The Trump International Hotel & Tower was to be the first development from the
Trump Organization in the
Middle East, but the project ultimately failed. During the planning phase,
Donald Trump stated "When I look at potential sites for real estate investment, I concentrate on 'location, location, location' – and this is the best location not only in Dubai but the whole of the Middle East."
Christina Aguilera was booked to entertain guests at Trump's
Los Angeles estate for the launch party on 23 August 2008. The joint venture of Al Habtoor Engineering and Murray & Roberts was selected as the preferred construction bidder in late 2007, and the estimated completion date was set to 2009 at a cost of . Foundation work started in August 2007. By 2008, the estimated cost had increased to . During construction, one bidder offered per square foot for one of the two planned penthouses. By February 2011, the status of the project was unclear. After the project was cancelled, Trump stated "[he and Nakheel] were smart and we got a little bit lucky that we never started that job" in a 2014 interview. In April 2025,
Eric Trump announced renewed plans for the hotel. It will feature the world's highest pool, $20 million penthouses, and each apartment comes with a "gold card" visa. Once completed in December 2031, it will stand at 350 m (1,150 ft) with 80 floors at a cost of $1 billion. It is the first property developed by the Trump Organization in the
Middle East. It was also announced that
Bitcoin would be an acceptable form of payment for residential units. ==Design==