Iconic Hotels of the World: ME Dubai by Meliá: A Masterpiece by Zaha Hadid
The lobby of ME by Melia in Dubai
Wherever I travel I explored the most unique hotels. Tucked within the glistening skyline of Dubai’s Business Bay, ME Dubai by Meliá stands not just as a hotel - but as a bold architectural statement, a living sculpture, and a rare, holistic work of art. As a hotel designer, I am endlessly fascinated by how architecture and interior design can be seamlessly integrated to create emotional impact. At ME Dubai, Zaha Hadid didn’t just influence the design—she authored it, inside and out. It is the only hotel in the world where every element, from the exterior shell to the interior furnishings and even custom plumbing fixtures bears her unmistakable signature. Sadly she passed away 3 years before the hotel opened in 2026.
Housed within the Opus by Omniyat, the structure immediately challenges our perception of form and gravity: a gleaming cube with a curvilinear void carved through its center. The building appears to hover, dissolve, and reform itself depending on where you stand: a daring contrast to the sharp verticals of neighboring towers. The void - fluid, asymmetrical, and sensuous, is quintessential Hadid, expressing movement and dynamism in solid form. It is no small feat of engineering or imagination.
Inside, the lobby is a breathtaking theatre of curves. There are no straight lines here, no expected junctions. Instead, you are immersed in a dreamlike space where walls flow into ceilings and sculptural seating pods erupt from the floor like organic growths. Glossy white surfaces and mirrored black elements bounce light in every direction, creating a feeling of perpetual motion and modern mystique. The lobby oozes a unique energy and is the place to be for the hip and creatives. A live DJ station built as one of the floating pods adds immersive tunes to chill.
What fascinates me most is how Hadid’s language of design: a language often reserved for museums or cultural centers is translated into the everyday rituals of hospitality. Guest rooms maintain the sculptural fluidity, with custom furnishings, integrated lighting, and ergonomic forms that cradle rather than contain. The interiors challenge the dominance of rectilinear space without compromising comfort. This is luxury not as a repetition of known codes, but as a radical rethinking of how space can be experienced.
Every corner of ME Dubai is a masterclass in formal innovation. The restaurants, from Central Cosmo Tapas to Roka which features a beaming night view of Burj Khalif, are enveloped in an environment that elevates dining into an immersive, design-forward experience.
ME Dubai’s significance lies not just in its visual drama, but in its discipline. It is a complete vision, no part feels like an afterthought. For hotel designers like myself, it serves as a provocative reminder of what’s possible when architecture and interiors are conceived as one uninterrupted flow.
In a city known for spectacles, ME Dubai is something different. It’s not just iconic, it’s timelessly futuristic, a built manifesto of Zaha Hadid’s legacy. To visit is to witness a kind of poetry in structure; to stay there is to live inside a sculptural reverie.
For those of us who craft spaces for immersive experiences, ME Dubai is more than a hotel, it’s a call to design bravely.
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