The project was owned by Baku XXI Century, a company affiliated with several members of the Mammadov family, which has been described as having a reputation for corruption.

Trump announced his involvement with the project in November 2014, with plans to have the building opened as a hotel and condominium property in June 2015.

The project was announced as an apartment building in 2008, to be built along a road named Heydar Aliyev Prospekti, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

[1] Pierre Baillargeon and Mixity Design,[1] his London-based architecture firm, redesigned the project and removed the crown-roof aspect.

[1] The structure was designed as a curved building to resemble a sail, similar to the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

Employees of The Trump Organization made monthly visits to the site to approve each new work order on the project.

The residential lobby was to feature gold leaf glass, while the hotel would include a 500 square-meter ballroom, 147 meters of retail space, a champagne bar, a restaurant, and a spa with several pools.

In March 2016, The Trump Organization stated that, "Due to the developer falling behind on certain construction milestones, the project is currently held in abeyance and not being actively marketed.

Reaching the property is surprisingly difficult; the tower stands amid a welter of on-ramps, off-ramps, and overpasses."

Davidson described the project as being in an "oddly unglamorous location," being miles away from the main business district and surrounded by train tracks, a discount shopping center, and low-budget hotels.

In a phone interview conducted by Davidson, Baillargeon hung up when asked if he had witnessed large cash payments during his time as the project's designer.

[1] After Trump announced his U.S. presidential campaign in June 2015, several news organizations reported on his involvement with the project and with the Mammadov family.

The Darvishis were associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which had been regularly accused by the U.S. government of criminal activity.

Despite the associations, The Trump Organization did not end its affiliation with the project and did not inquire about the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.