Tag Archives: inspection
Susan Sarandon launches ping-pong club in Dubai
Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon has launched a unique new nightclub in Dubai, which encourages party-goers to play ping-pong.Dubai is famous for its vibrant nightlife and the emirate boasts some of the most exclusive clubs on the planet, but nobody in the city will have seen anything like SPiN Dubai before.The venue has 11 table tennis tables and also has a special golden one set aside in a VIP area, the National reports.Sarandon – who has been appearing in blockbuster films since the 1960s – told the news provider that the establishment allows people to interact in a completely different environment to “normal” nightclubs.The Academy Award winner has already launched similar clubs in the US, but she insisted the Dubai version is extra special, as it reflects the glitz and glamour that the city is famous for.”This club has much more of a nightclub feel than the ping-pong clubs we have in the States – it's very lavish,” the 66-year-old was quoted as saying.”We want the clubs to reflect the city they are in – the golden table is not something you're going to find in Milwaukee. Dubai is such a futuristic and amazing city that I think it will work well here.”It will be interesting to see how the club – which is based in The Pyramids in Wafi – is received by the plethora of rich and famous people who frequent Dubai's trendiest nightspots on a regular basis, but the early signs are encouraging.A number of A-list celebrities have been seen partying in the city in recent months, including actor Jude Law and ex-Baywatch stars Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra.Glamour girl Electra was the guest of honour at the swanky Cavalli Club last month and she was on hand to launch the establishment's Just Sundays with DJ Katerina promotion.Dubai is definitely the place to be seen these days and it is no surprise that more and more famous faces are buying luxurious villas and apartments in the most upmarket and exclusive parts of town. Continue reading
Yet another Bollywood star declares love for Dubai
It seems that hardly a week passes by without a Bollywood star singing the praises of Dubai.Filmmaker Japinder Kaur is the latest member of the Hindi-language movie industry to hail the Middle Eastern city as an excellent place to shoot footage.Having grown up in Dubai, Kaur is better placed than most people to tell the world what it is like to live in the emirate.She told tabloid! that she plans to record a music video in one of Dubai's swanky nightclubs and the song will feature British Punjabi rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh.Although all of her debut feature film has been filmed in Delhi, Kaur – who is 24 – is clearly keen to showcase Dubai as much as possible too.”I love this city and it's wonderful to know that I will be shooting a song in Dubai. I have also convinced Yo Yo Honey Singh to make his first appearance in a film. The song is called Birthday Bash,” she was quoted as saying.If this project goes to plan, Kaur said she hopes to shoot a romantic song by singer Sunidhi Chauhan among the flowerbeds of Dubai's Miracle Garden.Kaur is the latest in a long line of Bollywood stars to have heaped praise upon Dubai.The likes of Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan have all declared their fondness for the emirate in the last few months.In fact, Khan's brother Sohail told Emirates 24/7 in March that they have been scouring the Dubai property market in the hope of snapping up a plush new pad.He reiterated the point that Dubai is only two-and-a-half hours from Mumbai – the home of Bollywood – which perhaps explains why so many stars of the Indian film industry feel right at home in the UAE.”We are looking, in fact we have been looking for some time, it's just that this whole year we have been tied up and yeah we would love to buy a pad in Dubai,” Khan was quoted as saying. Continue reading
Dubai hotels report strong occupancy figures for March
The number of people taking a holiday in Dubai rose sharply in March, as hoteliers reported very strong occupancy rates.According to the latest HotStats survey of full service four and five-star hotels by TRI Hospitality Consulting, 89.8 per cent of rooms were full during the month, which was up by 2.3 per cent on March 2012.Revenues per available room rose by 11.8 per cent, while the average room rate increased by nine per cent year-on-year.This goes to show just how lucrative Dubai's hospitality sector is at the moment and explains why so many investors are pouring money into the emirate.”2012/13 has been one of the strongest tourist seasons in Dubai's history,” commented Peter Goddard, managing director of TRI Hospitality Consulting in Dubai.”Tourism arrivals from all regions have shown significant growth as the city's leaders have ensured that both capacity and connectivity matched the growing tourism demand and visitor requirements.”He pointed towards the fact Dubai has the second busiest airport on the planet, which is now a “major international transit hub”. Mr Goddard also stated that hotels had benefited from the UAE's spring school holidays in March.This is certainly not the first study to highlight the strength of the Gulf's hospitality sector. Indeed, figures recently compiled by HotelsCombined showed that Middle East and North African (MENA) resorts have increased their room rates by eight per cent in the past year, which is double the global average. This statistic is even more impressive when you consider the well documented troubles that have been reported in certain MENA countries like Syria, which will have had an effect on the final overall figures.PR and community manager at the company Kristen McKenzie said the addition of world-class attractions, such as the biggest ferris wheel on the planet, will continue to set Dubai aside from other destinations.With 66 million people expected to fly into Dubai International Airport in 2013, it is hardly surprising that so many renowned global hotel chains are opening new resorts in the city, especially in more upmarket and popular parts of town. Continue reading
