Press

On March 18—just over a month and a half from now—the world will have its first Armani Hotel on the first 37 stories of the newly-opened world's tallest building—the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. But this won't be the end of Signore Armani's hotels. In fact, it's only the beginning, what with Giorgio signing a contract to have ten Armani Hotel properties around the world by 2019.

The Burj Khalifa rises like a glass spike, nearly a kilometre into the Dubai sky. There's no taller building in the world. Despite suffering from vertigo in the past, Andrew Flintoff is up for my suggestion that we go to the top. As we head for the world's fastest elevator, he reveals his previous wobbles negotiating tall buildings.

The official opening of the 828-metre-high Burj Khalifa has not marked the end of the era of tall buildings. This is according to the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which has released its list of projects anticipated to be completed in 2010.

To get to "At the Top," the observation deck's, you have to enter through The Dubai Mall’s lower-ground level. Before you pop your ears on the elevator up, brush up on your knowledge of Dubai and the building with multimedia displays like "Dubai Then and Now," "From Earth to the Sky" and "From Vision to Reality." You'll also see a big illuminated model of the Burj Khalifa, formerly called the Burj Dubai, where you can learn about the skyscraper.

A last-minute decision to change the name of the skyscraper from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa reflected a political shift within the United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s tower now carries the name of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi and the president of the emirates, who reluctantly rode to Dubai’s rescue last month with a $10 billion bailout.

Delta Sound has provided sound syncronisation and fireworks for the opening of Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made structure in the world. In a ceremony witnessed by thousands of Dubai residents and millions via television, Delta Sound produced a light and sound display to mark the $1.5bn tower's official opening earlier this month.

The world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa has finally opened its doors following five long years of construction. And, despite the last-minute name change, the presence of the world's tallest tower will deliver direct economic benefits to the emirate of Dubai. Emaar's flagship project is significant in many ways. It delivers another iconic structure to Dubai's skyline, complementing the Burj al-Arab in international recognition and plays an arguably even greater role as the anchor project to Emaar's wider Dhs73bn ($20bn) Downtown Burj Dubai scheme.

A team from Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) went on an inspection tour of Armani Hotel Dubai in Burj Khalifa on Monday ahead of the luxury property's scheduled opening in March. Armani Hotel Dubai, the first hotel to open under the collaboration between Giorgio Armani S.p.A. and Emaar Properties PJSC, is getting finishing touches.

Toddlers up to 3 years of age can join in the fun at KidZania®, the newly opened innovative children’s edutainment centre in The Dubai Mall. Urbano’s House at KidZania® is the ultimate fun destination for tiny tots who can revel in a range of specially designed activities. As the name indicates, Urbano’s House is the abode of Urbano, the mascot of KidZania®, who represents children’s ‘Right to KNOW.’

It started as a design concept. When Montreal-based gsmprjct was hired to conceive and construct the multimedia elements for the viewing platform of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, it seized on the idea of installing state-of-the-art LCD touchscreen telescopes. But there was a hitch: No such device existed.