NEWS

The industry is waiting in eager anticipation for the opening of The Armani Hotel at Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Set to officially launch on April 21, it will welcome its first guests two days later.

Coming on the back of a host of 'designer hotel' openings around the world, including the Armani Hotel in the United Arab Emirates, it has now been revealed that the parent company of Louis Vuitton is set to venture into the hospitality sector.

Hukama at The Address Downtown Dubai won 'Best New Chinese Restaurant' and Amatista at The Address Dubai Mall won 'Best New Lounge' at the Time Out Restaurant's and Nightlife Awards 2010 respectively. Both venues offer a lively ambience, superior service and delectable cuisine.

When the downturn hit the Indian real estate sector, the first thing many companies did was to shelve their hospitality plans. Some of them are now returning to the hotel business, and Emaar MGF does not want to miss the bus. Emaar Properties, who built the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa in Dubai earlier this year, is now looking at reviving its hospitality plans in the Indian market.

"Sexy sophistication, daring interiors and mood-evoking colors" are set to define the new hotels we stay in over the next decade, according to a leading industry designer."The Hotel Khalifa in Doha (to-be opened this year), the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Hotel Missoni in Kuwait as winners in the fashion-driven hotel world of the 20-10 decade," continued Ornstein.

Emaar Properties has announced it will roll over its US $1.32 billion (AED4.84 billion) debts into long-term project funding as fears recede of a repeat of the bail-out needed for stricken developer Nakheel. On Sunday it announced that Burj Khalifa is to tap solar power for residential water heating, using technology installed and operated by SOLE UAE Solar Systems.

The ancient wonder of Machu Picchu and the newly debuted Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, both were closed for two months, for very different reasons (flooding in one case, electrical issues in the other).

You'd need a steady hand and the patience of a saint to build any sort of structure out of toothpicks. So this toothpick city, created by New Yorker Stan Munro, is a pretty remarkable feat. Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the Vatican, Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Eiffel Tower were among over 50 iconic landmarks replicated at a 1:164 scale.

On March 18, the world's first Armani Hotel in Dubai's Burj Khalifa tower did not open as planned. Instead, like with every ambitious hotel and construction project that suffers from its own hype, it was delayed for a later spring opening. And now we finally have a date...we hope.

It has been reported that following an elevator break down which left visitors trapped over 120 stories above the land and forced it to shut, on Sunday, the observation deck of the world’s tallest tower reopened in Dubai. It is said that there were dozens of visitors lined up to buy tickets for the 124 floor of the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa. The deck was closed in February.