A new hotel in Dubai's Sustainable City is selling itself as all sun and fun ... as the first fully solar-powered hotel in the emirate.
InterContinental Hotels Group announced a deal with Diamond Developers this week for a 170-room Indigo Hotel to open in early 2017.
“Hotel Indigo Dubai The Sustainable City will set us apart – it will be a truly unique hotel, perfect for guests looking for boutique style and design with the story of its exciting new location woven into the very fabric of the property," Pascal Gauvin, IHG chief operating officer for India, the Middle East and Africa, said in a press release.
IHG, which is the world's largest hotel management group, says the facility will be a "Net Zero energy building, where 100 percent of its energy needs will be met by solar power." All wastewater will be recycled, and the hotel will be provide solar-powered shuttle service to Downtown Dubai.
“The Sustainable City will set the standard for environmental standards," said Faris Saeed, CEO of Diamond Developers. "Hotel Indigo is the perfect brand for this new community."
Diamond Developer's Sustainable City is part of Dubai's drive to become one of the most modern cities in the world. The development is expected to open later this year, with 500 villas, car-free zones, electric car charging stations and more than 10,000 trees across 5-million square feet.
With elements such as urban farming, an equestrian center and recycled water lakes, the project is an ambitious attempt to live up to its name. Given how other pie-in-the-sky development projects in Dubai had panned out, we'll wait to pass judgement until we see the final product.