HotelChatter - ae

But Will The Burj Al-Arab's Golden iPads Make The Internet Work Faster?

juliana — 2013-05-22T08:50:58-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/burjgoldeniPads.jpeg" class="top"> The answer is: of course not! But this is <a href="">The Burj Al Arab</a> and whatever their high-paying guests want, or think they might want, they will get. Hence the new 24 carat gold iPads that are now available in all guestrooms. (No doubt, these will show the Emirates Palace just how silly their <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/12/16/32432/652/hotels/The_Emirates_Palace_Celebrates_Christmas_The_Only_Way_It_Knows_How%2C_With_Money">gold Christmas tree</a> was!) The iPad will be loaded with the Burj Al Arab's own virtual concierge software, enabling guests to order up whatever they wish through the iPad. The glittering iPad is just one of the latest high tech amenity additions to the Burj which already has iMacs in each room, plasma TVs and private butler service. Fortunately, the WiFi is

Can Dubai Squeeze Another Hotel Onto the Palm? Viceroy Thinks So

ASchechter — 2013-05-20T09:16:06-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/Dubai_Viceroy_Hotel.jpg" class="top"><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Yas+Hotel/local/4897">Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi</a> generally gets most of the attention when it comes to <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/viceroy%20hotels">Viceroy</a> hotels in the Middle East. But that's all about to change, as word got out last week that Viceroy is planning to build a 481-room beachfront resort on the Palm Jumeirah. We kinda figured one 1,500-room <a href=" http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Atlantis,+the+Palm/local/1336">mega-resort</a> would be enough, but we guess we were wrong. Set to open in 2017, Viceroy Dubai Palm Jumeirah will be a mixed-use development, with an adjoining 220 pre-furnished luxury residences, a spa, private beach club, 3 outdoor swimming pools, and the hotel itself. Of course, plenty of this already exists in Dubai, but this is a city practically founded on the concept

Raffles Dubai Unveils the Middle East's "Most Luxurious Floor"

wakeandwander — 2013-05-08T15:44:39-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/113893/Raf_Dub_005_1004131.jpg" class="top"> <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/RAFFLES+DUBAI+/local/4403">Raffles Dubai</a> <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2012/10/12/172836/07/hotels/The_World%27s_Most_Expensive_Dress_Is_At_Raffles_Dubai">put the world's most expensive dress on display</a> last fall, and leave it to them to outdo themselves in a matter of months (who else could, really?). This spring Raffles is introducing what they call the Middle East's most luxurious floor - a 21,500 square-foot "space" that takes up most of the 14th level of the hotel. That's right, a private floor with six rooms, a spa, hair salon, majlis (that's meeting room, in basic terms), three private kitchens and a cinema that seats nine. Damn! (but watch your language if you see it, ok?) Not impressed, you snort? Pfft. Fine. How about access via a private elevator, 24-hour check in, a

Atlantis, The Palm Proves Too Extreme For DJ David Guetta

ASchechter — 2013-05-07T09:16:52-05:00

It's never been a secret that Atlantis, The Palm likes to do things on a big scale. Its grand opening party alone coast $35 million.

So we wonder why celebrity DJ David Guetta received such a shock when he checked into his suite at the hotel recently. He griped to 7 Days In Dubai:

"My room is so crazy I’ve never seen anything like it. They gave me a room where the bedroom is under the aquarium. I’m sleeping with sharks and stingrays and I had to close the curtains because I couldn’t sleep, it was freaking me out."

Say Hello To The New Rosewood Abu Dhabi

ASchechter — 2013-05-06T09:01:56-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/rosewood_abu_dhabi_Exterior.jpg" class="top">Seems like there's a lot of action going on in <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/abu%20dhabi%20hotels">Abu Dhabi</a> is the these days. If it's not the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Ritz-Carlton%2C+Abu+Dhabi/local/5304">Ritz-Carlton</a> opening, it's the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2013/1/29/10156/6429/hotels/Another_Abu_Dhabi_Delay_of_the_St._Regis_Kind">St. Regis</a>. And if it's not <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2012/8/5/92839/73962/hotels/A_Touch_of_Paris_in_the_Middle_East%3A_Le_Bristol_Abu_Dhabi_to_Open_in_2013">Le Bristol</a>, it's the budget-oriented <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2012/10/11/93225/769/hotels/To_The_Delight_Of_Budget_Travelers%2C_Ibis_Makes_Its_Abu_Dhabi_Debut">Ibis</a>. And here's another one to add to the list: last Wednesday, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Rosewood%20Hotels">Rosewood Abu Dhabi</a> opened as the first Rosewood property in the UAE (though there are three others in the Middle East, with a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/dubai%20Hotels">Dubai</a> property on the way). The 189-room hotel no doubt hopes to profit from an expected influx of visitors to AUH thanks to the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2015, and the Guggenheim in 2017 (both designed by Frank Gehry).