Tag Archives: dubai property news
Dubai Festival City Mall continues to grow
The recent growth seen at the Dubai Festival City Mall is indicative of the wider expansion of the emirate's retail sector.Numerous studies have confirmed that Dubai is still one of the leading shopping hotspots on the planet and with new record-breaking malls in the pipeline, this looks certain to be a long-term trend.Dubai Festival City Mall is one of the Middle East's leading retail and lifestyle facilities and it has already opened another eight outlets so far this year.Italian concept store Cioccolatitaliani has moved into the mall and has been joined by a number of clothing retailers, including Rockport, Vince Camuto and Stadium.Plans are also in motion to add even more outlets in the centre over the coming months, with Mothercare, Boots and luxury international designer Elie Tahari all taking up residency in the complex.Viewers of hit British TV show The Apprentice saw just how diverse Dubai's retail offerings are during a special episode last night (May 28th). The 12 remaining contestants were told to buy eight obscure items from merchants in the city and the programme allowed people in the UK to see the stark differences between the emirate's wonderful, rustic souks and the ultra-modern malls.Dubai is renowned for embracing cutting edge technology and this is evident in the city's malls.Earlier this month, reports confirmed that shoppers in the Wafi mall will soon be able to take advantage of a hi-tech loyalty programme, which is designed to allow consumers to obtain points wirelessly.The scheme – which uses near field communication (NFC) and Bluetooth technology – also gives shoppers an opportunity to receive instant notification of special offers and discounts in nearby stores.”We believe the technology delivers a win-win situation for both merchants and consumers,” commented Souffiane Houti, founder and chief executive officer of ViaFone Technologies – the company behind the initiative.With so many exciting developments being unveiled, it is certainly a good time for investors to take advantage of the UAE's thriving retail industry. Continue reading
Arsenal trio visit Emirates Aviation College
Three Premier League footballers were given a special challenge when they visited the impressive Emirates Aviation College in Dubai.Arsenal trio Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were asked to land one of the airline's huge A380 planes at Dubai International Airport.Of course, the talented youngsters were not tasked with landing an actual plane, but they did take to the cockpit of an incredibly realistic flight simulator.Emirates' chief A380 instructor Warren Coles was on hand to guide the footballers through the mock descent into the second busiest airport on earth and it was Oxlade-Chamberlain who was first to take control.The 19-year-old England striker managed to bring the plane down smoothly, although his teammate Gibbs was not quite so astute.”I don't think I'll be a pilot anytime soon,” the fullback remarked after a somewhat hairy landing.His effort was still better than Jenkinson's, who managed to bounce the A380 down the runway after getting a little carried away.”I was more excited to be honest going in there, but then, when I was actually in the seat, I was yeah quite nervous to be honest,” the 21-year-old former Charlton Athletic defender commented.Arsenal have a sponsorship agreement with Emirates and the three stars also held a special training session at a soccer school during their stay in Dubai.Emirates is one of the fastest growing airlines on earth and the firm recently unveiled a brand new training centre at the Dubai Silicon Oasis.The state-of-the-art facility was launched by the company's chairman and chief executive His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and the event was attended by customers and officials from all over the world.It is the latest joint venture between Emirates and flight simulator specialist CAE, who have been working together for a decade. The two organisations have invested a total of US$260 million (£172.7 million) in the region to date and the partnership is really blossoming. Continue reading
Viceroy plans to open Dubai hotel
The Viceroy Hotel Group is the latest high-profile company to announce plans to open a new resort in Dubai.Bosses at the firm hope to have a hotel up and running in the swanky Palm Jumeirah region by the fourth quarter of 2016 and the development will cost a cool $1 billion (£657 million).This is one part of town that is attracting plenty of interest from property investors, thanks mainly to the phenomenal buildings that have cropped up in recent years and the fact it is so close to popular areas like Dubai Marina. It is also a stone's throw from the International Financial Centre.Somewhat surprisingly, this will be Viceroy's first venture in Dubai, although its Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi resort has been a success.Bill Walshe, chief executive of the VHG Viceroy Hotel Group, thinks this new building will “set a new bar in beachfront luxury”.”This property marks our first foray into the Dubai market and is a milestone in our growth in the region,” he remarked.”Our market entry is perfectly timed and our partnership brings together the collaboration of two success stories in the real estate and hospitality industries.”The hotel will contain 221 “signature Viceroy Residences”, each providing beautiful views over the Arabian Sea. As you would expect from such a luxurious hotel in this exclusive part of town, guests will be treated to world-class facilities and sumptuous restaurants.It seems barely a week goes by at the moment without a top hotel chain unveiling plans to open new resorts in the UAE.Earlier this month, the Wyndham Hotel Group announced it would build a 33-storey tower that will cover nearly 6,800 sq ft, providing 497 guest rooms, 251 luxurious suites and almost 2,500 square feet of spa and leisure facilities.Construction activity had declined in the UAE during the global financial crisis, but the ball is most definitely rolling again and firms realise that hotel room rates are rising all the time in Dubai. Continue reading
