2. Burj Al Arab, Dubai: The Original Seven Star Icon
No luxury list gets far without this sail shaped tower rising off its own artificial island near the Dubai coastline. Open since 1999, it’s the property that popularized the idea of a seven star stay, and every visit still starts with a private Rolls Royce transfer.
Rooms here come as duplex suites stretching past 8,000 square feet, stocked with Hermes bath products and an actual menu of pillow options. Gold leaf covers the walls throughout the building, and guests are handed their own gold plated iPad for the length of the stay, a small but telling sign of how far the theatrics go.