The new year will bring a new era for one of Abu Dhabi's most visited landmarks, with Emirates Palace opening as the Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace hotel on Wednesday, January 1, 2020.
As well as managing the property, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is also planning to complete extensive renovations across the hotel over the next two years. During the works, the hotel will remain open to guests.
These will include upgrading guestrooms and leisure facilities, as well as introducing new restaurants and bars.
The Emirates Palace hotel has a private beachfront and almost 400 guestrooms and suites. It currently has 12 restaurants and bars, 40 meeting rooms, a concert grade auditorium and a ballroom that can accommodate up to 2,500 guests.
Hotel guests also have access to a private marina, two huge swimming pools with in-water sun loungers, two fitness centres and a luxury spa.
“The partnership with Mandarin Oriental represents an important milestone and aims to propel the property’s profile into a new era,” said His Excellency Sultan Dhahi Sultan Al Humairi, managing director of Emirates Palace Company.
Jame Riley, chief group executive at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group said the move was "a unique opportunity to manage one of the most high-profile properties in the Middle East."
The hotel has been managed by Kempinski Hotels since 2005 and is one of the capital's most visited tourist attractions.
It has welcomed several celebrities over the years, including Christina Aguilera who played a concert at the palace in 2008 and the cast of Fast and Furious 7 who used the palace as a filming location.
