ABU DHABI // There are hotel rooms, there are luxury hotel rooms … and then there is the Abu Dhabi Suite.
Taking the phrase “high-end accommodation” literally, the suite at the St Regis Abu Dhabi hotel is suspended 220 metres above ground between the two buildings of the Nation Towers development.
Admittedly, the 2,200 square metre two-storey suite has only three bedrooms, but hey – with a butler, a spa, a cinema, a bar area, two kitchens and a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, the islands and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, who’s going to be sleeping?
And at Dh100,000 a night, you wouldn’t want to waste any time with your eyes shut.
The suite has 19 chandeliers made of Bohemian crystal, and a lift that takes guests to ground level in total privacy, bypassing the rest of the hotel.
Carmen Ortiz, the hotel’s marketing manager, said it had been designed to combine the hotel’s signature touches with a local feel.
“We wanted it to be authentic, not something you could find anywhere in the world,” she said. “All the art work and decor is sourced locally, combining Art Deco, in keeping with St Regis, and the local culture.”
Oliver Key, the hotel’s general manager, said the views were unrivalled.
“It’s a view … you just can’t get from the ground,” he said. “It’s a bird’s eye view of all the islands that many people don’t even realise are out there.”
The hotel has its own helipad to take VIPs from their private jets at Al Bateen Airport directly to the hotel. For those who prefer to travel by road, there is a chauffeur-driven Bentley.
Mr Key said he imagines the suite will be popular for events.
“It will also be used as a venue,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of inquiries for dinners and receptions to be held here but it’s perfect, too, for small weddings and henna parties, especially as we have the spa right here.”
There is clearly a market for it, he said, and celebrities and business people alike are expected to book.
The suite is not only the most expensive in the UAE, but also unique. The Burj Al Arab in Dubai has a 780-square metre Royal Suite with two bedrooms, but even with all that gold leaf the rooms cost only about Dh15,000 a night. In Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Palace hotel’s three-bedroom Palace Suite is a relatively cramped 680 square metres, and costs a paltry Dh60,000 a night.
The newly opened suite at the Royal Mangroves Residence, however, is larger than that at the St Regis, by about 250 square metres. Also on two levels, it is spread across more than half an acre and can fit 10 ensuite king-size bedrooms.
But prices start at a bargain Dh55,000 a night,
mswan@thenational.ae