HotelChatter - dubai

JW Marriott Marquis Dubai to Be Tallest Hotel in the World

juliana — 2012-02-08T16:36:19-05:00

Well it looks like Marriott Hotels won't be relinquishing their title of "World's Tallest Hotel" anytime soon. Though that distinction belongs currently to the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong come later this year, it will be wrested away by the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai.

Marriott made the announcement today saying that the two towers of the 1,608-room hotel will stand 1,164 feet tall, making them just 85 feet shorter than the Empire State Building. And unlike other hotels in buildings this tall, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will be entirely dedicated to hotel operations.

The Ritz-Carlton Dubai Now Has a Hookah Sommelier on Staff

juliana — 2011-11-01T13:07:07-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/shishasommelier_rcdubai.jpg" class="top">If you've ever wanted to smoke a hookah but were afraid of looking like a novice, the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/THE+RITZ-CARLTON+INTL+FINANCE/local/4775">Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Finance Centre</a> now has an expert on hand to ensure that every puff you take is perfect.The Shisha Sommelier is a part of the hotel's Shisha Terrace. Shisha, also called hookah, is just smoking tobacco in a glass-based waterpipe but the Shisha sommelier is there to help guests choose the shisha flavor that will compliment their food and beverage or simply, their preference of tobacco flavor. So who is this man tasked with such a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/cool hotel jobs">cool hotel job?</a> Sadek Zeineddine, a Lebanese national, who has worked in a food and beverage capacity in several

The Case of the $7,250 Burj Al Arab Ashtray

JetSetCD — 2011-10-21T16:02:26-05:00

The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. It's world famous and ranked seven stars with four-digit nightly room rates, so naturally people get curious. For one, we're curious about what makes their hotel so worth that money, and what perhaps they might sell in the gift shop (cause you know they have one).

Well, the latter question has somewhat been answered for us by a weird little website called Opulent Items. Specializing in over-the-top luxury gifts, they'll sell you anything from a $7,500 inflatable "iceberg" to a $20 shower curtain, as Racked discovered yesterday. What they also dug up is this ashtray, priced at $7,250 and embedded with three diamonds.

Hilton Plans a Waldorf-Astoria Resort For Dubai (But They Won't Let Us See)

ASchechter — 2011-10-19T09:50:30-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/150709_BL45___Palm_Jumeirah.jpg" class="top">Hilton just announced that a 324-room resort on Palm Jumeirah in <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Dubai%20Hotels">Dubai</a> will become a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Waldorf-Astoria%20Collection">Waldorf Astoria</a> Resort by the end of 2013. Hilton is teaming up with Al Habtoor Group, who had originally bought the land but ran into major delays when the economy went down the drain in 2008, affecting all imminent Dubai properites. Not only is Al Habtoor now re-starting construction on the $272 million resort, they are funding the entire project out of their own pocket. Apparently, the city's banks are so hard-pressed that receiving funding is virtually impossible. Al Habtoor also told <a href="http://www.arabianbusiness.com/waldorf-astoria-debut-on-dubai-s-palm-425869.html">Arabian Business</a> that it is working on "other projects, which we are going to announce soon." Click below

Kim Kardashian Wants to Open a Hotel for Gorgeous People

ASchechter — 2011-10-14T12:05:13-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/KimKard.jpg" class="top">Brace yourselves, the day's hotel news just got a lot more depressing. <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20111013-707493.html">WSJ</a> is reporting on a statement made by <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Kim%20Kardashian">Kim Kardashian</a> about opening her own branded hotel in the United Arab Emirates. In her words: "everything I think will be successful here." Hmm, a self-obsessed reality TV star with delusions of starting her own hotel? Haven't we heard this one <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/8/17/111736/250/hotels/Oh_No_Not_Again_Paris_Hilton_Wants_To_Open_Her_Own_Hotels">before</a>? Also, Kim you might want to stop copying the Hilton sisters at some point. Kim is currently touring the country solo, and was apparently so swept away by all the beautiful women there that she took to <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/KimKardashian">Twitter</a> to make her feelings known. So, she's got millions of dollars, has already visited