Report: Dubai’s 5-billion dollar ‘Moon’ resort

Schenelle Dsouza

Dubai’s fascination with all things mighty and extravagant is not a secret. Right from the Burj Khalifa to the Museum of the Future, Dubai has a knack for creating some of the most impressive megaprojects, and their latest one is out of this world! Quite literally, it is a massive moon-shaped mega-resort titled ‘Moon’.  

A USD 5 billion project, the resort was ideated and co-founded by Sandra G. Matthews and Michael R. Henderson and is expected to be built in no more than 48 months. The massive construction will be designed and built by Canadian architectural company Moon World Resorts, and will have an overall height of 735 feet.  

“Moon Dubai will significantly impact every aspect of the UAE’s economy, including tourism, transportation, commercial and residential real estate, infrastructure, financial services, aviation and space, energy, MICE, agriculture, technology and of course education,” according to co-founders Sandra G. Matthews and Michael R. Henderson, in a press statement to Arabian Business. 

The structure is designed to look exactly like the moon, a large spherical structure with tones that resemble the light of the moon. In addition to the impressive design of the structure, it is the surrounding area that adds to the experience. The Moon resort is said to be surrounded by a ‘lunar colony’ which is expected to evoke the sensation of being on (or at least very close) to the surface of the Moon. Post construction, the resort will be able to accommodate up to 2.5 million guests annually, to experience affordable space tourism on the ground, in Dubai. Here, guests can take advantage of the onsite nightclub, event centre, public lounge, spa centre and even an in-house ‘moon shuttle’ that takes you around the property.  

Additionally, Moon will include 300 private boutique residences, known as Sky Villas, housed in the main building’s disc-shaped superstructure. Guests can purchase one of the villas to access the private members’ club on the property which grants special access to several amenities within the resort.

In an interesting revelation, the superstructure will include a hub for space agencies and astronauts, planning their future missions into space.

The Moon resort is expected to be the first of many celestial-themed structures. According to Arabian Business, the UAE is currently exploring opportunities surrounding celestial bodies, developing satellite communications technology and deploying the latest space technologies in terrestrial applications.