HotelChatter

Hotels / → All Tags

Royal Teddy Bears and Gold-Plated Palm Trees

Where: Abu Dhabi Corniche, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Jenny Webster, of Inside Hotels, just took a sneak peek into the Emirates Palace hotel, slated to open in December, and came out awestruck by shiny things.

The Emirates Palace, arguably the most expensive hotel ever built, will attempt to draw visitors and conferences to United Emirates capital Abu Dhabi. Tourists don't exactly flock to the area, so it remains to be seen if the Palace will achieve this goal, but Kempinkski Hotels and Resorts are clearly pulling out all the stops.

Try to imagine the flashiest Vegas hotel crossed with the poshest five-star resort. Then dip the whole thing in gold and perfume, and pack it with things like bath concierges, Palace teddy bears, fine restaurants, and Swarovski crystal chandeliers, and you've come somewhere near the Emirates Palace experience. Their strategy: To treat guests like royalty.

Prices start at about $550 a night, so you may have to actually be royalty to visit. We're curious to see just how many of the Palace's 302 rooms and 92 suites will be filled when it opens this December...