Tag Archives: Dubai

Master developer Nakheel has started constructing the rooftop infinity swimming pool at The Palm Tower, its 52-storey, luxury hotel and residential complex at the heart of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Perched 210 metres above the ground and covering 775 square metres, the infinity pool – one of the highest in the world – borders all four sides of the building, boasting unrivalled, panoramic views across Palm Jumeirah, the Arabian Gulf and the Dubai skyline. The pool – which will hold 930,000 litres of water – is on the 50th floor of The Palm Tower. Above the pool will be a podium housing a 51st level speciality restaurant and a 52nd storey public viewing deck, 240 metres high. Construction of the rooftop dining viewing deck complex will begin soon. Located at the heart of the world-famous, award winning Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Tower comprises a 289-room St Regis hotel, 432 luxury residences and an array of dining and leisure facilities. The hotel occupies the first 18 floors, with fully-furnished studios and one, two and three bedroom apartments on the upper floors. The Palm Tower is directly connected to the under-construction Nakheel Mall – the access point for the public viewing deck – and its 350 shops, restaurants and attractions.

OYO Hotels & Homes welcomed over 100,000 guests from 78 countries across 14 properties and 20 homes in the UAE, since its launch in April last year. With this lease and full inventory control model, OYO currently manages 1,300 rooms within these properties in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah and is set to touch 12,000 rooms by 2020. Since the first 9 months of its launch, the hotel chain has received guests from within the UAE, which accounted for 45.73 per cent of their guests and the remaining from countries such as India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, France, Russia, United States, Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mauritius and United Kingdom, among several other counties. OYO aims to grow its market share through its ‘Manchise’ business model — a unique business model that combines the best of management contract and franchise agreement. Through this model, OYO aims to grow its footprint within the two-, three- and four-star hotels in the UAE.  With nearly 15.8 million overnight visitors in 2017, Dubai retained its ranking as the fourth most visited city in the world for the fourth year in a row, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index. Dubai was ahead of Singapore, followed by New York, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Istanbul, and Seoul. Manu Midha, Regional Head — Middle East, OYO Hotels & Homes, said, “OYO has now grown to become a preferred choice for several nationalities across the globe due to its ideal location, quality and also the price point. At the moment, we have touched around 78 countries and we are going to take this number higher due to the upcoming EXPO 2020. With 190 nations already signed up, we are confident that our …

As the 24th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) begins, travel agents, tour operators and hoteliers ensure logistics are handled with care. To mark the special occasion, Majid Al Futtaim’s six shopping malls hosted a 12-hour mega sale, offering shoppers an incredible 25 to 90 per cent reductions across participating stores. Other events include fireworks display and plenty of chances to win big through a raffle, with the ultimate prize worth over AED 50,000 to spend at Majid Al Futtaim malls during DSF. This year, Dubai Shopping Festival is running from December 26, 2018  to February 2, 2019. Visitors to this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will be treated to a host of entertainment on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, giving more reasons to visit the city’s malls and landmarks on December 31, 2048 and January 1, 2019. During the day, shoppers can enjoy the best deals across fashion and jewellery, while at night, visitors can watch multiple fireworks and many live concerts, events and gala dinners across the city. Shoppers visiting Al Barsha Mall, Al Bustan Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, City Centre Shindagha, City Centre Me’ aisem, Burjuman Centre, Karama Centre, Oasis Mall, Dubai, Dubai Outlet Mall, Etihad Mall, Reef Mall, Times Square Centre and Century Mall have the chance to win a cash prize from AED 10,000 by spending over AED 200 on December 31.  From January 5, and every Saturday until February 2, one lucky winner who spent AED 200 on or before December 31 will be drawn to step on to the Global Village stage and spin-the-wheel to win a cash prize …

Emirates will introduce a daily A380 service for a temporary period between Glasgow and Dubai from April 16, 2019. It will be the first time the popular double decker aircraft will operate on a scheduled basis to Scotland. The larger capacity A380 will replace Emirates’ current twice daily Boeing 777 service between Glasgow and Dubai from April 16 until May 31, 2019, during which time Dubai Airports plan to close Dubai International’s (DXB) southern runway for upgrade works, and the single runway operations require airlines to reduce and adjust their operating schedules. The deployment of the A380 is to minimise the reduction of Emirates’ capacity from Glasgow to Dubai and beyond, during this period. The A380 flight will depart Dubai at 1450hrs and arrive in Glasgow at 1945hrs, while the return flight will leave Glasgow at 2130hrs and land in Dubai at 0755hrs the next morning. From June 1 until September 30, the double daily service will be reinstated on the route, with the A380 operating on the first flight of the day, and a Boeing 777 on the second, increasing capacity on the route during this period to meet seasonal summer demand. Thereafter, the service will revert back to a twice daily Boeing 777 operation. Launched in October this year, Emirates also offers a daily service to Edinburgh, bringing to three the number of daily flights between Scotland and Dubai. The Emirates A380 will have a three-class cabin configuration, offering 14 private suites in First Class, 76 lie flat seats in Business Class, and 399 spacious seats in Economy Class.

Emirates Flight Catering has been selected to lead the hospitality and operations for the New Zealand pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai which will take place from October 2020 to April 2021 with participation from 190 countries. The New Zealand pavilion restaurant will be central to the country’s participation at Expo 2020. International visitors will experience premium New Zealand food and beverage products, prepared by Emirates Flight Catering’s skilled chefs. Saeed Mohammed, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Flight Catering, said, “New Zealand is a high-profile destination and its innovative approach to hospitality will allow us to showcase our expertise in food, beverage and hospitality, and to provide a world-class experience to anyone who visits the pavilion. The opportunity to work alongside New Zealand and its visitors to Expo 2020, a milestone event for the United Arab Emirates, is something we’re incredibly proud of.” Members of Emirates Flight Catering’s experienced culinary team, made up of 1800 chefs from 52 countries, will visit New Zealand early next year to source food and beverage products from experienced exporters for the pavilion restaurant. Clayton Kimpton, New Zealand’s Commissioner-General to Expo 2020, said, “New Zealand’s manaakitanga or warm hospitality is part of what makes us special. We’re excited to partner with Emirates Flight Catering to share our pavilion experience and New Zealand’s food and beverage with the world at Expo 2020 Dubai.” The agreement with New Zealand at Expo 2020 is further evidence of Emirates Flight Catering’s expertise and expansion outside of its core flight catering business. The company recently commenced construction of its vertical farming facility in Dubai. It’s also expanding further into retail and consumer sectors, combining its culinary and production expertise to produce premium …

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is set to increase its footprint in Dubai with three new managed hotels as part of the Deira Waterfront Development by Ithra Dubai. The 282 rooms and suites at Wyndham Deira Waterfront will appeal to up-scale travellers looking for tailored services and amenities to match, with its extensive meeting, fitness and leisure facilities, including a rooftop pool with views over the Gulf. Days Hotel Deira Waterfront will give mid-scale travellers a fresh burst of energy with its 131 quality rooms and suites, as well as an all-day dining restaurant and meeting facilities. Lastly, travellers on a budget will find 90 reasonably priced rooms at Super 8 Deira Waterfront, alongside a restaurant and café. The hotels will operate under the Wyndham, Days by Wyndham, and Super 8 by Wyndham brands. Also known as the Deira Enrichment Project, Ithra Dubai’s development is a mixed-use area situated along the Dubai creek in the southern part of Deira. Communal facilities, public amenities and open spaces will create a dynamic urban community along the shores of the Dubai Creek and will deliver key commercial growth opportunities for the city. The addition of three new hotels to the first phase of the development will also draw domestic and international business and leisure visitors looking for accommodation suited to a range of budgets. Issam Galadari, Director and CEO, Ithra Dubai, said, “Ithra Dubai’s development in Deira will enhance this busy and bustling part of Dubai, and will add to its rich tapestry woven by communities past and present. The collaboration with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will bring a new dimension to the area’s hospitality services, and will elevate and facilitate new pathways for …

Dubai remains on track to becoming the most visited city for global travel, business and events, according to the latest visitation figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The emirate welcomed 11.58 million visitors in the first three quarters of 2018, with India retaining its position as Dubai’s leading source market, followed by Saudi Arabia and the UK continuing to hold second and third positions respectively, underlining the city’s sustained appeal to its traditional strongholds and a wider diversified global audience. Russia, China and Germany continued to be key drivers within the top performing markets, each recording double-digit growth compared to the same period in 2017. Tourism from Russia remained on high trajectory, growing by a massive 60 per cent year-on-year, with visitor numbers surging to 460,000 in just the first nine months of 2018. The increase in Russian overnight guests was supported by a strong 19 per cent growth in air capacity across non-stop flights, in addition to added ease of travel access following the introduction of visa-on-arrival facilities in the last two years. China also continued to highlight benefits from the visa-on-arrival scheme, complementing the ongoing ‘China Readiness’ strategy, consequently re-enforcing its upward curve resulting in China securing its position as the fourth largest feeder market with an impressive 641,000 visitors so far this year, marking a 12 per cent increase versus 573,000 for the same period last year. Germany grew even faster at 15 per cent to reach 388,000 visitors during the first nine months, landing in eighth place within the top 10 source markets for Dubai. From a regional perspective, the first nine months saw 20 per cent of overnight visitors …

Emirates has introduced an additional Airbus A380 service to Johannesburg (OR Tambo International Airport), replacing the previous Boeing 777 aircraft on the route. EK762 (JNB-DXB) and EK761 (DXB-JNB) are now served by the flagship A380 aircraft. The Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft serving the Dubai-Johannesburg route will offer a total of 519 seats in a three-class configuration, with 429 spacious seats in Economy Class, 76 fully flat-bed seats in Business Class and 14 First-Class Private Suites. Upcoming festive season travel between the two global transit hubs is expected to be especially strong, building on over 700,000 customers who flew with the airline before November. With Emirates, customers from Johannesburg can enjoy a seamless A380 experience to their most popular destinations via Dubai, including London, Moscow, New York and Bangkok. All four daily Emirates flights between Johannesburg and Dubai operate as codeshare flights with partner South African Airways. The deployment of the double-decker aircraft on routes to and from South Africa gives even more regional travellers the chance to experience the aircraft’s industry-leading comforts. These include private suites and Shower Spas in its First-Class cabin, while Business-Class customers can enjoy the popular on-board lounge and lie-flat beds.

Marking its presence in the Middle East, Blacklane has opened its office in Dubai. After the Berlin headquarters and Asia-Pacific office in Singapore, this is the company’s third office having three priorities. The first is to support Emirates’s complimentary chauffeur-drive service as it provides First and Business Class-passengers with chauffeured airport transfers. Blacklane exclusively supplies these rides for Emirates in India, Italy and Sweden. Secondly, it is to add new cities across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Blacklane currenty serves 21 cities in 10 MEA countries. In the coming months, the company will add dozens of additional cities across the region. Lastly, it is to build corporate business and partnerships across the region. The Dubai team will increase the number of Blacklane guests originating from the Middle East. Jens Wohltorf, CEO and Co-founder, Blacklane, said, “As the centre of travel in the Middle East and the headquarters of Emirates, Dubai is perfect for Blacklane’s office expansion.” He added, “Emirates means quality, and we’re proud to provide that on the ground, online and in our customer service for Emirates’s guests.”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is all set to celebrate its 47th UAE National Day, as Dubai lights up with festivity and cheer. From special concerts, mall shows, city attractions and fireworks to promotions and traditional entertainment across the emirate, residents and visitors will be spoilt for choice as Dubai puts on a stunning display of activity to honour the UAE milestone. Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, said, “This National Day, we want everyone – from Emiratis to Dubai’s residents and visitors – to embrace this momentous occasion. We are delighted to announce a vast array of activities taking place all over the city to mark the festivities, and are grateful to our city-wide strategic partners who have really pulled out all the stops to ensure that everyone gets to celebrate this great nation. With a host of events and celebrations taking place across Dubai, we anticipate a lot of footfall over the National Day weekend and encourage visitors to get to the venues as early as possible to really maximise their experience.” A number of events will be held in the emirate to mark the ocassion. On December 1, emirati artist Ahlam and Iraqi singer and composer Walid Al Shami will delight audiences with their repertoire at Burj Park, while famous Emirati singers Bulqees and Hussain Al Jasmi will perform at the same venue the next day. At Global Village, Emirati superstar Hamad AlAmeri will draw fans in with a special concert. Residents and visitors to Dubai will be able to witness a special treat with fireworks taking place across the city. Mall of the Emirates will be commemorating the UAE National Day …