Though perhaps best known for its desert sands, Qatar is about to become home to 16 floating hotels that are designed and purpose-built to host visitors during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Sixteen identical, 72-metre-long hotels will each contain 101 rooms and their own restaurants and bars. A self-titled ‘alternative real estate’ company called Admares is being the build that will bring 1616 new rooms to the area.

The rooms are set to be solar-powered and will float nearby Lusail International Stadium – the stadium that will host the opening and final games of the World Cup – just off Qetaifan Island North, around 20 kilometres north of Doha.

Alongside the new hotels, seven new stadiums are underway for  the 2022 deadline, which will use open-air cooling technology to help guests deal with the country’s infamous heat. Although, lucky for Northern Hemisphere visitors, the event will be held in winter in 2022 – another break from tradition.

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