The 10 most expensive hotels in the world to build each cost over a billion dollars. Hotels nowadays are a very competitive business. In order to outdo each other, hotels tend to spend on extravagances and features that are extremely expensive to incorporate. Simply featuring a large sized pool, a gym, a spa and a large car park is not enough to cut it anymore. Now, hotels often feature casinos, helipads, giant ballrooms and a myriad of other facilities. Of course, these amenities don’t come cheap, which is why the bill for building a hotel can run into hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars.
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The United States has hundreds if not thousands of major hotels all around the country. Some of them are extremely ostentatious, catering to the wealthy and their every whim and desire, as evidenced in the 11 most expensive hotels in New York City. On the other hand, countries like Macau, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia all have invested heavily in hotels in order to encourage tourists from around the world. It is not a surprise that all the countries whose hotels have made the list have a high level of tourism. In fact, the United States, which is the most visited country in the world, has 4 entries in the 10 most expensive hotels in the world to build. We have adjusted the cost while accounting for inflation as well, in order to create a more accurate ranking.
10. The Palazzo
Cost of hotel: $2.03 billion
Opened in 2007, The Palazzo is located on the Las Vegas Strip in the United States. The hotel was cited by Guinness as the largest hotel in the world, with 67 square meters per guest room. Construction of the hotel started in 2005 and was inaugurated on 30 December 2007, just in time for New Year’s Eve. The hotel features an extravagant casino as well.
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9. Bellagio
Cost of hotel: $2.3 billion
Bellagio is another hotel resort and casino which is located on the Las Vegas Strip in the United States. The entire resort has nearly 4,000 rooms, and features an 8-acre lake, which hosts a magnificent dancing fountain. In addition, the hotel, which opened in 1998, employs around 7,000 people. Other facilities offered by the hotel include a conservatory, botanical gardens which change with the seasons and a fine art gallery.
8. City of Dreams
Cost of hotel: $2.6 billion
A combination of a huge casino, shopping center and a hotel, this building is located in Macau, where it was opened just a few years ago in 2009. In addition to 1,400 guest rooms, this resort features a 420,000 square feet casino, which hosts over 400 gaming tables and over a 1,000 gaming machines. It also has over a dozen options for beverages and eating.
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7. Venetian Macau
Cost of hotel: $2.9 billion
Whatever the City of Dreams can do, the Venetian Macau can do better. Located in China, this extravagant resort feature nearly 3,000 suites with the presidential suite featuring four bedrooms, and a casino which can host 800 gambling tables and 3,400 gambling machines. There’s even an arena for sporting events which can seat over 15,000 people.
6. Wynn Resort
Cost of hotel: $3.28 billion
Las Vegas features for the third time on the list of 11 most expensive hotels in the world to build, with the Wynn Resort, which was opened in 2005. The Wynn Resort has spared no expense in lavishness and quality, ensuring that it is one of the highest rated hotels in the world, winning five stars in every category according to a ranking made by Forbes. The hotel features a Ferrari-Maserati dealership and a waterfall which is located on a 3-acre lake. Further attractions include a golf course, the only golf course on the Las Vegas Strip.
5. The Cosmopolitan
Cost of hotel: $4.2 billion
Another hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip in the United States, The Cosmopolitan is one of the more recent examples on this list, having opened in 2010. The hotel also features a giant casino, a huge theater, a lavish spa and a significant amount of space has been dedicated to meeting/conference rooms. It has regularly been rated as one of the best hotels in he world by a variety of websites and magazines.
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4. Emirates Palace
Cost of hotel: $3.65 billion
Located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in order to showcase Arab culture, it is a prime example of being ostentatious, with some saying it is beyond a five-star hotel. The hotel is located on a private beach which runs for 1.3 kilometers. The hotel has 300 rooms and nearly a hundred suites, with most of the suites being decorated in marble and gold. The hotel’s top floor is reserved entirely for dignitaries and royalty.
3. Resorts World Sentosa
Cost of hotel: $5.38 billion
Located in Singapore, the Resorts World Sentosa employs over 10,000 people and features a Universal theme park, two casinos, a Marine Life Park, the world’s largest oceanarium and an Adventure Cove Water Park, taking up around 50 hectares of land. The hotel has 1,800 guest rooms.
2. Marina Bay Sands
Cost of hotel: $8.7 billion
The Marina Bay Sands, also located in Singapore, is one of the best hotels in the world with over 2,500 rooms, an exhibition center taking over 1.3 million square feet and the largest atrium casino in the world. Of course, these are only some of the features this magnificent hotel offers, where others include the world’s largest infinity pool.
1. Abraj Al Bait
Cost of hotel: $15.5 billion
Located in Saudi Arabia, this mega structure features over a 100 floors and hence, claims the top spot in the 10 most expensive hotels in the world to build. Nearly a 100,000 thousand people can reside in the towers.
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