The only hotel at the Expo 2020 Dubai site has opened for bookings.
The Rove Expo 2020 was pitched as having the best seats in the house given its commanding view of Al Wasl Plaza, one of the main attractions at the event.
The plaza's enormous trellis dome will host the opening ceremony on October 1, during which images will be beamed on to the world’s largest 360-degree projection surface.
People have been unable to travel for over 12 months. They are locking in dates for the future.
The hotel's rooftop swimming pool and most of the 300-plus rooms overlook the dome.
Rooms cost from Dh1,000 ($272) a night and include Expo 2020 tickets for the duration of stay.
Paul Bridger, chief operating officer at Rove Hotels, said staff were dealing with enquiries from more than 1,500 people even before it opened for bookings.
"We will have amazing views of the action and the event. We have had a huge response and a number of bookings already," Mr Bridger told The National.
"We had 1,500 email enquiries from people asking when can they book. There is so much anticipation for the Expo event itself and the hotel is part of that. There is a lot of pent-up demand.
“A lot of people have been unable to travel for over 12 months. They are really looking forward to the next time they can travel and are locking in their dates for the future."
With fewer than 100 days to go, tourists from the GCC, Expo support staff, artists and performers have already made reservations.
"We have seen a lot of demand from the local region and some are people connected to the event," he said.
"There is a lot of anticipation in the UAE but also overseas.”
Being the only place to stay on the 438-hectare site, the hotel has an advantage.
Other hotels are a 15-minute drive away in the surrounding Dubai South and Dubai Investments Park areas. The Dubai Marina neighbourhood is about 20 minutes away.
Visitors are planning an Expo stay as part of their trip to Dubai and the UAE.
“They want to do one or two days at the Expo and explore other areas in the city," Mr Bridger said.
“So we see a lot of people asking to spend one or two nights at the Rove Expo 2020 and then stay at a different hotel, maybe in Downtown or Marina, as part of their trip."
Mr Bridger thinks demand will continue to grow from the 5 per cent occupancy recorded in the past four days since bookings opened.
"People believe and trust that Dubai will put on such a great show that they are really looking forward to get their place," Mr Bridger said.
"We are expecting demand to be very high."
The hotel opens on October 1, the same day as the Expo. Staff are getting ready for a soft opening in September, with guests being limited to those working at the site.
Reservations for dates before October 1 will not be available to the general public.
The hotel – which has a cafe, dining outlets, co-working spaces and a 24-hour gym – is among the structures that will remain after the Expo finishes in March next year.
Those taking part in events at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, a hub for international trade shows and conferences, will continue to drive demand.
Expo organisers have also laid out plans for a residential and commercial neighbourhood called District 2020 as part of a legacy master plan to build a thriving community.
Marjan Faraidooni, chief experience officer at Expo 2020, said the hotel supported the goals of the futuristic city and would add “huge value to world-class facilities”.
“Rove 2020 Dubai will provide remarkable hospitality and fulfil the needs of visitors during and after Expo 2020 Dubai,” she said.
The World Fair in Dubai will be the first global event to be held in-person with international visitors during the coronavirus pandemic.
It is the first time the fair will take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region.
Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions: in pictures
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
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
The biog
Name: Dr Lalia Al Helaly
Education: PhD in Sociology from Cairo
Favourite authors: Elif Shafaq and Nizar Qabbani.
Favourite music: classical Arabic music such as Um Khalthoum and Abdul Wahab,
She loves the beach and advises her clients to go for meditation.
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
