What MGM Dubai will have

MGM Resorts International President Bill Hornbuckle said the new property his company is partnering on with Wasl Asset Management Group will have restaurants, retail, pools and water features.

“It will have something called the Cavern, which is like a diving club that will be about (23,000 to 26,000 feet) with about 15 or 16 different things down there,” Hornbuckle said. “It’s impressive. We’re actually making the pool a dive pool so you can snorkle.”

A water show similar to the featured attraction at Las Vegas’ Bellagio is planned, and in addition to 1,000 hotel rooms and 10 villas with MGM- and Bellagiobranded properties, Hornbuckle said a new brand may be introduced and MGM’s Skylofts product could be brought there.

Under plans described in a statement announcing the project, the 2 million-square-foot development would include more than 500,000 square feet for a theater and a mix of restaurants from gourmet to casual, specialty retail shops, traditional and interactive museums, a beach club and adventure zones for adults and children.

The new project would occupy the longest stretch of waterfront ever developed in Dubai and would be near the Burj Al Arab, a 1,053-foot five-star hotel opened in 1999 and shaped like a boat sail. Hornbuckle said the “Dubai Sphere,” which will have a theater inside, won’t be as tall as the Burj Al Arab but will be “very compelling.”