Seven Online

A seven-star hotel to be built in downtown Hangzhou has triggered heated debate among local citizens who question whether the luxury accommodations would bring substantial benefits to the local economy, a report on the website Sina.com.cn said.

A Guangzhou-based real estate group that invested in the hotel four months ago has scheduled construction to begin by the end of this year and to be completed in 2011. The extravagant hotel, to be located in a thriving business area, is expected to be the equivalent of the globally renowned sailboat-shaped Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai.

The real estate group also plans to build office buildings and shopping malls nearby, which would bring the total investment to an estimated 600 million US dollars, the report said.
Read more at ChinaDaily.com