Dubai’s Building a Rainforest… Inside a Hotel

Typically, rainforests require rain, immense biodiversity, plenty of scanty litter, but don’t tell that to Dubai. The country that has already built indoor ski slopes, floating villas and ATMs that dispense pure gold is now developing an artificial jungle in the middle of The Rosemont Hotel & Residences Dubai.

The 448-room hotel with two skyscrapers will soon add a 75,000 square-foot outdoor rainforest, complete with a beach (because as we all know the Amazon is known for its beaches), stream and “trees” to its list of amenities by 2018. Forest dwellers can expect an immersive experience in the flora and fauna one might find in the Amazon. Because a rainforest isn’t a rainforest without rain, and, since Dubai’s in the middle of the desert, the makeshift forest will offer a “sensory rain system,” which simulates “the sensation of being surrounded by rainfall without actually getting wet.” Oh, and there will be a zip line because, at this point, why not.

This project, as surprising as it is, shouldn’t come to a surprise to Rosemont frequenters. The Dubai property already includes an onsite theater, bowling alley and skydiving simulator. So what’s a rainforest with a zip line and fake rain?