united arab emirates

Rolls-Royce Flagship Showroom Debuts in Abu Dhabi

Rolls-Royce has 82 dealerships around the world. But the largest of them isn't at its factory in Goodwood. It's not in London, either, nor is it in Manhattan or Beverly Hills. It's in Abu Dhabi.

The latest of eight dealerships in the Middle East, the new Abu Dhabi showroom encompasses some 10,000 square feet of floorspace, including uncluttered display for five cars (Rolls currently only makes four model variants) plus a coffee bar, customer configuration lounge and adjacent service center.

Tags: abu dhabi, emirates, luxury car, rolls-royce, uae, united arab emirates

Waldorf-Astoria Announces United Arab Emirates Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts has announced its second hotel in the Middle East the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah. The hotel is located in the United Arab Emirates about 40 minutes away from the Dubai International Airport. The new hotel will have 349 rooms in an Arabian-themed palace hotel with outdoor swimming pools, 10 restaurants and bars, a new spa concept, meeting and ballroom space and more. The hotel is part of a development that will also have an 18-hole golf course, a private beach and a convention center with capacity for 3000 people.

Guests will also have access to the recently opened shopping mall located within the Al Hamra development. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Saud Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Al Hamra Group dubbed Al Hamra "a stunning oasis of luxury and tranquility, where guests can come to relax and unwind." The hotel is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year. Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah will be the second Waldorf Astoria property to open in the Middle East. Existing Hilton Worldwide properties in Ras Al Khaimah are the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa, the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah and the soon-to-open Doubletree by Hilton Ras Al Khaimah.

The hotel group takes its name from originalThe Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York. All of the branded Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts offer a luxury experience including spas and culinary excellence to world-class golf and hotels extend from Orlando to Shanghai.

Tags: al hamra, ras al khaimah, uae, united arab emirates, WaldorfAstoria

Texas Cancer Center Receives $150 Million Gift From United Arab Emirates

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Big Givers

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, is giving a huge donation to a U.S. hospital. The Houston Chronicle reports that the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center will receive $150 million. the largest donation ever given to an institution in the Texas Medical Center. The gift will fund a building and research for M.D. Anderson's Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy. Outgoing hospital President Dr. John Mendelsohn will co-lead the institute. He says that the gift was a response to M.D. Anderson's treatment of many patients from the United Arab Emirates.

The donation honors the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates for more than 30 years and the father of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The personalized cancer therapy institute building will be named after the late president and the institute itself after the current president. A pancreatic cancer research center will be be created with the gift after another son, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Tags: abu dhabi, philanthropy, united arab emirates

Continue reading “Texas Cancer Center Receives $150 Million Gift From United Arab Emirates”

Emirates Hotel has Second Thoughts on $11 Million Christmas Tree

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

In keeping with the holiday spirit or making a mockery of it? Those are the questions being asked by observers of the $11 million Christmas Tree at the Emirates Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

As you may recall, the 42-foot tall artificial tree – worth about ten grand on its own – was decorated with all manner of gold, silver and precious jewels (some 180 pieces of jewelry in all) to bring its value up to $11 million, making it the most lavishly adorned tree on record. But with many people asking if the Emirates didn't go overboard this time, the hotel is reportedly distancing itself from the display. Which is pretty hard to do considering it's sitting inescapably in the hotel's main lobby.

Is this an early sign that the Gulf Emirates are beginning to tone down their famous opulence? Possibly, but in a hotel that features a gold bar vending machine and a million-dollar vacation package, we wouldn't take too much stock in the reports just yet.

[Source: The Huffington Post]

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Tags: abu dhabi, christmas three, emirates, emirates hotel, tree, uae, united arab emirates

Dubai Considers Selling Share in Emirates Air

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

As Dubai's debts continue to mount, the emirate is considering selling a piece of one of its prized assets. The emirate could put a share of Emirates Airlines up for sale. Dubai and its state-controlled companies are approximately $110 billion in debt even after a helping hand from Abu Dhabi last year. Much of the debt comes due over the next two years and so extreme capital-building measures may be necessary.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Emirates airlines said at a press conference that the emirate is "working on opening the capital of some of our leading companies to the public." The control of the airline would remain with Dubai.The airline has experienced rapid growth and recorded a profit nearly every year. The company had a record profit increase of 248 percent in the last fiscal year and has said it could hit $1 billion in profits this year.

The luxury airline isn't the only state-owned property that could be opened to the public, DP World, which operates ports around the world, may also be part of this program.

Tags: dubai, Emirates Airlines, united arab emirates

Arab Playboys Arrested After Supercar Smash in London

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Yesterday we reported that a cabal of mega-rich Arab playboys have made London the world's supercar capital this summer, shipping an estimated $80 million worth of eye-popping vehicles to the city while waiting out the heat in their homeland. With all the ultra-luxe vehicles racing around the crowded city, something was bound to go wrong, and it has; two of the fast-living fellows were arrested in Knightsbridge the other day after plowing their $280,000 Lamborghini into four other vehicles, the London Daily Mail reports. Abdulla Saeed Khalfan Al-Dhaheri, 28, and Sultan Khalifa Al-Muhairbi, 35, both from the United Arab Emirates, were taken into custody after their Lamborghini Murcielago smashed into the parked cars, flipping a BMW over completely.

Luckily no one was injured, but Al-Muhairbi was charged with dangerous driving and driving with no insurance and Al-Dhaheri was charged with perverting the course of justice. The men, who are due to appear in court on October 12, are said to have walked away from the pile-up, telling a passerby, "It's all right, we'll pay for the damage." The incident took place in posh Lowndes Square, home to some of the city's wealthiest residents, including Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Check out an image gallery of some of the Arab-owned supercars, including Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Bugatti models, which have been flown to London for the summer from the UAE after the jump.

Tags: Arab, car crash, Ferrari, Knightsbridge, Lamborghini, London, Rolls-Royce, Roman Abramovich, supercar, UAE, UK, United Arab Emirates, wealth

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Nine Ferraris & More Shatter Million-Dollar Mark at RM's Monterey Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

An exceptional 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta (above), the fifth of only seven examples ever built, sold for an astounding $4.6 million at RM's Sports & Classics of Monterey sale on Saturday night, leading an impressive group of 14 individual sales (including eight other Ferraris) which shattered the magic million dollar mark. TV personality and former racer Alain de Cadenet joined auctioneer Max Girardo onstage for the six-hour sale, which saw 84 motor cars cross the podium before a packed house. The Saturday night sale marked the conclusion of RM's 2010 Classics of Monterey event, which attracted record bidder registrations from 29 countries, including Monaco, Brazil, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. After the jump, find the complete list of million-dollar-plus sales from the incredible auction:

Gallery: RM's Million-Dollar Ferraris in Monterey

1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy Berlinetta

1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder

1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III

Tags: classic cars, Delahaye, Duesenberg, Ferrari, Jaguar D-Type, Japan, Monaco, Monterey, Packard, United Arab Emirates

Continue reading “Nine Ferraris & More Shatter Million-Dollar Mark at RM's Monterey Sale”

The United Arab Emirates Welcomes Two Anantara Resorts, Special Deals Welcome You

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort and the Desert Islands Resort and Spa in Abu Dhabi aren't exactly new, but they are Antara establishments and therefore it's probably wise to know about them. The 206-room Qasr Al Sarab was opened in November of last year in the Liwa desert, said to be "designed to leave visitors with a sense of the romance of Arabia." Think, Lawrence of Arabia – the compound is a 90-minute drive from Abu Dhabi proper in an area called the Liwa Empty Quarter, and the Liwa is already a desert to begin with.

The last of that drive is 7 miles of unpaved road, but the reward is a completely self-contained retreat worthy of Zenobia, with poolside villas, three restaurants including a rooftop bar and grill, museum installations of desert and Bedouin artifacts, Desert Excursion Centre to set up camel trekking, desert hiking, and archery, and even a pillow menu with your choice of fluffy things to sleep on. Your failsafe when you need to turn away from the desert is the heated-marble-hammam-equipped Anantara Spa.

The Desert Islands Resort & Spa (pictured) is at the other pole of terrain, built atop one of Abu Dhabi's complex of islands just off the coast. Sir Bani Yas Island is a reserve for endangered Arabian animals, and that was taken as inspiration for Desert Island Resort's safari decor. Outside you'll find hubara birds, oryx and sand gazelles, including the "Dhabi" variety of gazelle that gave the city its name. And again, when the game drives, kayaking among mangrove fields, mountain biking and falconry have got the best of you, there's that rather famous spa with its signature Thai treatments to replenish you.

Tags: abu dhabi, anantara, desert islands resort, dubai, hotel, qasr al sarab desert resort, resort, uae, united arab emirates

Banyan Tree Opens First Resort in UAE

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Last month, a new luxury desert resort managed by Banyan Tree opened its doors in Al Wadi, United Arab Emirates. More than half of the new Banyan Tree Al Wadi's 250 acres is set aside as a nature reserve with Arabian gazelles and local antelope or "oryxes." The desert resort consists of 101 tented villas designed with inspiration from the area's Bedouin tribes, each with their own "oasis" - a private full-size pool.

The property has a beach and access to a championship 18-hole golf course. It's located 12 miles outside the city of Ras Al Khaimah in the northern most Emirate, and 45 minutes from the Dubai International Airport. At the resort, visitors can take part in decidedly Middle-Eastern pastimes: falconry, camel riding, desert drives, or floating the river on traditional "dhow" Arabic sailing vessels.

The 10,000-square-foot Spa Al Wadi features 10 tented treatment pavilions. As with all Banyan Tree resorts, each therapist is trained at the Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Phuket, Thailand. Come March, the spa will offer an almost anti-desert experience in its "Rainforest hydrothermal circuit" - perhaps it's needed after those desert drives.

The Singapore-based resort operator runs 15 exclusive Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts all over the world including Ringha and Lijang and two others in China; two in the Maldives and several in the works including one in Vietnam to open 2011.

Gallery: Banyan Tree Al Wadi Resort

Tags: al wadi, AlWadi, banyan tree resort, BanyanTreeResort, luxury spa resorts, LuxurySpaResorts, middle eastern resorts, MiddleEasternResorts, united arab emirates

One&Only Resorts to Open on Palm Island in Dubai

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

One&Only Resorts, the luxury resort company known for its stunning properties in some of the most beautiful locales in the world, will open its second property in Dubai. One & Only The Palm will open on Palm Island in October 2010. The property is being developed by His Highness Sheikh Bin Saeed Al Makthoum (right) and Sol Kerzner, (left) CEO and Chairman of Kerzner International, parent company of One&Only Resorts.

The property will have a striking location on the peninsula of Palm Island crescent with spectacular views of new Dubai's skyline. Resort guests will be able to indulge in an exclusive island feel getaway or choose to be whisked away by the resort's private water taxis or limousine to Dubai's wide array of activities, from golf at award-winning courses to world-class shopping, dining and entertainment at the most sought-after of venues.

Set in some of the most beautiful locales in the world, One&Only Resorts offer a distinctive style and personality borne of its local culture. Other locations include One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives; One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius; One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai; One&Only Ocean Club in The Bahamas and One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. The One&Only Cape Town, South Africa opened on April 3, 2009.

"We believe the government's continuous commitment to developing tourism in the region combined with all the destination has to offer, its constant innovation and its easy international access make this the perfect place for us to expand the One&Only portfolio," says Kerzner.

Located at The Palm Jumeirah, the resort's external architecture will blend Moorish and Andalucian influences, while the interiors will display contemporary, chic living environments, promoting a sense of understated elegance with privacy being of the utmost importance. Surrounded by lush landscaped gardens, the resort will provide an oasis of tranquility amid cosmopolitan Dubai.

Guest accommodations at this intimate resort will be composed of 35 suites and apartments within the grand Manor House, six independent low-rise mansions with eight to ten suites and exclusive two and three bedroom beachfront villas. Stunning and spacious with every modern amenity, guest rooms and suites will have a stylish modern design with an elegant palate of rich fabrics in hues of turquoise and purple. Sumptuous bathrooms will feature over-sized, freestanding bath tubs and rain showers with the finest inlaid marble from Italy and Spain.

All accommodations will offer outdoor terraces or private pool. Guests staying in suites, apartments and villas will also be indulged by a dedicated butler, 24 hours a day. The resort will also feature private cabanas by an 850 square meter pool, a private beach and a freestanding 2,400 square meters spa, fitness and beauty complex. The One&Only Spa will be set amidst outdoor gardens and will offer a fitness center featuring state-of-the-art equipment by Technogym and Kinesis studio, tennis court and a beauty salon.

The resort's Marina Restaurant will offer al fresco dining adjacent to the marina. Guests can reach the restaurant by private yacht or One&Only water taxis.

Tags: awards-main, Dubai, luxist-awards, OneOnly Resorts, OneonlyResorts, sol kerzner, SolKerzner, united arab emirates, UnitedArabEmirates

Ferrari World Prepares for Grand Opening in Abu Dhabi Next Year

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Real Estate Developments

If you had the occasion to watch the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which capped the end of the 2009 Formula One World Championship this past weekend, you may have gotten a glimpse of a giant red structure with a huge Ferrari emblem on the roof. What you're looking at is Ferrari World, the first Ferrari theme park, being built on the man-made Yas Island resort in Abu Dhabi.

The complex stands as the largest indoor park in the world, encompassing some 2 million square feet under a giant 150-foot-high red steel roof sporting the largest Ferrari logo in the world. Out of the top protrudes a 200-foot g-force drop tower, accompanying the world's fastest roller coaster, a flume ride simulating a Ferrari engine and kart tracks among its 20+ attractions. Of course there'll be plenty of restaurants and shopping opportunities that go along with any theme park as well. This one is set to open its doors some time next year as part of an ongoing initiative to turn the United Arab Emirates into a leading tourist destination.

Gallery: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

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Tags: abu dhabi, AbuDhabi, emirates, ferrari, ferrari world, FerrariWorld, theme park, ThemePark, uae, united arab emirates, UnitedArabEmirates, yas, yas island, YasIsland

9ff Announces Limited Run of GT9-R Convertibles for the UAE

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Few countries are as car-crazed as the United Arab Emirates. The oil-rich gulf state has more exotic supercars than you can shake a stick at, and they're about to get three more. Porsche tuner extraordinaire 9ff is planning a limited run of convertible versions of its epically fast GT9-R. The fixed-roof version is capable of rivaling the Bugatti Veyron for speed and acceleration, with a 250 mph top end and a 0-60 run in under three seconds. The company just launched a dedicated website for the Emirates, and on it announced the availability of three convertible GT9-Rs exclusively for that market at an undisclosed price, together with this sketch. Those who say that money can't buy you happiness clearly aren't car fans, then.

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Tags: 9ff, 9ff gt9-r, 9ff porsche, 9ffGt9-r, 9ffPorsche, porsche, uae, united arab emirates, UnitedArabEmirates

Will Dubai Drivers Wear Gucci Seatbelts?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Like the United States, the United Arab Emirates, wants to encourage young drivers to wear their seatbelts. But the UAE has a unique approach to their nationwide safety campaign. Instead of an ad campaign and the fear of tickets they are creating the Fashionable Seatbelt campaign which will be launched after Ramadan. Seatbelts will be covered with images of the national flag, sports logos and logos of fashion houses like Gucci. Figures from the Health Authority Abu Dhabi say that only 11 percent of Emiratis wear their seatbelts. Designers will be invited to submit ideas for the seatbelts and the plan is to eventually have the color of your seatbelt as something that is chosen when you pick out your car. It seems like an interesting idea but knowing how notoriously litigious Gucci and other luxury brands are when ti comes to protecting their intellectual property, I think that the campaign might have a tough time using the fashion logos.

[Thanks, Ben!]

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Tags: dubai, fashion, gucci, uae, united arab emirates, UnitedArabEmirates

One of Five Bugatti Veyron Pur Sangs for Sale in Abu Dhabi

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

All Veyrons are special, but some are more special than others. As if a $1.5 million supercar weren't special enough, Bugatti has come out with what has seemed like an endless array of special editions to further differentiate the rare cars one from another. It all started with the Pur Sang edition, a Veyron with its bare aluminum and carbon-fiber body exposed like an heiress on a Mediterranean beach. Only five were made, and were sold within 24 hours of its announcement. It seems like the sheikh who bought this one, however, is in need of some extra cash, and has put his up for sale for an undisclosed price at an Abu Dhabi dealership. Interested parties with an extra couple million to spare should contact the dealership directly.

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Tags: abu dhabi, AbuDhabi, bugatti, bugatti pur sang, bugatti veyron, bugatti veyron pur sang, BugattiPurSang, BugattiVeyron, BugattiVeyronPurSang, pur sang, PurSang, sang, uae, united arab emirates, UnitedArabEmirates, veyron, veyron pur sang, VeyronPurSang

Sotheby's Opens in Doha, Bizarre Timing

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Once the undisputed land of conspicuous wealth and consumption, the United Arab Emirates is being squeezed by a large drop in oil prices. It's a shame this comes after the region's addiction to art has become fully entrenched. Sotheby's is planning its first contemporary art sale from its new Doha, Qatar branch on March 18, 2009 – also the opening day of the Art Dubai fair. Hell, it's enough to make you "scream" (see photo).

This looks like the triumph of ambition over common sense, but Sotheby's was probably too far into its Middle Eastern endeavors before the bottom fell out on the region's finances. And with Bonhams and Christie's already in town, Sotheby's had little choice but to follow.

The UAE has committed quickly to the art scene. Abu Dhabi is working on building a Louvre, and is erecting a Guggenheim. Last year, art auction revenues reached $34.9 million, up 70 percent from 2007. But, the upcoming auction should be tricky, particularly with the poor performance of the sector last fall in more established markets, like New York, London and Hong Kong.

In around two weeks, we'll see if Sotheby's will be able to make this new auction house work, or if it will fall victim to the greater recession-triggered decline in the art market. The Mei Moses All Art Index dropped 4.5 percent last year. This seems like a modest amount, but you need to remember that record-setting sales continued through the middle of the summer. Last May, Roman Abramovich was a billionaire with a new Francis Bacon piece in his collection. Today ... we know he feels pain, too. The second half of the year wiped out the first half's records and pulled prices down further.

It's a tough time to count on the market to make Sotheby's Doha a success, but the market doesn't give us choices.

[Photo: "El Grito" by Julio Aguilera]

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Tags: abramovich, abu dhabi, abu dubai, AbuDhabi, AbuDubai, art, art auction, art auctions, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, ArtMarket, artwork, bonhams, bonhams auction, BonhamsAuction, christies, contemporary art, ContemporaryArt, doha, dubai, francis bacon, FrancisBacon, guggenheim, guggenheim museum, GuggenheimMuseum, qatar, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, sothebys, sothebys international realty, SothebysInternationalRealty, uae, united arab emirates, UnitedArabEmirates

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