A two-story luxury condo in Manhattan has just become the most expensive apartment ever sold in New York City. A duplex penthouse spanning the top two floors of the One57 condominium tower was sold for $100.5 million, setting a record for the most expensive residential deal ever completed in Manhattan. The apartment, which spans all of the 89th and 90th floors of the 306-meter tower, with almost 1020 square meters, include 6 bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a steam room, a library, and an indoor movie theater. All apartments of this tower have soaring ceilings, rosewood flooring and custom Italian marble baths. Residents of the building also have access to a gaggle of uber luxe amenities, including a gym, a pool and Jacuzzi, a steam room, a library and a screening room. The trophy tower, which is nearly sold out, has attracted local and foreign buyers. Sales at One57 began in 2011 and reached US$ 1 billion in the first six months, including the last record deal. Another duplex at the building, spanning the 75th and 76th floors, is under contract to be sold for more than $90 million to an investment group that includes Bill Ackman. Earlier we reported, that the prime minister of Qatar was ready to plunk down nearly US$ 100 million for the city's most expensive penthouse - an ultra-luxe, two-story pad atop the under-construction One57 condominium. Now, the duplex penthouse owner name wasn't published. And though $100 million may seem like a lot, New York's priciest penthouse will most likely prove to be a savvy investment as more expensive homes continues to go on sale. Already, a tower on 520 Park Avenue has a penthouse on the market for $130 million, and prices are only expected to climb. Previous price record belonged to the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who bought an apartment in New York for US$ 88 million for his student daughter.

Damac Properties, one the Middle East's largest luxury real estate developers, recently announced that every customer will receive a new car on select luxury property units sold during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). Customers buying a Damac Properties penthouse during DSF will be given a Lamborghini Aventador roadster with their purchase. Buyers in other select Damac Properties units will receive either a BMW or a Mini Cooper, depending on the size of the unit. "Damac Properties' DSF promotion is always highly anticipated and we see some of the best results of the year during this time," Niall McLoughlin, senior vice-president, Damac Properties said. In 2013, penthouse buyers were offered a 2014 Audi R8, buyers of three-bed units will be given an Audi A8, two bedrooms were given an Audi A6 and one bed got an Audi A4. During the economic crisis Dubai housing prices fall by 50 percent, but now the market recovers quickly. In 2013 house prices in Dubai increased by 20-30 percent. The growth mainly is due to the foreign buyers' activity.

Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump unveiled plans to spend US$ 200 million turning the historic Old Post Office Pavilion in the nation's capital into a luxury hotel with 270 rooms and presidential suites with bulletproof windows. Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C. will take up a prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue in between the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Construction will begin in the spring of 2014 and is expected to be completed in late 2015. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray told the audience at the Pavilion that the neighborhood in downtown D.C. has a shortage of hotels despite having plenty of museums, historic landmarks, federal buildings and offices to draw business and leisure travelers. He said the Trump hotel will help "us to define what the hotel industry, what the hospitality industry will be on this side of Pennsylvania Avenue." The Post Office, built in 1899, has been the source of much consternation among local politicians and activists. There have been multiple attempts to demolish it. Right now, it houses a few nondescript shops and fast food eateries. "They have put to rest the saga of the Old Post Office Pavilion," said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who added that she has spent 15 years trying to get the property redeveloped. Trump is leasing the property from the Federal Government for 60 years with the possibility of two 20-year extensions at a monthly rent of US$ 250 thousand. The hotel's 270 rooms will average about 56 square meters. The color palette will feature Federal blues, creams and ivories with soft gold and silver accents and some deep reds. Two presidential suites will be located in the former offices of the Postmaster General. Each will be at least 279 square meters and have three bedrooms. The now-closed 11th Street pedestrian entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue will be reinstated as the driveway to the hotel's canopied grand entrance. Inside, guests will walk into The Cortile, a nine-story atrium with a grand lobby and lounge. Sunlight will filter through a canopy of trees. Furnishings will be in rich jewel tones such as deep red, emerald and sapphire with gold accents. There will be a water sculpture and brass and glass chandeliers. The ground level will also have high-end restaurants and retailers.

In order to serve its rapidly expanding population of more than five million, the ArRiyadh Development Authority has commissioned Zaha Hadid Architects to construct the new King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station in its capital city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Best known in Britain for her design of the Olympics Aquatic Centre, Hadid has again envisaged a curved structure, with the station's undulating form supposedly referencing Saudi Arabia's desert sand dunes. Measuring 20,434 square meters in size, the huge space will feature four public floors as well as two levels of underground parking and is intended to function as a gathering place as well as an interchange. A number of gangways and route within the structure will be incorporated to alleviate congestion and the station will also be connected to the Riyadh monorail via a skybridge. Looking more like the inside of five-star hotel, the proposed network, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will boast a space age design featuring marbled walkways, gold-plated walls and, naturally in one of the hottest places on earth, air conditioning. The facade will apparently be designed to let in light while keeping out the harsh desert sun, while the overall shape is meant to recall the country's wind-blown sand dunes. King Abdullah has instructed the new Riyadh Metro be completed in four years. Prince Khaled bin Bander, the governor of Riyadh, said the project is progressing to plan and the ArRiyadh Development Authority has released details of the city's public transport plan including the six metro lines that will serve as the backbone for public transport in the city.

Monaco, a luxurious Mediterranean city-state renowned for being home to some of the world's wealthiest moguls, will soon boast the world's most expensive penthouse, a residence expected to fetch US$ 387 million when it goes on the market next year. The world's current most expensive penthouse is a US$ 222 million flat in London's One Hyde Park. The penthouse will be housed inside Monaco's tallest building, Tour Odeon, a double-skyscraper standing 170 meters tall. Tour Odeon is due to be completed in July 2014 and will feature 259 units, including 73 private luxury residencies, two 1,200-square meter Sky Duplexes and the five-floor, 3,300-square meter Sky Penthouse. Excavation and demolition work on Tour Odeon began in December 2009. Upon completion it will be the second-tallest tower on the Mediterranean coastline, trailing only the 186-meter Gran Hotel Bali in Spain. The architect of project is Alexander Giraldi. European design agency Alberto Pinto has been tasked with creating interiors that exude "exceptional elegance and comfort," while architect Jean Mus has been chosen to complete the landscape. One of the Tour Odeon penthouse's most talked about features is its spacious outdoor area and private circular infinity pool that can be entered via a water slide. The five-storey penthouse features interiors inspired by the French Belle Epoque era, which is captured in the stenciled floors, marble, slate and earthy color palette that reflects the surrounding landscape of the Liguria Sea. Practical while still exuding elegance, the penthouse features top-notch fittings and finishes. Advanced appliances have been installed in the fully equipped bathroom and kitchen and the entire penthouse offers a centralized home automation system. Sculpturally-inspired light fittings hang in formal areas and throughout the penthouse's private lobby while 360-degree views of the south of France just add to the incredible opulence of the space. It is not only Tour Odeon's penthouse that will benefit from panoramic views, as each apartment throughout the building features floor to ceiling windows and expansive private terraces. Natural light is abundant and the interiors have a timeless and elegant feel. Pools are a prominent feature throughout the structure with Tour Odeon offering an extensive wellness centre, a hammam (Turkish bath), Russian bath, private spa suites and multiple pool options. Encouraging an entrepreneurial lifestyle, the building will include a state-of-the-art business centre, which will serve as professional space for residents who opt to work from home. Each apartment features an integrated touch screen that can be used to organize housekeeping, dry cleaning, valet and car washing service while a full-time concierge, private chauffeured limousines and a cinema are also on offer.