The capital can expect to get its first Four Seasons hotel in two years time.
Construction work on the 35-storey property on Al Maryah Island started last year after developer Mubadala awarded a Dh730 million contract to design and build the project to Al Futtaim Carillion.
“It’s about 20 storeys off the ground,” said Simon Casson, the regional vice president and general manager of Four Seasons Resort Dubai, which opened on the emirate’s Jumeirah Beach Road on November 16.
With 190 rooms and 125 apartments, the Abu Dhabi Four Seasons will be the Canadian company’s second property in the UAE.
Next month, Four Seasons will open a hotel in Johannesburg followed by one in Bahrain in the first quarter of next year.
The Toronto-based firm, which has more than 90 properties worldwide, had a turnover of 4.3 billion Canadian dollars last year, according to the Canadian Hotel Association.
Four Seasons has high hopes for its five-star Dubai beachhead.
“Any of the world’s luxury hotel companies, if they were offered such a location, would run fast and say yes please, because it is a pre-eminent location on Jumeirah beach,” Mr Casson said. “It’s not something you can buy [as] land is closely held here.”
The resort, which has an introductory offer of Dh2,532 per night, is targeting travellers from the Arabian Gulf region, Russia, China, Britain and Germany.
Corporate guests are expected to make up about 10 per cent of the total clientele.
Mr Casson said that the hotel was fully booked for this weekend plus several dates ahead of the New Year. The property even has a few bookings for its Dh60,000 a night suites this month.
Four Seasons is a private partnership between Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the Saudi prince Al Waleed bin Talal, and the group’s Canadian founder Isadore Sharp and his family.
Last month, the average daily room rate in the emirate declined 1.6 per cent year on year at Dh1,034.57 across the luxury to economy segments, according to travel company STR Global.
But Mr Casson joined other hoteliers in their upbeat forecast for Dubai’s potential to take in more tourists despite an increase in supply in hotel rooms.
“Dubai has confounded the sceptics, as there are more things to do and see here,” he said.
The emirate has 351 hotels accounting for 70,440 rooms across all categories, according to STR.
It has 86 hotels with 25,029 rooms under construction.
At least one operator has acknowledged the impact of the inventory increase in the emirate.
At Starwood, revenue per available room remained flat during the third quarter in Dubai “as that market has seen quite a bit of new hotel capacity”, said Frits van Paasschen, the chief executive and president of Starwood, while announcing the third- quarter results last month.
The US operator expects to open three luxury hotels – St Regis, Westin and W – at Al Habtoor complex in Business Bay next year.
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The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
Scoreline
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17
Jebel Ali Dragons 20
Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson
Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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More Iraq election coverage:
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SPECS
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