SOCHI, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - A hotel that will be constructed on an artificial island in the Black Sea near Sochi must be better than the Burj Al Arab hotel in the United Arab Emirates, the Russian premier said on Friday.

Vladimir Putin was touring an exhibition in the Russian Black Sea resort devoted to the development of Russia's regions and stopped at a stand of the Krasnodar Region, which showcased the project to build a 24-story hotel on a manmade island.

Anatoly Pakhomov, the mayor of the city that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, told the prime minister that the "spiraled hotel will be constructed in the shape of the Olympic torch," and will be like "the Burj Al Arab hotel in the United Arab Emirates."

"This is beautiful, but ours must be better," Putin replied.

The Burj Al Arab in Dubai is the second tallest luxury hotel in the world. It was built between 1994 and 1999 in the shape of a billowing sail and the construction cost some $650 million.