Dubai’s long-awaited Atlantis The Royal has welcomed its first guests.
The 795-room mega-hotel on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, has opened its doors to a select group of celebrities, VIP guests and press for its grand preview weekend.
The event will reach its crescendo on Saturday night with a performance by Beyonce, her first since 2018. The musician is already in situ at the hotel, along with husband Jay-Z, who was spotted enjoying a cigar and drinks at the property’s beachside Food Marquet on Friday afternoon.
A host of other celebrities are also in attendance, including British TV stars Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan, Rochelle and Marvin Humes, celebrity chef Isaac Carew, Storm and Ronan Keating, Amir Khan and local influencers such as Real Housewives of Dubai personality Chanel Ayan.
Finishing touches to the sea-facing, outdoor stage where Beyonce will perform were being put in place as the Sun set on Friday. On Wednesday, residents of The Palm shared videos on social media where the singer could be heard practising some of her most famous hits, including Drunk in Love and Crazy in Love. The sound check happened a little after midnight, with residents also reporting hearing renditions of Halo, Naughty Girl and Freedom.
This weekend’s guests were also treated to a first view of the hotel’s Skyblaze fountains in action. The 28-metre-high feature combines water, fire bursts, lights and performative music. It is the brainchild of KPF, the firm responsible for some of the most recognisable destinations and buildings in the world, including New York’s Hudson Yards, the largest private development in US history; London’s Covent Garden neighbourhood; and six of the 12 tallest towers in the world, including the Shanghai World Financial Centre, the Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen, China, and Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea.
Skyblaze, which is expected to be seen in full effect during the performance on Saturday, is one of a series of dramatic water features in the hotel. An 11.5-metre-tall lobby sculpture, Droplets, represents the first drop of rain in a dry desert, while the Deluge water elevators invite guests to walk through water to reach other parts of the property.
Eye-catching light fixtures in the form of cloud bursts hover overhead in the hotel’s elevator banks, while hundreds of raindrop-shaped light pendants stud the ceilings of the lobby.
Spanning more than 40 hectares, Atlantis The Royal is 500 metres long, extends 43 storeys and 178 metres upwards. Its distinctive form consists of six towers shaped like a stack of individual blocks, connected from above by a 90-metre by 33-metre sky bridge. It is home to 795 rooms and suites, countless hospitality venues and no fewer than 90 swimming pools.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
CREW
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.