, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Gallery, and Abovyan Street, the city's main thoroughfare with many boutiques, cafes and gift shops. "We are pleased to introduce the Hyatt Place brand to a city that is undergoing major commercial and development enhancements and transformations," said Peter Norman, Senior Vice President - Acquisitions and Development for Hyatt International - Europe, Africa, Middle East LLC. . "We are proud to develop the first Hyatt Place hotel in Armenia," said Samvel Sargsyan, Chairman of the Board, Ginekar Limited Liability Company. "The Hyatt Place brand is a unique and refreshing concept, and we believe that this will be a very successful hotel serving business and tourist visitors to the Armenian capital."

Polish firm Deep Ocean Technology has unveiled the latest of Dubai's outlandish architectural endeavors - the Water Discus Hotel - which is to be comprised of a series of sci-fi styled discs, one of which will be positioned 10 meters underwater with twenty-one hotel rooms. Offering guests a view directly into the Persian Gulf from the beds of their modest two-person rooms, the hotel is to be constructed by shipyard firm Drydocks World. In addition to the unusual accommodation, the proposed hotel is to include a diving center, underwater tourist vehicles, a spa, garden areas, an above-water terrace, and a helipad for guests. As reported The World Architecture News, ship repair, conversion and construction firm Drydocks World has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BIG InvestConsult AG, a Swiss company representing Polish firm Deep Ocean Technology (DOT)0 which has developed highly innovative designs for an underwater hotel. The proposal still needs to be refined but currently suggests a Water Discus Hotel in Dubai. Dubai announced plan to construct another underwater hotel, Hydropolis, in 2006. The project cost was estimated US$ 480 million, and it was assumed to be as one of the world's most expensive hotels, home to an array of facilities including a cosmetic surgery clinic and a marine biological research laboratory. After a series of delays, the hotel remained only on the paper. This latest-intentionally-submerged project, looks to have the backing to become a reality. And, if not constructed in the planned location, Deep Ocean Technology have made design plans adaptable to varying sea levels. Formed of a 'stacked' structure of discs, DOT explains that "Each design will be tailor-made to suit its future users and local conditions, such as the shape of the coastal line and depth of water around the coral reef." And if that particular area of Dubai were to fall out of fashion for any reason, well, DOT has thought of that: "If any changes in environmental or economic conditions occur, the Water Discus modules can be transferred to a different place. This offers a unique opportunity to live underwater on a permanent basis with unlimited options to change locations." The discs which form the hotel are themselves surprisingly versatile. Mounted atop three legs and a vertical shaft containing an elevator and stairway, the discs themselves are interchangeable. From an interior design standpoint, this allows for renovations to be conducted offsite, with minimal disruption to business. Equipped with monitoring and warning systems for safety, the above water discs have "positive buoyancy, which means they can be used as lifesaving vessels after being detached from the main body of the upper disc."