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Dubai hotel receives prestigious TripAdvisor award
The quality of the UAE's hotels and resorts has been demonstrated once again, as the Grand Millennium Dubai landed the prestigious TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2013 award.In order to be eligible for this accolade, hotels must garner positive reviews from customers on a regular basis and only the top ten per cent of firms listed on the TripAdvisor website are considered for the prize.Companies must maintain an overall rating of four out of five or higher to be in with a shout of scooping the award – a feat that the Grand Millennium Dubai has achieved with aplomb.”Grand Millennium Dubai is pleased to receive a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence,” said Peter Mansourian, general manager at the hotel.”We strive to offer our customers a memorable experience and this accolade is evidence that our hard work is translating into positive reviews.”With so many splendid hotels spread across Dubai, it can be difficult for resorts to stand out.The Grand Millennium Dubai undoubtedly benefits from its superb location just off the Sheikh Zayed Road, which means guests have easy access to the city's main business and leisure attractions, including the Mall of the Emirates and the Ibn Battuta Mall.Millennium has a strong presence in the Middle East and has three other hotels in Dubai, including the Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, Copthorne Hotel Dubai and Millennium Plaza Hotel Dubai.It certainly appears to be a good time for investors to muscle in on Dubai's lucrative hotel industry, as recent figures provided by TRI Hospitality Consulting showed that occupancy rates are rising all the time.Indeed, 89.8 per cent of rooms across the emirate were full in March 2013, which was a 2.3 per cent upturn on the corresponding month in 2012.Although a plethora of new hotels are being built at the moment, the chances of supply outweighing demand are slim, as travel experts predict that more and more people will stay in Dubai in the coming years, either for business or leisure purposes. Continue reading
Dubai ‘is a safe haven for investors’
Corporations from across the Gulf still see Dubai as a safe place to invest their money and set up new bases, it has been claimed.Nicholas Bortman, head of Middle East research for business consultancy GPW, believes the city continues to benefit from the troubles that have affected a number of Arab countries, Al Jazeera reports.Investors and tourists generally prefer the stability of Dubai over volatile places like Egypt and Bahrain.”There are no exact numbers, but there is little doubt that there has been a lot of movement of firms from Arab Spring countries to Dubai,” Mr Bortman was quoted as saying.”Particularly for regional investors, Dubai is a safe haven.”Ahmed Kanna, professor of anthropology at the University of the Pacific agreed that Dubai has been “one of the biggest victors” from the Arab Spring and that people generally regard the emirate as the go-to place when things start to get out of hand in their own lands.The UAE's economy expanded by 4.4 per cent in 2012, which was the strongest performance seen since 2006 and this was streets ahead of most European nations.Dubai's construction industry has recovered well from the global economic downturn of 2008-09 and people from all over the world are securing property investments in the city.In fact, the Dubai Land Department confirmed in April that 32 properties were registered every hour during the first quarter of 2013 – a 63 per cent increase when compared with the corresponding months in 2012.Overall, deals worth a staggering AED 44 billion (£7.7 billion) were completed over the three-month period.Much of the upturn has been attributed to significant growth in the tourism sector and figures recently provided by Dubai Airports highlighted a massive rise in the number of people flying into the emirate.Indeed, some 66 million passengers are predicted to travel into Dubai International Airport throughout 2013 and tourism chiefs are confident that wealthy holidaymakers will spend more money in the city, thus boosting the economy even further. Continue reading
Is Amir Khan set to appear in Dubai?
Boxing promoters are lining up a major fight between Amir Khan and Devon Alexander in Dubai.Chief executive of Golden Boy Richard Schaefer told the Daily Mail that he will head out to the Middle East to cast his eye over potential venues for the bout between the British and American welterweights.Dubai is becoming a major player in the world of sport and securing the rights to host such a high-profile boxing match would only increase the city's stature.Khan – who competed in the Olympic Games before turning professional – is one of the hottest properties in global boxing at the moment and he hopes to eventually get a shot at the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Junior, who is widely considered to be one of the best pound-for pound fighters of all time.However, the 26-year-old must first overcome Alexander, which will be no easy task.Mr Schaefer suggested that Khan and Alexander will battle it out for the IBF world welterweight title on December 7th.”We have opened discussions with the ruling family of the [United Arab Emirates] who have made it very clear that they are keen to put on a major boxing event,” he was quoted as saying.”This is very exciting for Amir and all of us. If he defeats Devon, preferably in style, the next step for him would be against Floyd.”Dubai is also set to host its first major boxing match later this month, when Chinese star Xiong Zhao Zhong defends his WBC Straw-weight title against the Philippines' Denver Cuello.The encounter will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on June 28th and it will be broadcast to millions of viewers around the world.This will certainly be an intriguing bout, as boxing experts have high hopes for Cuello, who has been likened to fellow countryman Manny Pacquiao.Rumours had been floating around that Pacquiao himself was being lined up for a money-spinning fight in the UAE in late 2013.Although nothing has yet been agreed, the Filipino superstar has confirmed that he is looking for venues outside the US and his team suggested that Dubai is an option. Continue reading
