The Opus and Al Faya Lodge: two UAE hotels named best in the world

The properties in Sharjah and Dubai claim top spots on a new list of the world's best hotels

ME by Melia hotel at The Opus by Zaha Hadid is set to open in February 2020. Antonie Robertson / The National

Leading British architecture and design magazine Dezeen has chosen its top 10 hotels for 2019 and two UAE properties have made the cut.

Al Faya Lodge, which is based in Sharjah, by Dubai firm Anarchitect, made the list, as did the yet-to-open The Opus by Zaha Hadid Architects, a 20-storey development by Omniyat located in Downtown Dubai that will be home to the first ME by Melia hotel in the Middle East.

The former is a stark yet stunning five-room boutique hotel and saltwater spa located in the Sharjah desert. The latter is an eye-catching mixed-use building of two conjoined towers featuring an irregular void in the middle. The designs for The Opus were first revealed in 2007 by architect Zaha Hadid, who died in 2016, and the building was originally due to be completed in 2018, however due to construction delays the opening date has been pushed back. The hotel is currently set to open in February 2020.

These are the only two properties on this new list from the UAE and wider region. Other selected hotels are based in parts of Europe, China, Mexico and Africa's Cape Verde.

______________________

See inside Anarchitect's Al Faya Lodge:

______________________

This is Dezeen's full list of top hotels for 2019:

Jungle Keva Hotel, Mexico, by Jaque Studio

Al Faya Lodge, UAE, by Anarchitect

Dream and Maze, China, by Studio 10

Monteverdi Hotel, Italy, by Ilaria Miani

Barefoot Luxury, Cape Verde, by Polo Architects and Going East

Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental, China, by Jade + QA

The Opus, UAE, Zaha Hadid Architects

Heckfield Place, UK, by Ben Thompson

Casa Popeea, Romania, by Manea Kella

Wuyuan Skywells, China, by Anyscale Architecture Design

_________________

Read more:

16 mega-projects and attractions set to open in the UAE in 2020

The UAE is officially the best travel destination in the world

_________________