Every year marks another advance in the onward march of the UAE’s hotel industry, and this year was no exception, as the country got its first W and Versace hotels, and the Four Seasons opened in the capital. Here’s a round up of the top 10 new hotel openings in 2016 in the UAE.
Four Seasons Abu Dhabi
The long-awaited Four Seasons Abu Dhabi marks the entrance of one of the world’s great hotel brands to the UAE capital. The slick, purpose-built block on Al Maryah Island has a fairly intimate feel, with “only” 200 rooms, an excellent spa and a great selection of restaurants on its lower levels.
• For more, visit www.fourseasons.com/abudhabi
Marriott Downtown Abu Dhabi
Another brand new building, the Marriott Downtown Abu Dhabi lends a touch of luxury to what is essentially a corporate city centre hotel. There’s a nice rooftop, a good steak restaurant and excellent American-style bar food in the sports bar Velocity. The all-day dining restaurant Kuzbara has changing themes to its dinner buffet.
• For more, visit www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/auhmc-marriott-hotel-downtown-abu-dhabi
W Dubai
The W brand has wowed guests all over the world, and its new Dubai outpost is no exception. Behind its Habtoor City facade is a full-on kaleidescope of neon, futuristic furniture and glittery floors. When taken all together these can be over-the-top, not forgetting the signature round beds. Rates are competitive, from Dh881 including breakfast and taxes.
• For more, visit www.wdubaialhabtoorcity.com
Four Seasons DIFC
In some ways comparable to its Abu Dhabi sister, the Four Seasons DIFC in Dubai has an intimate, almost boutique hotel feel. Its Gate Village location allows you to explore the surrounding restaurants and galleries on foot - not that you have to go far, as Michael Mina’s Firebird Diner is downstairs. The boxy, clear-sided rooftop swimming pool is the perfect accompaniment to the open-air view of Dubai’s startling skyline.
• For more, visit www.fourseasons.com/dubaidifc
Rove Downtown Dubai
The first of Emaar brand Rove’s hotels which aim to offer stylish accommodation on a relative budget, the proudly 3-star Rove Downtown Dubai has an excellent location near the Burj Khalifa and is both hip and homely. More please.
• For more, visit www.rovehotels.com/hotel/rove-downtown-dubai
Bab Al Qasr, Abu Dhabi
The gold-coloured, double-towered, 677-room, 36-storey Bab Al Qasr is perhaps the most eye-catching of what is now a cluster of hotels between the Khalidiya Rayhaan by Rotana and Etihad Towers. Inside, there’s a suitably dramatic lobby complete with a set of palm trees, and the hotel also has its own private beach.
• For more, visit www.millenniumhotels.com/en/abu-dhabi/bab-al-qasr-hotel
La Ville Dubai
A late entrant onto this list because it has just opened, La Ville Hotel & Suites, at City Walk, between Jumeirah and Downtown Dubai, is a sign of good things to come. The new boutique hotel is by luxury Marriott brand The Autograph Collection. The five-storey block has 77 rooms, 11 suites and 68 apartments, plus a gym and swimming pool, three restaurants, a 24-hour lobby cafe and a rooftop bar. It’s not cheap, however - double rooms cost from Dh2,072 per night, including taxes.
• For more, visit www.livelaville.com
Jumeirah Al Naseem, Dubai
This new beachfront hotel between the Jumeirah Mina A’Salam and Burj Al Arab is part of the Madinat Jumeirah complex and marks the final chapter of the two-kilometre resort development, which began with the opening of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in 1997. The new hotel offers a further 430 rooms, an adults-only swimming pool, seven new Jumeirah restaurants and bars and four restaurants run by third-party operators.
• For more, visit www.jumeirah.com
Palazzo Versace Dubai
Our reviewer ventured to this newly-opened hotel in the first week of 2016 and found herself lost in a construction wasteland in the middle of the night. Yet while the hotel’s location is an issue, once inside the experience couldn’t be more different, with palatial interiors excellent restaurants and a high level of attention to detail.
• For more, visit www.palazzoversace.ae
Wyndham Dubai Marina
Somewhat under-the-radar, this new 2016 addition impressed our reviewer for its great views over the Gulf, quietly efficient service, excellent food and value for money.
• For more, visit www.wyndhamdubaimarina.com
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
HOW TO WATCH
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
WHAT%20ARE%20THE%20PRODUCTS%20WITHIN%20THE%20THREE%20MAJOR%20CATEGORIES%3F
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