Dubai, a country famous for their real estate, flourishing business, endless malls and hotels, is setting its eyes on a new investment: animal lodgings.

A new hotel set up to accommodate four-legged guests will open by the end of the year, Dubai officials said Thursday.

The 9,000 square foot hotel will be one portion of a new project of the Dubai Municipality to build a market that sells birds and other animals.

Animals that stay in the hotel will have dressing rooms, therapy sessions, (manner in which therapists conduct said sessions still unknown), laundry service, grooming rooms, playgrounds and air-conditioning.

Maher Al Hawarenah, principal architect of DM's General Projects Department, told Gulf News that the hotel will probably house pets of those going away for vacation, and will most likely cater to dogs and cats.

Owners can also monitor their pet's movements and activities online, he said.

The hotel will lie on the ground level, with flapped, open doors that give the canines and felines outdoor access on a moment's whim.

General Hussain Lootah, DM Director in charge of managing the new market-set to finish by November of this year-visited the site to see what progress was like.

The development is set up in blocks, and will include an administration area, a place to hold auctions, clinic and health block, in addition to the animal hotel.

Domestic animals are sold in markets in Dubai, and, in comparison to the upcoming bird market, are quite small.

The new market is set to be three times as big as the current ones.

At the present time, there are about 80 pet markets in Dubai and nearby Deira.

"We hope that the project will boost both the trade and tourism in the shade of a new sophisticated bird market in Dubai," Lootah said.