Tag Archives: news-amp-updates
Why Dubai’s Hotel Classification Scheme is so important
A senior figure at Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has explained why a new Hotel Classification Scheme could be so important to the city's hospitality sector.Majid Al Marri told Hoteliermiddleeast.com the system will give people a better idea about the quality of resorts across the region.Dubai is renowned for its multitude of glamorous hotels and it seems that more investors are now pouring money into the emirate's hospitality sector.Like many other parts of the world, Dubai was badly affected by the economic downturn and some developers were forced to shelve plans to build new hotels in the sheikhdom.However, many of these projects have been resurrected in the last 12 months and there are some impressive structures starting to emerge in popular areas like Dubai Marina and the Palm Jumeirah. Mr Al Marri said the Hotel Classification Scheme introduces new categories for university campuses and hostels, while also providing a new buffer between standard and luxury accommodation.”We found there was a gap in this area, which is why there is also a new category for serviced apartments,” he was quoted as saying.The law was first introduced in 1998 and this latest update is aimed at increasing transparency across the sector, thus allowing visitors to see which resorts offer the best facilities.Mr Al Marri said there are 18 new “designators” – including optional extras like rooms with a sea view or spa and wellness services – which hotels can add to their rating.This, he added, will help hotels to market themselves and will ultimately aid the DTCM in its quest to attract 20 million tourists to the city annually by 2020.It is certainly a good time for investors to add Dubai-based hotels, apartments and villas to their property portfolios, as the demand for accommodation in the emirate has soared in recent months.In fact, Mastercard recently hailed Dubai as a “city to watch” in the coming years, with more and more people expected to take a holiday in the city in the near future. Continue reading
Emaar eyes tower even taller than Burj Khalifa
Emaar Properties is considering building another world-record breaking tower bigger than its own Burj Khalifa, which is the current holder of the world’s tallest building, according to its chairman Mohamed Alabbar. “We may try to build something a little taller,” Alabbar said at a conference in Dubai. “The emirate needs another tall building. Dubai is only about 30-year old, so we have a lot of time and lot of investment left,” he added. Emaar Properties built the 828-metre Burj Khalifa tower in 2010 and is also involved in the Kingdom Tower, which is being developed by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and is under construction in Jeddah. The Saudi tower is reportedly set to be as high as 1km tall. Already the holder of the world’s tallest building title, the new plans Alabbar has hinted at would have appeared fanciful three years ago, when a crash in the inflated real estate market triggered a corporate debt crisis and a slew of company restructurings. But Dubai, home to an archipelago of man-made islands and an indoor ski slope in one of its shopping malls, staged a dramatic economic recovery last year, partly because of a tourism boom. Tourist arrivals grew 10 percent and hotel revenue rose 19 percent in the first half of 2012. Some state-linked companies have been working through their debt loads while some property prices have started to rebound. Continue reading
Dubai to stage F1 test events?
The state-of-the-art Dubai Autodrome could be set to host Formula 1 (F1) test races, it has been suggested.A meeting took place in Montreal earlier this month, where teams agreed to extend the in-season testing process.Although there has been no decision as to which venues will stage these trial races, there is a distinct possibility that Dubai will be a popular choice among F1 bosses.The Autodrome certainly ticks all the boxes, as a number of current drivers are familiar with the track.Indeed, Romain Grosjean, Jean Eric Vergne, Pastor Maldonado, Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg have all taken a car around the course in the past, while Kamui Kobayashi holds the track's lap time record.The Japanese driver set the fastest time ever seen at the track – one minute and 41 seconds – during the GP2 Asia race in 2008.FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) F1 race director Charlie Whiting visited the site earlier this year and confirmed it was still worthy of its FIA Grade 1 Circuit License – allowing it to hold fully-fledged F1 testing events.General manager at Dubai Autodrome Richard Birch told the facility's Track Talk news website: “Of course we would welcome the opportunity to host F1 testing at our venue. We have the facilities and Dubai has all the infrastructure required for a week of testing.”At this stage it is merely talk and speculation as the final decision is not in our hands or even been made as far as we know.”Dubai is steadily building itself a strong reputation for hosting major sporting events and securing the rights to stage F1 testing would be a big coup.The emirate is renowned for being a glamorous playground for the rich and famous, which makes it a perfect destination for the extremely lucrative motor racing industry.Neighbouring city Abu Dhabi is set to host an F1 grand prix at its impressive Yas Marina track in November 2013. Continue reading
