BAGHDAD | Shams Rotana Hotel | 11 fl | ON-HOLD [Archive]

MKTJ

March 16th, 2010, 09:58 PM

Rotana storms ahead with the signing of its first property in Baghdad

Abu Dhabi, December 2008 - Summit Hotels Limited and Rotana, the leading Hotel Management Company in the Middle East, announced the signing of an agreement for the management of a 5 star Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq to open in early 2012.

The 5-star property will feature 250 rooms and suites, Club Rotana Executive floors, several restaurants and bars, banqueting and conference facilities and complete recreational areas including Bodylines health and fitness club and a swimming pool. The hotel is located in the Green Zone, close proximity to the Baghdad Clock and Ceremony Parade areas.

"We are proud to have been chosen to manage this new spectacular 5 star property and our team is very excited about the opportunity to be in Baghdad for the first time. We are confident that we will introduce a new dimension of hospitality in the country. This new agreement is part of our strategic aim to have a property located in every key city in the Middle East and this goal is being steadily achieved through careful long-term planning and timely action", said Selim El Zyr, President & CEO of Rotana.

http://www.rotana.com/presscnewsdesc-1-5-10-53.htm

Renders
http://www.dewan-architects.com/featured.projects.04.html

elusive

March 17th, 2010, 11:07 AM

rendering of the rotana Baghdad:

http://www.constructionweekonline.com/pictures/gallery/Design/Rotana_Baghdad.jpg

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/incoming/article21994.ece/BINARY/back_to_iraq1_thumb.jpg

iraq's first five star hotel in a while!

BigDreamer

March 17th, 2010, 11:14 AM

It looks royal !! :cool:

Persi

March 27th, 2010, 12:34 AM

very nice project.

Infestus

March 27th, 2010, 05:48 PM

reminds me a bit of the renders of the al quds tower that they want to built in doha.

BigDreamer

May 19th, 2010, 12:10 AM

Iraq hotel construction underway
by Orlando Crowcroft on May 18, 2010

Dewan expects to finish work on a 35,000 square metre hotel in Baghdad’s green zone within two years.

The five-star Rotana Baghdad will include 300 rooms, a ballroom, a conference centre and a number of other facillities to cater for business people and tourists coming to Iraq.

Dewan, which was founded in Iraq some 40 years ago, want the hotel to serve as a landmark development for Iraq after decades of dictatorship and war.

"When completed the Rotana will become one of the pilot buildings in post war Baghdad – a city which is recovering from years of destruction," said Dewan executive director Ammar Al Assam.

http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-8383-iraq-hotel-construction-underway/

elusive

May 19th, 2010, 07:03 AM

davidbruijntjes

May 20th, 2010, 08:24 AM

Hi, Is there any information on how far this project is in the construction phase? Is Dewan only the architect/engineer or also the contractor?

IraqSpirit

December 2nd, 2010, 08:06 PM

Not even a small info about this hotel after they changed the design of their website: http://www.rotana.com/

Is it really under construction??

sheytanElKebir

December 2nd, 2010, 08:35 PM

no, this hotel is still OK.

http://www.rotana.com/expansion

This plan is under full sail. Rotana is managing an ambitious expansion that will see our portfolio of operational properties increase from two in 1993 to more than 70 by 2012. Current properties span 26 cities. And at time of going to press, new properties are to open in Amman, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, Al Khobar, Jeddah, Riyad, Baghdad, Bahrain, Beirut, Doha, Erbil, Khartoum, Libya, Rabat, Sohar and Salalah.

IraqSpirit

December 2nd, 2010, 08:41 PM

thank god! ... :D

BigDreamer

December 3rd, 2010, 12:16 AM

I'm changing the status to "APPROVED" for now.. until we get real evidence of actual construction :ohno:..

baghdad_sara

December 3rd, 2010, 01:42 PM

Cant wait for construction to start on this, the render looks pretty amazing.

elusive

December 3rd, 2010, 01:47 PM

Cant wait for construction to start on this, the render looks pretty amazing.

me neither! i hope they've already started...

baghdad_sara

December 3rd, 2010, 01:50 PM

I dont think they have otherwise im quite certain some news channels would have been covering some footage of it

elusive

February 12th, 2011, 03:57 AM

brochure of the Shams Rotana Hotel:

www.rotana.com/rtc_about_download.php?fileid=402

it shows the hotel is being constructed between Harithiya Street and Zaitoon Street, its right near adnan palace, i don't know why they just didn't convert that into a hotel...
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=33.30304&lon=44.3801308&z=17&l=0&m=b&search=baghdad%2C%20iraq

Yousifovic

February 12th, 2011, 10:19 AM

nice updates ... so the hotel will be constructed and finished within a year..thats fast !

elusive

February 12th, 2011, 10:34 AM

nice updates ... so the hotel will be constructed and finished within a year..thats fast !

apparently its been U/C since 2009/2010

Yousifovic

February 12th, 2011, 11:23 AM

apparently its been U/C since 2009/2010

how come we never knew or heard about anything ! + that place is like in the heard of the Green zone in the heart of Baghdad .. many events happend there ( like the Iraq Army annv) and many reports were recorded in that place ( cus the Federal Court and many other places are there )
but i never saw any new building which was under construction !
weird .. maybe even Rotana is lying now .... in this country , no1 is honest lol

sheytanElKebir

February 12th, 2011, 12:15 PM

the hotel is under construction (it was last year at least), i've seen it myself. but no one is allowed to take photos in that area. so don't expect any pictures to come out.

Anyway this hotel (along with the new kempinksy) are for the "green zone" not for us mere mortals, so no one in Baghdad really cares what happens inside the green zone (its a world on its own).

Yousifovic

February 12th, 2011, 12:29 PM

so the green zone looks really different from the other parts of Baghdad ?

sheytanElKebir

February 12th, 2011, 12:40 PM

yes it does:
its green,
good clean / modern buildings (except the one or two bombed out ones)
clean streets with almost no people
It was saddam's old hideout, so its full of monuments (shaheed, baghdad clock, the palaces, ministries, qasr al mu'tamarat, ibn sina hospital, parliaments (the one on the river at least) etc....

some idea of what green zone looks like
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/09/082307_008.jpg

http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts?u=/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/26/The_green_zone_in_baghdad_is_often_referred_to_as_%22Little_Venice%22.jpg/120px-The_green_zone_in_baghdad_is_often_referred_to_as_%22Little_Venice%22.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o9-IYIUO1Fc/R5FwoF5xrJI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/dqSLDJsaOLY/S7300057.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Palace_in_Baghdad.jpg

http://williambowles.info/ini/images/greenzone_02.jpg

http://mikeandmarissa.net/wedding/blogs/media/blogs/paul/City.JPG

http://americandigest.org/bikini-and-gun.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2429/3627825532_d022e0eef8.jpg
http://alohafromtim.tripod.com/Pool.JPG

compared to baghdad outside.
http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/files/images/sadr-city-baghdad.jpg

BigDreamer

February 12th, 2011, 03:59 PM

interesting... when will they get rid of the stupid "green zone" already !

MrIraq

February 13th, 2011, 02:18 AM

elusive

February 13th, 2011, 02:35 AM

the term "green zone" is being used less now, i think the security within and outside in the "red zone" are comparatively similar

sheytanElKebir

February 13th, 2011, 06:42 AM

the people "in" the green zone call it "international zone" LOL. everyone outside it calls it "green zone" :D

Persi

March 5th, 2011, 11:38 PM

Video: CNBC - 5 Star Luxury Hotel in Baghdad,

Sorry this video is very very old, but what to do (ahsen men mako :)

http://media.cnbc.com/i/CNBC/components/Syndicated%20Video%20Player/videomodule.swf?id=1301586405&pcode=cnbcplayershare&play=&base=http://plus.cnbc.com/stickers/partners/cnbcplayershare/

baghdad_sara

March 6th, 2011, 12:17 AM

elusive

March 6th, 2011, 02:37 AM

thanks Persi

Persi

March 6th, 2011, 10:14 AM

^^ You're Welcome :cheers:

Persi

March 9th, 2011, 10:15 AM

Please change the project status from "APPROVED" to "U/C"

BigDreamer

March 9th, 2011, 10:36 AM

^^ done, thanks for that clip persi

Persi

March 9th, 2011, 10:44 AM

^^ done, thanks for that clip persi

(Maean sofa nabnil vatan :)

Yousifovic

March 9th, 2011, 02:02 PM

^^ y do u use V instead of W ? :P
and u have to learn the english arabic letters (numbers) :P

dude01

March 9th, 2011, 08:46 PM

^^ y do u use V instead of W ? :P
and u have to learn the english arabic letters (numbers) :P

He must be Iranian :lol:

Persi

March 9th, 2011, 08:57 PM

He must be Iranian :lol:

lool No I'm not Iranian, I'm iraqi but i can speak persian too :) (shlon orafet ya dude?wala dude :D just kidding

sheytanElKebir

March 9th, 2011, 09:43 PM

its obvious from the way you "spell" iraqi words :D

kurd123

March 9th, 2011, 09:53 PM

Persi, chera farsi midoni? (my farsi sucks, lol)

Persi

March 9th, 2011, 09:53 PM

I found some renders, Hope you like it :)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5512550443_e176d2a094_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5211/5513146626_c0ed8e9b68_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5512550939_af31ba749a_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5513147096_43f3b87db4_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5513147240_494d459241_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5513147364_72a16eb766_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5513147534_7e229b12c6_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5177/5512551577_11bc8d0660_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5513147782_0d2c6155fc_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5513147928_687633c87b_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5512550825_4a077a314a_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5513146776_3e0f4887de_b.jpg

Persi

March 9th, 2011, 09:59 PM

Persi, chera farsi midoni? (my farsi sucks, lol)

akhe man ye modat iran zendegi mikardam be khatere hamine :) hope you understand loll

Persi

March 9th, 2011, 10:01 PM

its obvious from the way you "spell" iraqi words :D

wolek ani amot ala iraq lish meteftehem alaie :):)

kurd123

March 9th, 2011, 10:01 PM

akhe man ye modat iran zendegi mikardam be khatere hamine :) hope you understand loll

Bale mifahmam (i said it right?) i can understand farsi quite well becuase it's close to kurdish, but I can't speak it as I've never actually spoken it, just heard it.

Persi

March 9th, 2011, 10:05 PM

Bale mifahmam (i said it right?) i can understand farsi quite well becuase it's close to kurdish, but I can't speak it as I've never actually spoken it, just heard it.

aha good good, but you don't understand arabic ha ?

kurd123

March 9th, 2011, 10:20 PM

aha good good, but you don't understand arabic ha ?

Nope I can pick up Arabic loan words that are used in kurdish but that's about it.

aimar2009

March 9th, 2011, 10:29 PM

aimar2009

March 9th, 2011, 10:36 PM

elusive

March 10th, 2011, 06:52 AM

Yousifovic

March 10th, 2011, 02:05 PM

^^ great job Persi :D

BigDreamer

April 14th, 2011, 01:38 PM

we need actual construction pics !! arrrgh !

elusive

April 14th, 2011, 01:41 PM

we need actual construction pics !! arrrgh !

that's going to be a difficult one...i don't understand why they can't release them

Yousifovic

April 14th, 2011, 02:23 PM

^^ green zone people dont want tht ! cus i thnk people will talk about them again :D
but inever saw any new building from the pix tht we get frm the green zone ! weird !

elusive

April 14th, 2011, 03:04 PM

^^ green zone people dont want tht ! cus i thnk people will talk about them again :D
but inever saw any new building from the pix tht we get frm the green zone ! weird !

what do you mean talk about them?

Yousifovic

April 14th, 2011, 03:31 PM

imean like uknow the projects like stadiums , ferris wheels and such secondry sector stuff ..
people keep talking about the government cus the main services are not avaliable while theyr buildin sucha stuff !

elusive

April 14th, 2011, 03:51 PM

Yousifovic

May 8th, 2011, 05:25 PM

umm ... I think you will all love me cus of this ? :D
LOL , this is the first construction picture :D ! you can clearly see the shape of the building .. :) FINALLY found it ;)

Location :
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/Yousif_Designs/LOCATION-1.jpg

here we go :

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/Yousif_Designs/rotanatataat.jpg

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/Yousif_Designs/THISISYES.jpg

Finally some hope that this project is alive ! you can see that Ive added the date taken which the image was taken on the last pic .. so according to what I see , I think the construction must have reached like (min) the 4th or 5th floor !?

sheytanElKebir

May 8th, 2011, 06:02 PM

nice work yousifovic.

Persi

May 8th, 2011, 06:20 PM

Woho, Great joooooob Yousifovic :banana:

makaay31

May 8th, 2011, 09:15 PM

great great great!!! thank you very much yousif :)

IraqSpirit

May 8th, 2011, 10:28 PM

well done yousifovic

BigDreamer

May 9th, 2011, 02:06 AM

FINALLY, just a simple construction picture has eluded us from more than a year !!!

yousifovic, on behalf of the Iraq forum, you are awarded a medal of honour for your achievement :D

:applause:

Yousifovic

May 9th, 2011, 07:19 AM

LOL thanks guys :D :D

elusive

May 9th, 2011, 09:02 AM

awesome! when they don't give us construction pics we should go digging for some lol

elusive

May 9th, 2011, 02:13 PM

for comparison :)

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=33.3028024&lon=44.3805814&z=18&l=0&m=b

QuickneutronU235

May 9th, 2011, 10:39 PM

fabulous work, Yousifovic.

Alyaa

May 10th, 2011, 08:57 AM

right near it is adnan palace

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/6527515.jpg

sheytanElKebir

May 19th, 2011, 01:12 AM

Marriott’s interest was a desperately wanted sign of economic revitalization, but like many large projects in Baghdad, it was hyped with fanfare that proved to be unrealistic. In late 2008, a car bomb badly damaged the Marriott in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, underscoring the risks inherent in establishing an American brand in places roiled by anti-American extremism. The deal in Baghdad quietly failed to materialize.

The hotel has, however.

“It doesn’t need a feasibility study,” Hayder al-Judi, an engineer by training, told me at a bustling construction site in the center of the Green Zone. Judi returned from exile in New Zealand after the war and is now building an 11-story, 300-room hotel and conference center that will be the first significant addition to the Baghdad skyline since Hussein’s overthrow. As did Akabi and the others, he told me that the business opportunities in today’s Iraq were self-evident. The oil and gas investments will bring a new wave of businessmen and executives, all of whom need a place to stay in a country with very few hotels of the standard they are used to. “We need 20 of these as a start,” he said.

Brinkley’s task force worked feverishly to support the project, bringing Judi together with a group of American investors led by Summit Global Group, a company registered in Delaware and led by Robert K. Kelley, a former Congressional aide who at the start of the war shepherded members of Congress around Iraq for the American occupation authority and later for the United States Embassy. Judi and four other Iraqi investors, whom he declined to name, control 75 percent of the $100 million project; the Americans 25 percent. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation in Washington provided a loan of $50 million and, tellingly, $25 million in political-risk insurance. “It required a leap of faith,” Judi told me.

In May 2008, he and the others acquired a 50-year lease for the land and broke ground that July, even as negotiations with Marriott to operate the hotel fell through. The hotel was the first foreign investment licensed by Iraq’s National Investment Commission, but even with the high-level support from the American and Iraqi governments, the project struggled to navigate Iraq’s sluggish bureaucracy. In 2009, behind blast walls that shielded the site from view, workers cleared the ground and began driving pilings 80 feet into the sandy soil, a necessity because of the high-water table of the nearby Tigris. Bureaucracy and uncertain financing, however, stalled construction in August 2009, and even now Judi is awaiting still more approvals. “It was frustrating for all of us at the time,” Judi said, “but we were pioneers.” (Kelley told me in Washington that it was not entirely the Iraqis’ fault. He also attributed the yearlong delay to the transition at OPIC from the administrations of President Bush to President Obama.)

The investors ultimately reached a deal with Rotana, the hotel-management company based in the United Arab Emirates that, Kelley said, understood the cultural sensitivities of running a hotel for foreigners in the Arab world. Rotana opened its first hotel in Iraq this year — in Erbil, the capital of the relatively safe and increasingly prosperous Kurdish autonomous region. Rooms start at $215 a night and reach $1,415 for a presidential suite. The Baghdad Rotana will be no less swank, but it is designed with the realities of a violent city in mind. It has reinforced risers and girders and is far enough from any public road to minimize the threat of car bombs. The roof will have two layers to absorb the impact of mortars or rockets, which still occasionally land in the Green Zone. “We tried to get away from glass to the extent that we could,” Judi explained.

A glossy brochure shows rooms with sleek, modern furnishings, a patisserie, a cigar lounge, a Belgian beer cafe and an outdoor swimming pool. Nothing like it exists in Baghdad. The first time I saw the designs in 2010, at a time when construction was halted, it was impossible to imagine the hotel in the scarred, shabby cityscape. When I met Judi there in February, though, the hotel’s skeleton rose to the second floor. Bloodied handprints stained the walls — a ritual of Iraqi construction workers, using the blood of slaughtered lambs to celebrate the completion of each phase of work.

From the second floor, Judi pointed to a vacant lot to the west of the site. “I think it’s going to be a shopping mall,” he said as we watched the sunset cast a golden hue on the former Baath Party headquarters, once one of the most feared places in Iraq.

“People say, ‘When is the right moment?’ ” Judi said of investing in Iraq. “You never know when the right moment is.” Like most Iraqis I talked to, he declined to discuss money in detail. When I pressed him, though, he said the return on the investors’ share in the hotel could be “north of 35, 40 percent.”

Traveller_earth

July 28th, 2011, 07:46 AM

any update on construction on this one guyz............

elusive

July 28th, 2011, 09:47 AM

it's amazing that we haven't seen 1 construction pic yet, at least satellite images tell us that its happening

Persi

July 28th, 2011, 10:54 AM

any update on construction on this one guyz............

FYI

the hotel is under construction (it was last year at least), i've seen it myself. but no one is allowed to take photos in that area. so don't expect any pictures to come out.

elusive

August 20th, 2011, 08:03 AM

i found this article and i am quite confused by it...

LG launches the Multi V III air conditioner in Levant

* Iraq: Tuesday, August 09 - 2011 at 09:18
* PRESS RELEASE

LG Electronics (LG) recently unveiled its new Multi V III commercial air conditioner in the Levant, showcasing the latest energy saving and environmentally friendly technology in the manufacturing of central AC.

The launch was held in late June 2011 at the Rotana Hotel in Baghdad (Iraq) during a technical workshop organized by Dar Al Rayan, the exclusive dealer of LG Air Conditioners in Iraq in collaboration with LG Electronics. The workshop was attended by representatives from a range of major companies across all sectors, representing 55 percent of the local market.

http://static.amefiles.com/images/news/large/1/1244421-work-LG.jpg

http://lifestyle.beiruting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Group-Photo.jpg

During the event, Mr. Hossam Alobeina, General Manager of the LG Academy for Central Air conditioning gave a detailed presentation on the main technical features of the Multi V III, and how this new technology caters to the needs of the local market, especially in terms of the extreme climate conditions in the region.........

http://www.ameinfo.com/272516.html

is it possible that it has already been opened (soft) but we haven't heard about it...it officially opens early 2012

Yousifovic

August 20th, 2011, 03:05 PM

hmmm
maybe its Rotana Erbil but there was a mistake in that article ?

sheytanElKebir

August 21st, 2011, 02:53 PM

i was driving by today and took this blurry pic. it is not allowed to photograph the green zone so pardon me for the bad quality shot!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6rZw-u2gfcg/TlD_Mgxq4GI/AAAAAAAAAtI/tjAtR2y12Lw/s512/2011-08-21%25252010.48.36.jpg

i could see about 7-8 floors complete.

Yousifovic

August 21st, 2011, 02:58 PM

wow great Sheytan ! :D Thanksss alot !!!
hows Baghdad ? :)
pls get us updates if u can

sheytanElKebir

August 21st, 2011, 03:00 PM

been away from baghdad for a year or so. the main development in the meantime seems to be a massive number of car showrooms everywhere. especially new proper showrooms replacing the old third party yards.

for the sake of my own safety i am using only a mediocre quality phone camera rather than an slr in the streets.

elusive

August 21st, 2011, 03:05 PM

awesome! thanks a lot sheytan...do you mind taking some photos of them? and any other updates you can give us

sheytanElKebir

August 21st, 2011, 03:07 PM

i kind of cropped this pic.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6rZw-u2gfcg/TlD_Mgxq4GI/AAAAAAAAAtU/nqiuGvO07QM/s640/2011-08-21%25252010.48.36.jpg

Persi

August 21st, 2011, 06:43 PM

WoW....Thanks sheytanElKebir for this update :cheers:

Yousifovic

August 21st, 2011, 11:52 PM

sheytanElKebir

August 21st, 2011, 11:53 PM

only staying in baghdad occassionaly, most of the time i am in the middle of nowhere!

Persi

August 22nd, 2011, 02:15 PM

only staying in baghdad occassionaly, most of the time i am in the middle of nowhere!

:D ------------------------------ :jk:

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkyJ4Ejz8embcBDAXrBpTPNPoJoVes2yA1y-_pKkOn3VuRq2gdMQ

sheytanElKebir

August 22nd, 2011, 07:00 PM

where did you get that picture of me??? :D

FromBaghdadWithLove

August 25th, 2011, 09:35 AM

where did you get that picture of me??? :D

:rofl:

sheytanElKebir

August 30th, 2011, 12:11 AM

Spoke to an engineer who works on the project and he told me the following.

They laid the roof for the 10th floor and it will top out in a couple of weeks.
Work on the interior is up to the 5th floor now
They are on schedule to complete it by 2012
It will be an exclusive hotel for vips only (surprise surprise, the piggies always take care of themselves).
Its built 100% by iraqis

BigDreamer

August 30th, 2011, 12:23 AM

Basrawii

August 30th, 2011, 07:09 AM

sheytanElKebir

August 30th, 2011, 08:26 AM

Some other points he gave me about the hotel.

Its construction cost is $130M
The owner took out a 50 year lease for the land from the government
The entire hotel does not have any car parking facilities either inside the building or outside!

sheytanElKebir

August 30th, 2011, 08:32 AM

Thanks for the update sheytan, great info !

well, I'm not surprised that it's for the VIP, but that would eventually change overtime.

i'm glad that it's 100% Iraqi, esp if it meets top international hotel standards.
From what ive been told the green zone will be a PERMANENT fixture in baghdad, so you common proles will never see this place unless you're one of the illiterate thieving me3dan in the green zone.

Even the donkey from 3oja wasnt as blatant as this lot.

Spin Cycle

August 30th, 2011, 05:02 PM

From what ive been told the green zone will be a PERMANENT fixture in baghdad, so you common proles will never see this place unless you're one of the illiterate thieving me3dan in the green zone.

Even the donkey from 3oja wasnt as blatant as this lot.

My friend, there is no such thing as "permanent" in Iraq. I bet at one time Nebuchadnezzar was sitting in Babylon, the greatest city in the world, and thinking it would last forever.

At the end of the day, the Americans are foreigners, and like all foreigners, they will eventually be gone, and the thieving illiterate rapists who are Iraqi, they don't have what it takes to stay for long. They will get their loot and run away like rats jumping a ship when order starts to break down.

Basrawii

August 30th, 2011, 07:02 PM

QuickneutronU235

August 30th, 2011, 08:45 PM

My friend, there is no such thing as "permanent" in Iraq. I bet at one time Nebuchadnezzar was sitting in Babylon, the greatest city in the world, and thinking it would last forever.

At the end of the day, the Americans are foreigners, and like all foreigners, they will eventually be gone, and the thieving illiterate rapists who are Iraqi, they don't have what it takes to stay for long. They will get their loot and run away like rats jumping a ship when order starts to break down.

there are two agreements between them and us, one for 31/12. second when the sun becomes a white dwarf inshallah.

when it comes to Iraqis p I stamps with ten, as we Iraqis say. those p will be much cleverer than these animals, soon each province have a airport which is good(momtaz)for escaping.

QuickneutronU235

September 12th, 2011, 03:31 PM

0:19

2ETfZ9u-iE4

elusive

September 12th, 2011, 04:27 PM

^^ best video update ever! thanks a lot, it's really taking shape!

http://www.gunpowder-magazine.com/custom/Travel/Rotana2.jpg

Ksharp1Fan

September 13th, 2011, 11:51 PM

^^ I agree.

sheytanElKebir

September 25th, 2011, 09:46 PM

this photo. courtesy of basrawiii (I wonder if he realised he took a pic of the hotel?)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6174703588_a867d2b24c_b_d.jpg

Basrawii

September 25th, 2011, 10:31 PM

this photo. courtesy of basrawiii (I wonder if he realised he took a pic of the hotel?)

I didn't .... I was surprised to see the new building being built but never realized it was Shams Rotana Hotel.

sheytanElKebir

September 25th, 2011, 11:24 PM

Basrawii

September 26th, 2011, 10:54 AM

yea. I'm sure that dude on the watchtower was happy to see you snapping pictures of the green zone...

Just last week I was "lased" by soldiers in my car telling me to stop... if I didn't stop in time... BANG BANG.

Well, I didn't notice the guard in the first place, but I was relieved to know that he was facing the other direction. I do think it is kind of stupid to face the other side and not the road itself! Kind of stupid if you think about it! lol

But, still I am lucky not to get shot in the head. My mom was in the car too :lol:

Spin Cycle

September 26th, 2011, 12:17 PM

Well, I didn't notice the guard in the first place, but I was relieved to know that he was facing the other direction. I do think it is kind of stupid to face the other side and not the road itself! Kind of stupid if you think about it! lol

But, still I am lucky not to get shot in the head. My mom was in the car too :lol:

Oh mashallah, they are very tights about their own security. They leave the rest of the people to the wolves though...who cares about them (except at election time).
Bunch of fucking cowards and thieves.

Chounz

October 10th, 2011, 06:49 AM

Won't the Green Zone be open to Iraqis once (and if) the Americans leave and the occupation officially ends by 31.12.2011 ???

sheytanElKebir

October 10th, 2011, 08:08 AM

Won't the Green Zone be open to Iraqis once (and if) the Americans leave and the occupation officially ends by 31.12.2011 ???

No the americans are staying in green zone.
And no you wont be able to get in.

I just wish theyd reduce the size of the green zone to small outposts rather than literally jtaking up half of central jbaghdad and cutting off all these roads!

IraqiPlan_et

October 11th, 2011, 05:22 AM

BigDreamer

October 11th, 2011, 05:27 AM

^^ Just goes to show how Important Iraq is to the US ...

people who think that they got rid of Saddam for us (just for good will) are insanely naive.. there is a price for everything (as if Iraq hasn't paid enough).

Chounz

October 11th, 2011, 06:30 AM

^^ I believe the current number of staff members is something over a thousand, but after the US forces leave, the US State Departement will be sending an additional 16 000 staff members to the green zone (in the biggest administrative operation since the Marshall plan).

So don't count on it.

ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEEE????!!!!!!!!!!

3abali ra7 nikhlas minhum once and for all..

Do you have an news article or anything for that????

They might as well become one of our ethnic minorities!!

.....

This is from Wiki: On 1 January 2009, full control of the International (formerly "Green") Zone was handed over to Iraqi security forces.
So I don't get it.. isn't it controlled by the Iraqi government now??? Isn't it up to Iraq/Baghdad what to do with it? Can't they open it up to the public if they like? Or do they have some sort of agreement with the US to keep it separated from the rest of the city??

BigDreamer

October 11th, 2011, 06:35 AM

^^ for security of everyone in the green zone, they decided to lock it up. pretty much everything essential for running the country is there. in addition to well over a dozen embassies .

elusive

October 11th, 2011, 08:36 AM

it's occupation, forever.

QuickneutronU235

October 11th, 2011, 01:54 PM

^^ I believe the current number of staff members is something over a thousand, but after the US forces leave, the US State Departement will be sending an additional 16 000 staff members to the green zone (in the biggest administrative operation since the Marshall plan).

So don't count on it.

as I said before, and heard it from Iyad Jamal A Din, there is Agreement Between the US and Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq.the end of this year, of course. and another agreement known as "Strategic Framework Agreement" which are prolonged, have not Given time, and it is significantly badly political correction if it doesn't have a specific time!

But for the moment, there is many question about this context in articles and reports, that why the US wants immunity for their trainers from the Iraqi court? and want al Maliki really to cooperate with NATO's trainers instead?
and I must not forget Muqadas reactions....and his supporters Feedback!

But what do you think, is it badly liable from Americans?

sheytanElKebir

October 11th, 2011, 03:31 PM

Getting back on topic.

Drove by the hotel today, and they are pouring the last floor as i can see, and brick works are up to the 6th floor.

Persi

October 11th, 2011, 05:39 PM

Good Good.....thanks for the info sheytan :cheers:

Basrawii

October 11th, 2011, 06:45 PM

Getting back on topic.

Drove by the hotel today, and they are pouring the last floor as i can see, and brick works are up to the 6th floor.

Shaytan is an innocent fellow when it comes to politics!

IraqiPlan_et

October 11th, 2011, 07:17 PM

ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEEE????!!!!!!!!!!

3abali ra7 nikhlas minhum once and for all..

Do you have an news article or anything for that????

They might as well become one of our ethnic minorities!!

.....

This is from Wiki: On 1 January 2009, full control of the International (formerly "Green") Zone was handed over to Iraqi security forces.
So I don't get it.. isn't it controlled by the Iraqi government now??? Isn't it up to Iraq/Baghdad what to do with it? Can't they open it up to the public if they like? Or do they have some sort of agreement with the US to keep it separated from the rest of the city??

Here is a link http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-department-readies-iraq-operation-its-biggest-since-marshall-plan/2011/10/05/gIQAzRruTL_story.html

btw sorry for derailing this thread :nuts:

Edit: Here is another if the above doesn't work http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-department-readies-iraq-operation-its-biggest-since-marshall-plan/2011/10/05/gIQAzRruTL_print.html

QuickneutronU235

October 11th, 2011, 10:59 PM

Shaytan is an innocent fellow when it comes to politics!

didn't know that devils were innocent?!;)

Yousifovic

November 9th, 2011, 10:30 PM

BigDreamer

November 10th, 2011, 03:57 AM

wow, thanks yousifovic good find :cheers:

elusive

November 10th, 2011, 08:22 AM

is it topped out? and when it opens can we book rooms or is it for officials only?

Basrawii

November 10th, 2011, 10:32 AM

officials only.

Euphrates

November 11th, 2011, 06:47 PM

Updates :D
Watch this Video, a happy soldier took it, it was his last day !
and I noticed the buidling behind him, because he is standing in front of the former Baath Party HQ, which Ive made a model for before, and that building is in front of the Hotel.

You can see it at 0:24
OY313kzPNxw

Photos to make is clearer :

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/Yousif_Designs/4234242342.jpg

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa428/Yousif_Designs/35645745.jpg

Helaw, I'm new

The video you posted of the american soldier is my friend...he used to post videos of monuments in Baghdad before when I asked him...he had to take it down for security reasons though, since his recording were so close to the U.S embassy in Baghdad.

Anyways..I've seen your work, and I've been following it for sometime, it's really good, too bad sheytanelkabeer is gone as well, his updates were really good.

Why was he banned?, I know the mods don't want me to discuss this here, so can you message me..

thanks. m))

Basrawii

November 11th, 2011, 08:03 PM

Man ... this questions is going to be asked again and agian and again....

U know what BIG D... why don't u simply make a thread with details of why Shaytan was banned and simply hand on the link.... we all already know why! lloll

Persi

November 11th, 2011, 08:07 PM

Welcome to our forum Euphrates :cheers1:

Euphrates

November 11th, 2011, 08:30 PM

Welcome to our forum Euphrates :cheers1:

Thanks Persi

Basrawii, that's a good idea.

Ali - Iraq

November 11th, 2011, 08:32 PM

Welcome Euphrates!

Euphrates

November 11th, 2011, 08:49 PM

Welcome Euphrates!

Thanks :)

elusive

November 12th, 2011, 02:14 PM

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/305755_10150931605835055_686650054_21615327_1723025293_n.jpg

:)

Euphrates

November 12th, 2011, 02:42 PM

Beautiful picture Elusive!

Basrawii

November 12th, 2011, 05:17 PM

This hotel got the best spot ever!

Yousifovic

November 12th, 2011, 06:03 PM

indeed !
you will see it soon in google earth :D

makaay31

November 13th, 2011, 05:00 PM

so my mom made some pics.. i think she confused the shams rotana with the building in front of the baghdad clock.... this is a new building u/c too(maybe Sheytan knows what it is), but its not the rotana. you can see the rotana behind the clock, i have more pics but i think i will edit them first

11-11-'11
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/100_3557.jpg

Euphrates

November 13th, 2011, 05:09 PM

How long till completion?

Yousifovic

November 13th, 2011, 06:49 PM

wow, finally construction in Iraq is getting along :)

Basrawii

November 13th, 2011, 07:01 PM

In green zone u mean...lol

makaay31

November 13th, 2011, 07:13 PM

yeah, you can see in the pic at the right another building is u/c

Ali - Iraq

November 13th, 2011, 09:47 PM

In green zone u mean...lol

what is the green zone?

Euphrates

November 13th, 2011, 09:56 PM

what is the green zone?

Where most of the government buildings are, embassies and politicians houses , there's really high security there, you can't enter the green zone unless you have a permit.

elusive

November 13th, 2011, 10:37 PM

the green zone is a term the americans gave, it's the International Zone now...there's no such thing as red or green zones

Yousifovic

November 13th, 2011, 11:16 PM

yes its called the international zone

BigDreamer

November 13th, 2011, 11:39 PM

^^ +1 dunno why people still call it green zone.

anway, I think they should rename it the Federal District, Or Capitol District (like Capitol hill) in DC etc.. since that's essentially what it is !

elusive

November 14th, 2011, 05:26 AM

yeah but i guess International Zone indicates there are a lot of embassies in the area etc, i don't like the connotation of "zone" though

Euphrates

November 14th, 2011, 01:48 PM

Back on topic..I have calculated that the building height should be roughly 33 meters/ 110 feet

The building will have 11 floors, each floor typically translates to about 10 feet, therefor it will be 110 feet in height, which is 33.5 meters

It could be slightly taller than my estimate, since I based the result on a 10 feet measurement per floor..

Basrawii

November 14th, 2011, 01:51 PM

Well ... most ppl used GREEN ZONE... there is a movie about it btw.
And like Baghdad International Airport... all foreigners call it BIAP but Iraqis go for the full thing....lol

So international zone is not used by Iraqis.... got it? (I mean the public)

makaay31

November 14th, 2011, 03:36 PM

Oke guys, i have edited the pics so you can see the hotel better.
Here they are (some pics are not very clear)

20-10-2011
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/20-10-116.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/20-10-115.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/20-10-114.jpg

11-11-'11
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/11-11-114.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/11-11-113.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/11-11-112.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/11-11-111.jpg

haiderpass

November 14th, 2011, 05:02 PM

Euphrates

November 14th, 2011, 06:17 PM

lol, photographing this hotel is like trying to get a photo of bigfoot, its massive, tons of blurry photos, no solid proof :D. lol, kidding, really appreciate all the effort bruvs', hopefully this hotel will be the first of many quality hotels built in baghdad, during the 21st century ;)

Lol, I just contacted a friend in Baghdad and asked him to take videos/pictures, if he gets the chance.

hopefully I'll get some news

Chounz

March 15th, 2012, 08:11 PM

Very strange how there have been no updates on this for so long?

sheytanElKebir

March 15th, 2012, 08:18 PM

i passed by last week. It still hasn't been topped out and rebar is sticking out of the last floor since november or so...

Persi

March 15th, 2012, 08:27 PM

^^ Thanks for the info sheytan :)

Sinjar

March 15th, 2012, 08:37 PM

i passed by last week. It still hasn't been topped out and rebar is sticking out of the last floor since november or so...

how come they have slowed down? It was supposed to be open now.. :S

sheytanElKebir

March 15th, 2012, 09:56 PM

i know a dude who works on the project actually. I'll ask him when I'm in Baghdad

Euphrates

May 25th, 2012, 08:07 PM

i know a dude who works on the project actually. I'll ask him when I'm in Baghdad

sooo...any news?

sheytanElKebir

May 25th, 2012, 08:53 PM

not finished yet. donno what's happened to be honest. now i'm out of iraq so i no longer have any news.

I hope my chums from technology university architecture dept will come soon to the forum and keep us updated!

Euphrates

May 25th, 2012, 09:22 PM

We really need updates on this. The project was supposed to finish early this year..

Arch94

June 10th, 2012, 11:34 AM

Baghdad is witnessing a great progress, and inshAllah all Iraq soon.

makaay31

June 24th, 2012, 03:45 PM

Updates in two weeks

SumerianKing

June 24th, 2012, 03:49 PM

When is it due for completion?

makaay31

June 24th, 2012, 03:54 PM

Abu Dhabi, December 2008 - Summit Hotels Limited and Rotana, the leading Hotel Management Company in the Middle East, announced the signing of an agreement for the management of a 5 star Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq to open in early 2012.

Hopefully soon, but I don't think so

Chounz

June 24th, 2012, 04:07 PM

It needs AT LEAST another 6 months..

sheytanElKebir

June 24th, 2012, 09:07 PM

when I left Iraq the rebar was still sticking out from top (i.e. not topped out). 2013 may be more realistic... not sure what happened TBH the dude who works on it I am no longer in touch with unfortunately (he's busy getting married etc...)

makaay31

July 6th, 2012, 09:58 PM

I couldn't make better pics or vids, so sorry for that... But as you can see the progress is very, very slow.

sheXsD7LgQE

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/SAM_6049.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/SAM_6050.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/SAM_6051.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/makaay31/makaay31%20-%201/SAM_6054.jpg

Euphrates

July 6th, 2012, 10:30 PM

No change from your previous updates from last year!

sheytanElKebir

July 6th, 2012, 10:44 PM

that is the exact state as it was in May 2012 when I last saw it. I doubt if the crane has even moved since the end of last year... and still at the same level (not topped out, and no additional brickworks on lower floors).

Basrawii

July 7th, 2012, 05:27 PM

this project is dead!

mohammed ghani

August 25th, 2012, 01:23 AM

اني ساكن في بغدادوالبناء بالفندق متوقف منذ عدة شهور والرافعة ثابتة تحياتي

Euphrates

August 25th, 2012, 01:41 AM

Thanks for the info and welcome to the forum!

mohammed ghani

August 25th, 2012, 01:54 AM

Thanks Euphrates you welcome too

mohammed ghani

September 14th, 2012, 01:46 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/262953_322174371214032_478374786_n.jpg

mohammed ghani

September 14th, 2012, 01:47 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/253430_322174301214039_202582430_n.jpg

dude01

September 14th, 2012, 06:40 AM

3amet 3enhoom, bas behom khair yewagfoo el beena2. Tfoo 3ala heshee hokomeh.

elusive

September 14th, 2012, 09:10 AM

who said wagifao el bena2?

sheytanElKebir

September 14th, 2012, 09:22 AM

3amet 3enhoom, bas behom khair yewagfoo el beena2. Tfoo 3ala heshee hokomeh.

What u on about dude? Lol.:lol:

josef hadi

September 14th, 2012, 09:29 AM

mohammed ghani

September 26th, 2012, 12:37 AM

please move it to ON_HOLD

dude01

September 26th, 2012, 07:03 AM

dude1

ليش تتهم الحكومة؟ يعني قابل اكو واحد ميريد النجاح النفسه؟
زين ليش ماوكفو المدينة الرياضية بالبصرة مثلاً؟
بعدين الفندق استثماري يعني الدولة ماالهة شغل بالتنفيذ، گلي قابضين حصة اگلك ميخالف بس بالتنفيذ الشركة المنفذة هي المسؤولة

La2ano yes its their responsibility to make sure not 90% of the projects get either stopped randomly or never get built. Iraq is ranked 175th in the world in terms of corruption. The country will NEVER advance without that being fixed. The whole country is a mess, a jungle! no one can invest properly because there is a lack of professionalism and willingness to invest, to work. The freaking parliament takes a 3 month summer vacation pretending like nothing is wrong with this country. They just sign papers all day approving projects which would never see the daylight.I can't stand this idiocracy!