• The crown pool at Ciel, the world's tallest hotel. Courtesy The First Group
    The crown pool at Ciel, the world's tallest hotel. Courtesy The First Group
  • Ciel will be the world's tallest hotel, taking the title from Dubai's Gevora Hotel.. Courtesy The First Group
    Ciel will be the world's tallest hotel, taking the title from Dubai's Gevora Hotel.. Courtesy The First Group
  • Ciel will be home to four restaurants - two of them will be located on the rooftop. Courtesy The First Group
    Ciel will be home to four restaurants - two of them will be located on the rooftop. Courtesy The First Group
  • Suites in the world's tallest hotel will have contemporary interiors and floor to ceiling windows to make the most of the towering views. Courtesy The First Group
    Suites in the world's tallest hotel will have contemporary interiors and floor to ceiling windows to make the most of the towering views. Courtesy The First Group
  • Ciel's Horizon pool will be one of the world's highest infinity pools. Courtesy The First Group
    Ciel's Horizon pool will be one of the world's highest infinity pools. Courtesy The First Group
  • Dubai's new tallest hotel is located in Dubai Marina, in front of Cayan Tower. Courtesy The First Group
    Dubai's new tallest hotel is located in Dubai Marina, in front of Cayan Tower. Courtesy The First Group
  • Up high: A view of Ciel's Horizon Bar. Courtesy The First Group
    Up high: A view of Ciel's Horizon Bar. Courtesy The First Group
  • Ciel will have elevated green spaces throughout the hotel. Courtesy The First Group
    Ciel will have elevated green spaces throughout the hotel. Courtesy The First Group
  • The world's tallest hotel will have multiple swimming pools when it open in Dubai Marina. Courtesy The First Group
    The world's tallest hotel will have multiple swimming pools when it open in Dubai Marina. Courtesy The First Group

Dubai megaproject: world's tallest hotel Ciel reaches construction milestone


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Construction of Ciel Tower in Dubai — set to be the world's tallest stand-alone hotel at 365 metres — has reached the halfway stage of 52 storeys, said the skyscraper's developer, The First Group.

Work on the megaproject in Dubai Marina is on track to meet the scheduled completion date in the fourth quarter of 2023, and the hotel's opening in the first half of 2024, the Dubai-based developer said on Tuesday.

When completed, the tower will surpass Dubai's 356m Gevora Hotel, which is currently the world's tallest hotel. Designed by architectural company NORR, it is being built by The First Group’s chief development partner, China Railway Construction Corporation.

“Ciel is a landmark development for Dubai that will not only enhance its status as one of the world’s great tourism and business travel destinations, but will set a new benchmark for upscale accommodation in what is recognised as one of the most dynamic and competitive hotel markets on the planet,” said Rob Burns, chief executive of The First Group.

Dubai's hospitality and tourism industry is continuing to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The emirate hosted 7.28 million international overnight visitors between January and December last year, up 32 per cent year-over-year, Dubai Media Office said in February, citing data from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.

Ciel construction progress
Ciel construction progress

The emirate’s hotels, meanwhile, outperformed pre-pandemic levels across all measurements in the fourth quarter of 2021, with occupancy levels exceeding 81.4 per cent, compared to 80.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019. Average occupancy reached 67 per cent in 2021 compared to 54 per cent in the previous year, Dubai Media Office said.

Ciel Tower will have more than 1,000 guestrooms and suites, as well as premium amenities, such as the Ciel Observatory & Lounge on the 81st floor and a signature rooftop Sky Terrace with infinity pool and bar.

A key feature of the hotel will be a 300-metre atrium with vertically stacked landscaped terraces that will span the building’s 82 floors.

The Gevora Hotel was named the world's tallest hotel when it opened in 2018, beating the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, situated less than four kilometres away, by only six metres.

The ever-evolving Dubai skyline has also recently been enhanced by the emergence of Uptown Tower, which is located between the southern end of Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the Jumeirah Park community.

Uptown Tower reached 329m last week, when concrete was poured for the roof at the 79th level. It will eventually reach 340m when a steel crown is placed on top of the building.

It will be the world's 80th tallest building, according to data from Emporis.

World's tallest towers - top 10

1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai - 828m

2. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai - 632m

3. Makkah Clock Royal Tower, Makkah - 601m

4. Ping An International Finance Centre, Shenzhen - 599m

5. Goldin Finance 117, Tianjin - 597m

6. Lotte World Tower, Seoul - 554m

7. One World Trade Centre, New York - 541m

8. CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou - 530m

9. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin - 530m

10. Citic Tower, Beijing - 528m

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.

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
  • Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
  • Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. 
Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Overall head-to-head

Federer 6-1 Cilic

Head-to-head at Wimbledon

Federer 1-0 Cilic

Grand Slams titles

Federer 18-1 Cilic

Best Wimbledon performance

Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes

Cheat’s nigiri 
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.

Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.

Deconstructed sushi salad platter 
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Twin-turbocharged%204-litre%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E542bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E770Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEight-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C450%2C000%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

Mobile phone packages comparison
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Pakistan World Cup squad

Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain      

Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Whizkey

Date founded: 04 November 2017

Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani

Based: Dubai, UAE

Number of employees: 10

Sector: AI, software

Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million  

Funding stage: Series A

Updated: May 17, 2023, 3:51 PM