Dubai to build world’s biggest mall with 100 hotels, climate-control

Anyone feel like going shopping in a really big way? Dubai, United Arab Emirates, recently announced plans to build the biggest mall in the world, one that would house 100 hotels, 8 million square feet of stores and retail outlets, a wellness center, a theme park and other features.

The emirate hopes to attract 180 million visitors each year to the proposed Mall of the World to capitalize on “the growth in family and retail tourism,” Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a July 5 announcement.

Plans from developer Dubai Holding call for the mega-mall to be temperature controlled for year-round tourism, shielding those who come in summer from the big heat. But it’s not like there’s a shortage of places to go shopping in Dubai.

The Dubai Mall, which claims to be the largest shopping mall in the world based on square feet, houses 600-plus stores and retailers, an ice rink, an aquarium, water fountains and waterfalls, a gold souk and more.

The new mall would up the ante. With 20,000 hotel rooms at hand, you could stay for a week and never have to get into your car. Four miles of streets and promenades -- covered in summer to keep it cool, open-air in winter -- connect the different elements of the mall.

Proposed features include:

--replicas of the world-famous shopping districts like Ramblas Street in Barcelona and Oxford Street in London;
--the world’s largest theme park (though no further details were released);
--a theater district for cultural events;
--a wellness area that provides holistic treatments, including surgical options and cosmetic procedures.

No price tag was mentioned, but the Wall Street Journal reports the mega-mall would cost $6.8 billion.