Burj Al Arab

Tom Cruise Dangles From World's Tallest Building In Movie Stunt

Tom Cruise is in Dubai filming for Mission Impossible 4 and it looks like the movie will feature one of Cruise's most daring stunts. Cruise was spotted dangling from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stands 2,717 feet tall. The scene was filmed at the Observation Deck level which is 124 floors high, about two thirds of the way up the skyscraper. A helicopter was aside the building filming the daring feat.

Cruise was also joined by co-stars Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton at the newly opened Armani hotel for a press conference for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Over the weekend he was spotted hitting the slopes at Ski Dubai, the world's largest indoor ski area. Rumors about where else Cruise will land continue to swirl. Other potential spots could include the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab and the new Meydan racetrack complex.

Filming for the movie has taken Cruise and crew around the world. Scenes were previously shot in Prague and after Dubai production will move to Vancouver for three months.

Tags: burj al arab, dubai, tom cruise

Burj Al Arab Gets 4 New Custom Rolls-Royces

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth

The ultra-opulent Burj Al Arab hotel, symbol of Dubai's excess, has just received four new custom Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines, pushing its total fleet of Phantoms to 10. Produced by Rolls' Bespoke Programme, the cars' interiors feature Grecian key marquetry applied to the wood veneer, and the distinctive Burj Al Arab logo embroidered into the leather headrests. The cars are all white like the exterior of the hotel itself, which is home to the $18,000-per-night Royal Suite, one of the world's most expensive hotel rooms. Last year we wrote about the bespoke Rolls created for the Four Seasons George V in Paris with a custom Hermès interior.

Tags: bespoke, Burj Al Arab, BurjAlArab, Dubai, hotel, Rolls Royce, Rolls-Royce, RollsRoyce, UAE

No More Luxury Stays For Chinese Officials

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

All around the world governments are cracking down on spending. Most recently it was members of the Chinese government who got in trouble for a junket. The Daily Telegraph says that 14 officials from the southern province of Guangdong ended up in one of the flashiest hotels in the world, the seven-star Burj al-Arab in Dubai. The stay at the hotel was part of a two-week tour around Africa and the Middle East that reportedly included a trip to buy diamonds. Chinese bloggers exposed the story and now the leader of the trip has lost his job and has to repay costs that work out to around $65,000.

These trips seem to be a persistent problem in China much as they are elsewhere as government waste exists in all places. Last December, officials from Zhejiang spent around $95,000 on a trip to the U.S. and officials from Xinyu spent around $48,000 on a trip to Canada. China's economy is in the doldrums too and so Beijing has issued new rules which require politicians to set an example of modest fiscal behavior. Expense accounts have been restricted and there is also a freeze on building new government offices.

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Tags: burj al arab, BurjAlArab, china, dubai, government

The World's 10 Most Expensive Hotel Suites

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Wealth Bulletin has compiled a new list of the World's Top Ten Most Expensive Hotel Rooms, and the first and second both cost over $30,000 per night. And despite glum economic prospects, demand for these costly suites is as strong as ever, with waiting lists stretching from now until the end of December. Also worth noting is the appearance of Dubai (the Burj Al Arab's Royal Suite, above) and Moscow hotels on the list, which would have been unheard of just a couple years ago. Here are the Top 10:

1. Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons, New York; $34,000 per night
2. Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva; $33,000 per night
3. The Presidential Suite, Hotel Cala di Volpe, Costa Smeralda, Italy; $21,000 per night
4. Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab, Dubai; $18,000 per night
5. Royal Armleder Suite, Le Richemond, Geneva; $17,500 per night
6. The Ritz-Carlton Suite, The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow; $16,500 per night
7. The Royal Suite, Four Seasons George V, Paris; $16,000 per night
8. The Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt-Vendôme, Paris; $15,500 per night
9. Brook Penthouse, Claridges, London; $10,000 per night
10. Penthouse Suite, Hotel Martinez, Cannes; $9,300 per night

Gallery: World's Top 10 Hotel Rooms

Tags: Burj Al Arab, BurjAlArab, Cannes, Claridges, Dubai, Four Seasons, FourSeasons, Geneva, Hotel suites, Hotels, HotelSuites, Le Richemond, LeRichemond, Moscow, Ritz-Carlton, Ty Warner Penthouse, TyWarnerPenthouse

The Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the Best Hotel in the World!

by Star Sutherland (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah resort in Dubai, is acknowledged as the best hotel in the world. So how does a hotel earn such bragging rights?

The stellar customer service starts the moment you land in Dubai, with a chauffeur picking you up in the Rolls Royce that will be yours for the duration of your stay. When you arrive at the breathtaking hotel which stands 321 meters tall in the shape of a sail, you are taken directly to one of the 202 suites where you are checked in, a service that guarantees your privacy. Each sprawling suite is two levels, and has floor to ceiling windows providing breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf. Some of the listed in room features are, a private elevator, private cinema, a rotating four-post canopy bed,a separate butler entrance and a study area with a library. Should you venture out of your palace, activities made available to guests include hot air ballooning, horse back riding, golf at the world class Montgomerie Golf Course, desert safari day trips, chartered yacht trips and helicopter tours. After working up and appetite you are invited to dine at one of the hotels award winning restaurants. The signature restaurant, 'Al Mahara is frequently listed as one of the top ten restaurants in the world and offers the finest seafood and Mediterranean cuisine in an underwater setting, complete with a mock submarine ride. Unparalleled luxury, set in paradise... truly a once in a lifetime experience, especially when you consider the prices. An evening at the Burj Al Arab will cost you between $3,000 and $5,000 per night!

Gallery: The Burj Al Arab

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Tags: Burj Al Arab, BurjAlArab, Dubai, hotel, The Best Hotel in the world, TheBestHotelInTheWorld

Private Party at the Burj Al Arab

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

The Burj Al Arab has been rented out for the next three days, all 18 floors of the sail-shaped, seven star hotel, at a cost of $1.8 million. Supermodel Naomi Campbell is footing the bill, celebrating her 36th birthday party with 72 hours of partying with a star-studded guest list and her millionaire boyfriend Badr Jafar. The hotel was recently upgraded from its status as a six star hotel to become the world's first seven star hotel and one can assume that the high standards of service will be upheld throughout Campbell's party.

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Tags: birthday, burj al arab, dubai, hotel, model, Naomi Campbell, NaomiCampbell, rent

Debt-Ridden Michael Jackson Splurges On A Tiret Watch

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Celebrity Shopping

Imagine you are in financial trouble, in danger of losing your house, suffocating in debt. Now, would you try to trim expenses or spend over $87,000 on a new diamond watch. If you answered the latter then you have the same debt philosophy as Michael Jackson. The 3AM Girls have reported that Jackson, who is still living in the Middle East, trotted over to the Burj Al Arab in order to pick up a diamond laden Tiret watch. Tiret is the luxury watch company created by Damon Dash and the ultra-elite watches can cost up to $500,000. The watch has 800 diamonds and a gold face. Sounds like someone needs Oprah's debt diet.

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Tags: burj al arab, celebrity, damon dash, diamonds, michael jackson, tiret

Jumeirah Festival of Taste

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine, Events

Food and wine festivals are always happily decadent events but when an event is hosted by the Jumeirah hotel group, luxury takes on a whole new level. Th first annual Jumeirah Festival of Taste takes place May 21-26, 2006 in Dubai and features perhaps the most over-the-top dining event I have ever heard of. It is called the Ultimate Dinner Party and will take four people on an unparalleled dining experience. It starts with a cocktail reception at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers where they can mingle with the celebrity chefs participating in A Festival of Taste, then they are taken by helicopter to the Burj Al Arab for a first and second course. A luxury car then takes them to the Villa Beach Restaurant at Jumeirah Beach Hotel for a hot entrée. Then a limo takes them to the Pisces in Souk Madinat Jumeirah for the main course, followed by a short walk to Napa for dessert, coffee, cigars and digestifs. The evening ends with an overnight stay in a suite at Burj Al Arab and a morning breakfast as well as a receive a gift from Jumeirah to commemorate the night. The party costs AED 100,000 for four (around $27,230). Other more traditional events that are part of the festival include cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and book signings. The festival kicks off with the ‘1001 Nights Meet the Stars Opening Event’ which includes a champagne reception,wine tasting, live cooking stations featuring renowned chefs and live entertainment.

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Tags: burj al arab, BurjAlArab, dubai, events, festival, food and drink, jumeirah, luxury, middle east, tastings, wine