Burj Al Arab closed for restoration: about 18 months, and no reopening date yet
Dubai’s most famous sail is in dry dock for about 18 months, announced in April, and there’s no reopening date yet. If you wanted it in front of you, I’d sleep next door: at Marsa Al Arab the Ocean Panoramic Room’s terrace faces it.
Photo: Jumeirah
The sail’s first restoration since 1999
The Burj Al Arab opened in 1999 and had never closed for works. On 15 April 2026 Jumeirah announced1 a phased restoration of about 18 months, led by Tristan Auer, the Paris interior architect of the Hôtel de Crillon. The release never used the word «closed»: Reuters3 did, the same day, and Jumeirah’s chief executive, Thomas Meier, said it out loud at a summit in Dubai, as the Khaleej Times reported on 14 October: «The Burj Al Arab is closed for renovation, as we have announced».4
The sail stays as it is. Most of the gold leaf, the Statuario marble and the Swarovski crystals stay too; the textiles are made to measure, the finishes are new and the technology is the kind you don’t see, built for the next 25 years2. From the outside you can’t tell, Meier says, and tourists photograph it every day.4
The sail, at least, isn’t taking a holiday.
Jumeirah hasn’t given a reopening date. Eighteen months from April lands in autumn 2027; the Khaleej Times4 writes third quarter of 2027, in its own words. Meanwhile not a night is for sale: Google Hotels5 shows no price until the end of October 2027.
The restoration’s dates
The announcement
A phased restoration of about 18 months; Reuters3 reports the hotel will close during the works.
The word «closed»
The Khaleej Times reports Jumeirah’s chief executive saying it in public, in Dubai.4
18 months are up
That’s the arithmetic of the announced months; Jumeirah has given no reopening day.1
If you had booked the Burj Al Arab
| Your booking | Jumeirah offers to move it to another of its Dubai hotels.2 Back in April, guests with bookings were being offered nearby hotels.3 |
|---|---|
| Who to call | +971 4 301 7777, or baainfo@jumeirah.com.2 |
| Restaurants and tours | Al Muntaha, Al Mahara and the Inside Burj Al Arab tour: before you go, ask the same number whether they’re open. |
Where to stay in Dubai while the Burj is closed
2 Jumeirah hotels on the same beach and the Palm’s most ambitious resort, all in the guide.
Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab
To keep the sail in view: the resort opened in March 2025 on the island next door, every room has its own terrace and the smallest is 67 m². On 30 October 1206 opens, the hidden room on the fourth floor.6
Between April and October 2026, 3 Google reviews mention building works, the latest at the Burj Al Arab itself, with the noise; from November rates pass 5,000 dirhams a night.
Why choose it
4 pools and 11 restaurants on the island, children from 3. Breakfast, butler and Iliana Pool Club come only with the suites and the Ocean Panoramic Room. It’s an 18-minute walk from the sail.7
Jumeirah Al Naseem
For a few days by the sea with the children on the same beach: pools, a kids’ club for ages 3 to 12 and, between the resort and the sea, a lagoon where turtles are nursed back to health.
It’s a beach hotel: for a trip built around Downtown the location is awkward, and Wild Wadi, the water park next door, is closed with no date.
Why choose it
Couples can ask for the Terrace Pool Room, with direct access to the adults-only pool. It’s an 8-minute walk from the sail.7
Atlantis The Royal
For another building that is the trip in itself: the stacked tower on the Palm’s crescent, opened in February 2023, with 44 suites and penthouses with a private pool; breakfast and Aquaventure are included.
On 4 October 2026 Cloud 22, the rooftop pool, and 5 other venues were closed; autumn rates start at 3,654 dirhams a night.
Why choose it
Nobu and Carbone are downstairs; the Burj Al Arab is a 21-minute drive.7
Walking and driving minutes on OpenStreetMap’s roads; prices and closures from each hotel’s page in the guide, each with its date.7
Burj Al Arab closing, before you ask
Is the Burj Al Arab open?
Not for a stay. It’s closed for a phased restoration of about 18 months, and Google Hotels5 sells no night until the end of October 2027.
When does the Burj Al Arab reopen?
Jumeirah hasn’t given a date. The 18 months announced1 on 15 April 2026 take you to autumn 2027.
What will change after the restoration?
The sail stays as it is, with most of the gold leaf, marble and crystals; the textiles, finishes and technology2 change.
Can I see the Burj Al Arab during the works?
From outside, yes, and tourists photograph it every day.4 For the restaurants and the tour inside, ask the hotel first on +971 4 301 7777.2
I had booked the Burj Al Arab: what do I do?
Call +971 4 301 7777 or write to baainfo@jumeirah.com: Jumeirah offers to move you to another of its Dubai hotels2.
Where to stay near the Burj Al Arab?
At Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, on the island next door, or Jumeirah Al Naseem, an 8-minute walk away; for another postcard building, Atlantis The Royal on the Palm.
We wrote this on our own: Jumeirah Burj Al Arab reads it as you do. We sell no rooms: the links go where we read it.
Where we read it
- 1 Jumeirah, release of 15 April 2026 on the Burj Al Arab’s restoration, 18 October 2026
- 2 Jumeirah’s website, the Burj Al Arab page, 18 October 2026
- 3 Reuters, 15 April 2026, 18 October 2026
- 4 Khaleej Times, Jumeirah’s chief executive, 14 October 2026, 18 October 2026
- 5 Google Hotels, the Burj Al Arab’s nights, 18 October 2026
- 6 Jumeirah, release of 5 October 2026 on 1206 at Marsa Al Arab, 18 October 2026
- 7 OpenStreetMap, walking and driving routes, 18 October 2026
