Tag Archives: exclusive
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
Who are the most popular celebrities in the UAE?
The UAE seems to attract more than its fair share of celebrities, which is no surprise given the country's glorious beaches, hot temperatures and stunning range of facilities.Dubai is a playground for the rich and famous and you do not have to look too far to find a recognisable face.The emirate is clearly a very attractive holiday destination, but it also appeals to top-class performers who have finally realised that the Middle East is an extremely lucrative market.Not only do musical artists receive huge sums to hold shows in the city, but they also make massive amounts of money through merchandising in this part of the world.But who do the UAE people like to see the most?Social media analytical platform SocialBakers has compiled a list of the ten most popular celebrities in the country based on Facebook statistics, Emirates 24/7 reports.The company scrutinised traffic from 3.4 million UAE-based Facebook accounts to see which stars have the most popular fan pages and the results were somewhat surprising.Colombian singing sensation Shakira was the most revered performer, with her page attracting more than 290,000 fans from the UAE.RnB singer Akon was next on the list, having amassed 260,000 “likes” from his fans in the Gulf.The rest of the top five was made up by Michael Jackson, Indian music composer and Oscar winner AR Rahman and Enrique Iglesias.Global megastar Justin Bieber – who recently took to the stage in Dubai – only managed sixth position in the rankings, which was perhaps the biggest shock.Although the Canadian singer's actions caused controversy during his recent stay in the UAE, his immense worldwide popularity cannot be questioned.Taylor Swift also made the top ten, while Bollywood playback singer Shreya Ghosal was included in the list too.The final two places went to Usher (with 126,247 UAE fans) and Lil Wayne, who had 124,177 Facebook likes in this part of the Middle East. Continue reading
More airlines expected to move to Dubai World Central
Leaders at Dubai Airports have confirmed that talks are ongoing with a number of airlines with a view to bringing more services to the new Dubai World Central (DWC) Airport.Chief executive officer at the organisation Paul Griffiths told Arabian Business that a “stampede” of carriers are expected to move into the facility.DWC only opened in 2010 and has been used solely to transport cargo thus far, although the airport has now been redeveloped to enable it to accommodate passengers.The aviation complex will take some of the strain off the city's main airport – Dubai International – which seems to get busier every year. Indeed, 66 million people are predicted to fly into the facility in 2013.Mr Griffiths thinks that as soon as one or two airlines have committed to providing services from DWC, others will follow.”We're talking to a great number of airlines but airlines really don't like being the first mover and when you see an airline go in and be successful, then you'll find that we're overtaken by a complete stampede of airlines wanting to be there,” he was quoted as saying.”I'm hopeful that over the next few months we will be announcing some more carriers will be operating from DWC.”The airport's cargo operations have been very successful to date, so much so that March 2013 was a record month for freight volumes.Mr Griffiths believes this will encourage airlines to use the airport for passenger services and he hopes tens of thousands of people will pass through DWC in its first year of operation.Meanwhile, work to extend Dubai International Airport is ongoing and plans are in place to raise the annual capacity to 90 million people in the coming years.Dubai Airports recently revealed details of an 80-day project that will see the facility's runways given a new lease of life.The organisation said the work – which will begin in May 2014 – is vital if the ambitious expansion targets are to be achieved. Continue reading
