Leona Lewis opens world's tallest hotel

In a city already oozing with glitz and glamour, the opening party for the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai amped up the voltage escorting 1,200 party guests into the hotel with fire dances and stilt walkers under the constant flicker of flashbulbs.

At just 26 meters shy of the Empire State Building in NYC, the world’s tallest hotel stands at 355 meters (1,175 feet) and consists of twin towers each with 77 floors.

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, which sits on floors 102-118 of the 1,588-foot International Commerce Centre remains the highest hotel in the world, but the JW Marriott Marquis is the tallest building dedicated entirely to a hotel.

Performances included a headline act by British singer Leona Lewis, while the guest list included appearances by fashion designer Donna Karan, and local celebrities such as singer Salha, the Million Dollar Band as well as TV personality DJ Bliss.

The hotel’s nine restaurants and five bars, which serve a variety of cuisines including Asian-Fusion, Italian, American, German, and steakhouse fare, are now open.

Other Guinness world record holders in Dubai include the Burj Khalifa, which at 828 meters (2,716 feet) is the tallest man-made structure on land, and the Dubai Mall, the largest of its kind in the world.

Plans are also afoot to build the largest Ferris wheel in Dubai, with the Dubai Eye.