Qatar, which will be hosting the FIFA 2022 Football World Cup, has expressed its interest in developing floating hotels as part of its accommodation solutions for the tournament.

The luxury floating hotels developed by Finnish architectural firm, Sigge and partners Global Accommodation Management (GAM)/Almaco Group of Finland, will provide the same services and amenities available in hotels constructed on land.

According to GAM, a floating hotel's design can be tailored to meet the exact needs of the operator in terms of the number of rooms, types of restaurants and other facilities, number and location of pools and placement of balconies and terraces.

It says the floating hotels can be linked to a floating marina dock and helipad to provide guest access via sea or air, while each hotel will have its own sewage treatment, power generation and recycling possibilities, adding to its environmental credentials.

The hotels have the added flexibility in that they can also be relocated, sold or modified depending on market conditions.

Qatar's Ministry of Business and Trade says 45 000 additional hotel rooms will be built by 2017 to reach FIFA's projected capacity requirement of 60,000 rooms.