World of luxury branding turns to diamonds


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Luxury hotels, department stores and restaurants are always pushing the limits of grandeur to impress their customers. And what could make a hotel or restaurant look more lavish than a drink or suite package that comes with a real diamond?

What is the marketing advantage of these extravagant package deals? “People of extraordinary wealth want a story you can tell, or an experience you can share on social media,” says Allen Adamson, a branding expert and chairman of Landor Associates. “The world of luxury branding is quickly becoming a world of ‘can you top this?’”

While a business traveller at a hotel or restaurant may feel comfortable just having a nice meal or night’s sleep, those travelling and dining for leisure often feel a desire to extend the moment through Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Storytelling about experiences, for the past decade or so, has become as important as the experience itself.

“Buying a diamond is an extravagant purchase to begin with,” notes Mr Adamson. “So receiving the diamond as part of a hotel or dining package makes for an impressive social media post and a unique story.” Not to mention all the coverage a hotel will get in the media when it announces such an absurd amenity. In New York, for example, the Algonquin Hotel’s Blue Bar began offering a beverage “on the Rock” a decade ago. Few people have ever sipped one, but according to marketing manager Nicholas Sciammarella, it’s a “gift that keeps on giving.”

“We sold one a month ago, and gave the exclusive to the Daily News,” Mr Sciammarella says. A gentleman from Texas allowed the paper to document his experience in the paper’s gossip column. The drink has also secured the hotel national television and international newspaper coverage. “It’s always something that’s coming back in the media,” explains Mr Sciammarella.

In a way, every time a customer buys a diamond-augmented experience, it’s almost like they’re buying a free ad for the hotel.

The New York Palace Hotel, for example, has teamed with the jewellery designer Martin Katz to create the Jewel Suite, a two-storey, 5000 square feet penthouse that costs $25,000 a night and houses up to six guests.

Q&A

Tell me more about the Jewel Suite.

Along with more standard luxury amenities (a private rooftop terrace, sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline), the Jewel Suite comes with a complimentary Diamond Microband Ring, valued at $2,500, that the guest can customise in a private meeting with Martin Katz himself.

What sorts of customers does this jewel-studded hotel room attract?

“The Jewel Suite by Martin Katz has played host to celebrity clientele, both for personal stays and when in New York City to promote professional projects,” says the hotel managing director John Tolbert. The hotel also rents out the Jewel Suite to publications such as Vogue and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey for photo shoots and interviews.

Any other diamond experiences of note?

The Trump SoHo hotel-condominium may seem like just another $450 million instalment in the Trump real estate empire, but one of the hotel’s spa features is the Diamond Dust Body Treatment.

What does that involve?

A rubdown with rare diamond-dust infused beauty oils. The spa’s menu says the treatment offers a “balancing of the chakras by applying luminous mud combined with diamond dust using magnetic tools to remove toxins in your body”.

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Eagles

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Bahrain

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Honeymoonish
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Results:

6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres

Winner: AF Al Sajanjle, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m

Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m

Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson

8.15pm: Meydan Trophy Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m

Winner: Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m

Winner: Poetic Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m

Winner: Lava Spin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m

Winner: Mountain Hunter, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor

Results

6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).

7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.

7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.

8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.

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  • Financial well-being incentives 
Abu Dhabi traffic facts

Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road

The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.

Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.

The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.

The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.

Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019

 

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Nationality: Irish

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Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston

Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

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Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Levante v Real Mallorca (12am)

Leganes v Barcelona (4pm)

Real Betis v Valencia (7pm)

Granada v Atletico Madrid (9.30pm)

Sunday

Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (12am)

Espanyol v Getafe (3pm)

Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao (5pm)

Eibar v Alaves (7pm)

Villarreal v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)

Monday

Real Valladolid v Sevilla (12am)

 

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Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine

Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

Favourite drink: Water

Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work

Favourite music: Classical music

Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate

 

 

 

 

 

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