By Staff Reporter
Dubai: A whopping 100,000 square feet of space at The Dubai Mall has been re-imagined for an ‘immersive amusement park’ – and one that will serve up a whole new set of ‘experiential’ experiences.
The ‘House of Hype’ takes its position at the world’s most visited mall – 111 million in 2024 – by lining up 18 experiential zones – together conjuring up more than 100 experiences – and six micro restaurants.
“House of Hype’s location is part of the Fountain View’s extension at The Dubai Mall, but past the new Chinatown section,” said Alexander Heller, CEO of HyperSpace, the company behind the park. “The extension launched in the midst of the Covid pandemic, with 23 retail units across approximately 100,000 square feet.
“We combined the 23 retail units, forming an effective peninsula across the majority of the podium level of the extension, running from the end of Chinatown to the end of the extension.”
It’s getting all ‘immersive’
Entertainment destinations offering immersive experiences are quite the big draw as malls rework their formats to ensure they in sync with today’s visitor needs. If two years ago, UAE’s leading malls expanded their F&B options, today, it’s digital and immersive. (Immersive experiences are all about creating a wholly different environment for the visitor. At Saudi Arabia’s new downtown in the making, Murabba, there will be 2 million square meter immersive shopping and dining hub called ‘The Mukaab’.)
With House of Hype, “The opportunity to build a large-scale immersive amusement park in the downtown of one of the most visited cities in the world – and in the most visited mall in the world – is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Heller.
‘Highest spend per square foot’
“In terms of investment, while I cannot share this number, I am sure House of Hype Dubai Mall is one of the highest spends per square foot of any location in the Mall,” said Heller.
Alexander Heller of HyperSpace says: “To build a large-scale immersive amusement park in the downtown of one of the most visited cities in the world – and in the most visited mall in the world – is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Alexander Heller of HyperSpace says: “To build a large-scale immersive amusement park in the downtown of one of the most visited cities in the world – and in the most visited mall in the world – is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
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“House of Hype is also a playable park, meaning that the experience functions like a large format physical video game.
“(Immersive entertainment experiences) is not only a growing trend but defining the entire foundation of entertainment and retail. Today, the customer demands that everything is far more experiential.
“House of Hype is built on the mega-trends driving consumerism and consumer behaviour today and introduces a new category of highly interactive and tech-enabled entertainment to the (Dubai) market.”
