The welcome
From the coastal road that runs most of the length of Sharjah city, it’s not difficult to spot the new Sheraton, which dominates the skyline. Access to valet parking is up a quite narrow, steep driveway. The valets whisk luggage to the room while check-in is completed. I’m then pointed in the direction of one of two main sets of lifts.
The neighbourhood
About as far east as you can travel in Sharjah before crossing into Ajman, the immediate area is mostly residential, apart from the neighbouring four-star Coral Beach Resort. Road links are as convenient as they get in Sharjah, although avoid arrival or departure during rush hours, when traffic snarls up through city-centre exit routes. Luckily, you won’t need to leave during your stay, with beach, pool, restaurants and spa all self-contained within the resort.
The room
My seventh-floor premier deluxe sea-view room is at a perfect height to enjoy views of the pool, beach and Arabian Gulf. Everything conforms to Sheraton’s colour palette of browns, beiges and creams, just skimming on the classy side of bland. There’s a matching two-berth sofa and armchair, a sitting chair with footstool and a work desk with chair and TV, as well as built-in wardrobes with copious storage. Lighting includes nifty fold-out bedside reading spotlights, although a master switch near the bed would be a smart addition. There’s an alarm clock/iPod dock next to the enveloping king bed, embellished by a towering headboard with a dome-shaped mashrabiya section. The bathroom is spacious, with a bath, plus separate cubicles for the shower and the toilet/bidet.
The service
Excellent, if a little overzealous at times in efforts to impress.
The scene
You start to see the same faces throughout a weekend here, which lends a reassuring familiarity. The Sheraton is popular with families, although perhaps unexpectedly for a dry hotel, the piped music in the hotel corridors is distinctly party-ish – I hear everything from funky dance tunes to Kanye West. It lightens the mood and seems to catalyse friendly interactions between passing guests. The games room, with foosball, pool and table tennis, proves a popular social hub, too. A free electric shoe-shining machine near the lift is a handy all-hours touch.
The food
Dinner on the first evening is at the Middle Eastern outlet Arjwan, which wields a real flair for updated Arabian dishes, most notably Bedouin spiced camel (Dh50) – accompanying green dill rice, pomegranate and pine nuts complete a hearty main in UAE national colours. Breakfast (Dh75) at all-day-dining spot Gusti offers most standard options, from pancakes to omelettes and fresh juices, while the dinner buffet (Dh150) at the same venue isn’t a huge spread, but throws in more unusual Indian desserts, including seviyan and watalappam. My favourite, though, is Al Qubtan, a sea-view restaurant that majors on oceanic delights such as crab cakes with curry aioli (Dh60).
Loved
The room, Al Qubtan, the pool and a 60-minute Balinese massage (Dh350) at Shine Spa.
Hated
Some stale bread in Arjwan.
The verdict
A family-friendly five-star with tip-top, value-for-money rooms.
The bottom line
Double rooms at the Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa (www.sheratonsharjah.com; 06 563 0000) cost from Dh420 per night, including Wi-Fi and taxes, but excluding breakfast.
This review was done at the invitation of the hotel.
aworkman@thenational.ae
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
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Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
