ArabianBusiness.com

Italian design house Armani Group has denied it is planning to open a third branded hotel in Russia, under a joint venture deal with Dubai’s Emaar Properties. The design company, which launched its first branded hotel in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in April last year, spoke out after press reports claimed it had signed a $150m deal to open a property in the Russian resort of Stavropol.

Saudi Arabia will help China build a $1.3bn luxury hotel modelled on Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, according to newspaper reports from Beijing. The People’s Daily Online quoted a senior official as saying that graphics and planning of the ‘seven-star’ hotel had already been completed. The announcement was made at a press conference on Wednesday.

Missoni Kuwait is the latest in a growing list of Gulf hotels designed by top Italian fashion labels. The first Armani hotel opened in Dubai in 2010 and will be followed by the launch of the Palazzo Versace hotel later this year. Elisabetta Gucci, the great-granddaughter of the founder of the fashion label, last year said Dubai would be the setting for the first of up to 40 Gucci branded hotels.

Emaar Properties PJSC plans to sell as much as $2bn of Islamic bonds, its first in more than six years, as the developer of the world’s tallest tower in Dubai taps appetite for higher-yielding assets.

It was a dream-come-true for Meera, who suffers from Thalassemia but has a wishlist. Floating in like a princess, the five-year-old from Kalba had a day she, and all around her, would remember forever when she walked into Burj Khalia – the world’s tallest tower. Treated like a true princess from her favourite fairy tale, Meera could fulfill her wish thanks to Make A Wish Foundation that takes care of children like her.

She went on, of course, to design some of the most iconic hotels in the world. Other projects on the board include the Conrad Haipang Bay Resort in Sanya, China, Park Hyatt Saadiyat Island, Shangri-La Hotel Mumbai, India, Armani Hotel via Manzoni in Milan, Italy, St Regis Doha, Qatar, Four Season Cairo, Egypt, Shangri-La Bangkok, Thailand, St. Regis Zhuhai and the Four Seasons Tianjin.

Saudi Arabia will help China build a $1.3bn luxury hotel modelled on Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, according to newspaper reports from Beijing. The People’s Daily Online quoted a senior official as saying that graphics and planning of the ‘seven-star’ hotel had already been completed.

There is little surprise at this hotel’s entry into the Top 10 Hotel openings of 2010. There were sceptics who claimed this was a “fluff” opening, but the noise surrounding the arrival of the world’s first Armani hotel couldn’t be ignored. All eyes were on Dubai for the right reasons — and quite a stunning hotel was the result. Room categories available include 24 Armani Studios, 44 Armani Classic rooms, 38 Armani Premiere rooms, 36 Armani Suites, six Armani Executive and six Armani Ambassador Suites, and five Armani Signature Suites.

Room prices at Dubai’s Armani Hotel, which occupies the first six floors of the Burj Khalifa, are trading at 40 percent down from the published rates at launch, Arabian Business can reveal. Seven months after its opening, a standard room at the 160-room Armani hotel will now set back guests AED2,400 ($653) compared to a rate card price of AED4,000 at the end of April.

The 2010 outlook excludes the impact of a claim relating to Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower in Dubai, the statement said. The company had made a net loss 103.6 million dirhams in the first half of the year due to the Burj Khalifa claim, it said in August. The firm said it is positioned for about 20 percent growth in 2011 and 2012. It is also expanding into new territories like Yemen, Angola and Abu Dhabi.