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.]]> juliana 2012-02-08T16:36:19-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/23/124519/98 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/abudhabileaninghyatt.jpg" class="top"><p> While we once thought that the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/8/4/122646/9829/hotels/The_Leaning_Hyatt_of_Abu_Dhabi_Will_Open_Later_This_Year">Leaning Hyatt of Abu Dhabi</a>, or, <a href="http://www.abudhabi.capitalgate.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/"><b>The Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi</b></a>, would open by the end of 2010, it turns out the hotel needed an extra year to get things tilted just so. <p>But now the hotel, which is located on the top floors of the purposely 18 degrees leaning Capital Gate Building, is officially open for guests. The hotel has 189 rooms and suites, all featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows with killer views of the Arabian Gulf and the city. <p>Even crazier than spending the night in a leaning tower is because of the way the building is constructed, <b>guests cannot actually see the ground below them</b>, making juliana 2011-12-23T13:20:01-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/20/112549/02

We think the Emirates Palace has gotten the message. Rather than strive to top last year's $11 million Christmas tree monstrosity, the hotel has graciously toned things down for the time being.

This month, guests at the gold-loving hotel won't be blindsided by a tree that's wearing more expensive jewelry than they are. Adorning the tree instead are custom-made Christmas balls from the Netherlands, and gold and silver foil ribbons. For good measure, the hotel also threw in some Christmas carolers. Who sang from gold-plated manuscripts atop gold podiums with gold plates on their teeth. A modest affair, really. ]]> ASchechter 2011-12-20T11:28:59-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/12/7/94438/2144 <![CDATA[<p> <img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/Park_Suite_12.11.jpg" class="top"><p> <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Park+Hyatt+Abu+Dhabi/local/4942"><b>The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas</b></a> opened on November 1st and just in case some of you jetsetters out there have not made it to the new hotel, we've got a couple of interior snapshots to drool over, starting with that bedroom view.<p>The hotel is located on a nine-kilometer stretch of beach on Saadiyat Island, so most views from the rooms offer views of the beach. If you don't have a beach view, then you're probably looking out over the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club or the hotel's own gardens but no matter the view, each room has its own balcony or private terrace.<p>Elsewhere on the property is a the two-level Atarmia Spa, the juliana 2011-12-07T12:52:42-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2011/11/1/115718/489 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/shishasommelier_rcdubai.jpg" class="top"><p>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"><b>Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Finance Centre</b></a> now has an expert on hand to ensure that every puff you take is perfect.<p>The <b>Shisha Sommelier</b> 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. <p>So who is this man tasked with such a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/cool hotel jobs">cool hotel job?</a> <b>Sadek Zeineddine</b>, a Lebanese national, who has worked in a food and beverage capacity in several juliana 2011-11-01T13:07:07-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/