Author: admin

  • Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel to start soft opening

    Jumeirah Group has announced the soft opening of Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa, as of May 7th.

    Jumeirah’s first hotel within the Gulf region outside the United Arab Emirates is situated along the shores of the Arabian Gulf, almost about Kuwait City’s business and fiscal centre and only ten minutes drive from Kuwait International Airport.

    The hotel was designed by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill from The big apple to create a very luxurious destination in Kuwait that merges the newest in design and technology with the heritage and culture of the region.

    Jumeirah Group president, Gerald Lawless, said: “The opening of Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa is a landmark event.

    “We are proud to be bringing our brand to Kuwait and want to thank the management of the hotel’s owning company Al Aziziah for giving us the chance to function this remarkable property.

    “I believe that the standard of the hotel and the services delivered by our colleagues under the leadership of the final manager Mark Griffiths will offer the folk of Kuwait and visitors from around the globe a real taste of Jumeirah’s unique brand of hospitality.”

    The luxury beachfront development is made of 408 guest rooms, including 316 rooms and suites, 80 residential suites and 12 villas that supply an unhampered view of the hotel gardens. All rooms range from 40 to 60m², suites from 80 to 360m² and villas from 350 to 450m².

    Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa is electrified by its location.

    Messilah, derived from the word ‘Massiyalah’, denotes a low-lying area where waters merge and circulate the ocean. Water is a recurring theme during the hotel’s design.

    Water features flow from the central lobby and inside the building to hook up with streams, channels and fountains inside the gardens.

    Water can be reflected in a chain of striking sculptures, the inside design of the hotel and the Talise Spa, which covers 3,500m² and includes 17 treatment rooms and two private suites.

    In addition, Talise Spa has the Salt Room – an exclusive treatment inside the Middle East where salt blocks from the Himalayas are used for rejuvenation, relaxation and wellbeing.

    Another key design feature is using traditional Kuwaiti oriel windows of Mashrabiya design which might be found round the hotel.

    Mashrabiya screens also are fitted within the bedrooms and may be pulled around the windows to offer privacy and shade from the sun.

    Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa has six restaurants, together with a ramification of cafes and lounges.

    These include a signature seafood restaurant and a premium steakhouse, an elegant Italian restaurant and an all-day dining concept, an Arabic café lounge with a terrace overlooking the hotel entrance and a classy tea lounge.

    Other outlets include the Club Executive, a health and wellness restaurant next to the Talise Spa and a beachfront café for healthy snacks and views of the Arabian Gulf.

  • News: Royal Caribbean launches new Quantum cruising

    Building on a legacy of greater than 40 years of innovation and inventive design, Royal Caribbean International has unveiled first details of the following generation of cruise holidays – Quantum cruising.

    The Quantum class of ships will take a dramatic leap forwards, introducing more game-changing “firsts at sea” akin to a skydiving experience, an exhilarating adventure that transports guests greater than 300 feet within the air on a wide ranging journey; cutting-edge transformative venues including the most important indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line’s largest and most advanced accommodation ever.

    These new, larger staterooms enable innovation in design, storage and luxury including the industry’s first virtual balconies – every stateroom on Quantum of the Seas could have a view.

    The much anticipated details were unveiled by stage, television and picture star, Kristin Chenoweth – Godmother of Quantum of the Seas – at an exclusive event in Ny city this morning.

    “This new generation of ships gave us a chance to make another leap in vessel design.  Innovation has always been element of our DNA and we now have taken benefit of all that creativity to design Quantum cruising,” stated Richard Fain, chairman, Royal Caribbean Cruises.

    “The unique features on Quantum of the Seas will boggle our guests’ minds, however the real strength of the design is how our people have integrated a majority of these diverse components to create a comfy and exciting experience.”

    Having led the cruise and leisure industry by introducing incredible signature offerings similar to the primary Mountain climbing Wall, ice-skating rink, FlowRider surf simulator, Central Park and AquaTheater at sea, Royal Caribbean International will advance the onboard experience even further by delivering a groundbreaking line-up of “firsts at sea” on Quantum-class ships. 

    “We are excited to be introducing major advancements in ship design and offerings on Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas,” said Adam Goldstein, president, Royal Caribbean International. 

    “The innovative spirit of our brand is alive and well, and with Quantum class, we will be able to deliver more unexpected activities within the most extraordinary spaces.

    “Our guests should prepare to be wowed.”

    With Quantum class, Royal Caribbean International marries new innovations with significant architectural design elements to introduce spectacular spaces. 

    On Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas guests will find endless possibilities with three new signature venues.

  • VisitBritain sees tourism records tumble

    VisitBritain has today welcomed a record crumbling May including bumper spend results for the primary five months of 2013.

    Latest figures from the ONS International Passenger Survey show a four per cent rise inside the variety of May visits and a five per cent increase in spend following a two per cent rise within the first five months with a striking double digit ten per cent spike in cash generated.

    The positive results mean that the £6.88 billion generated within the first five months of 2013 is an all-time record.

    The month of Can also saw a record variety of visits with 3.08 million tourists enjoying Britain, beating the former best held since 2008.

    These visitors spent £1.67 billion.

    The best begin to a year since 2008 has also seen a record high for holiday visitors with 1.35 million holidaying in May, seven per cent higher than 2012.

    The increasingly important business travel market continues to grow, four per cent up, showing signs that confidence is easily and actually being restored in a sector which brings high spending visitors for brief stays.

    Patricia Yates, VisitBritain director of strategy and communications, said: “The Olympic bounce has well and really sprung with the appropriate begin to a year since 2008.

    “This has seen us achieve record breaking spend figures for 2013 thus far and record visitor numbers for May and is proof that tourism continues to deliver the commercial legacy of hosting the Games last year.

    “We are surpassing our spend forecast for 2013, that is testament to the indisputable fact that our GREAT campaign has capitalised at the showcasing of england through 2012 to show viewers into visitors.

    “Our marketing and promotion of england as a good spot to go to will ensure we’re well positioned to deliver continued growth through 2013 and beyond, achieving positive results for the united kingdom tourism industry and lengthening the two.6 million jobs supported by the sphere.”

  • News: Dubai International takes A380 crown

    Dubai International, the fastest growing airport in 2012 in line with OAG statistics and the second one busiest airport for international passenger traffic in line with Airports Council International data, can now claim the title because the world’s leading hub for A380 operations consistent with published airline industry flight schedule data for 2012.

    Published schedule data for 2012 shows the airport had 7,259 A380 scheduled flights to twenty-eight destinations, with all but 88 of these flights scheduled by Emirates airline, the world’s biggest operator of the double-decker aircraft.

    Taking second spot during 2012 with 6,653 A380 scheduled operations to 19 destinations was Singapore Changi.

    London Heathrow holds third position with 3,697 flights to 6 destinations followed by Frankfurt with 3,071 A380 flights to twelve destinations and Sydney with 2,697 flights to 8 destinations.

    “The opening of Concourse A earlier this year was a US$ 3 billion validation of our intention to be the world’s premiere A380 hub,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive, Dubai Airports.

    “This new facility is purpose built for the aircraft with two-tiered gates facilitating boarding directly from the primary and business class lounges.”

    Rounding out the head ten during 2012 were Paris Charles de Gaulle (2,613 scheduled flights to 11 destinations), Hong Kong International (2,145 scheduled flights to nine destinations), L. a. (2,048 scheduled flights to seven destinations), Long island JFK (2,004 scheduled flights to 6 destinations) and Melbourne (1,710 scheduled flights to seven destinations).

    Fleet size and network structure had a right away touching on the carrier contributions to A380 scheduled operations in international hub airports.

    Although home carriers Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Air France/KLM and Emirates operate the lion’s share of super jumbo scheduled flights of their home markets, that was not the case for London Heathrow (Qantas), Hong Kong (Emirates), Ny JFK and La (Singapore Airlines).

    “Based on Emirates’ order book, the brand new Qantas A380 operation and our $7.8 billion expansion plan, Dubai International is easily placed to continue to carry the pinnacle position for A380 operations in 2013 and beyond,” added Griffiths.

  • Saadiyat Rotana Resort given green light

    Rotana has announced it’s moving forward with its development plans of the Saadiyat Rotana Resort, a plush five-star hotel set to open in 2015 on Saadiyat Beach, a nine-kilometer stretch of pristine white sand on Saadiyat island. 

    Commenting in this announcement, Nasser Al Nowais, chairman, Rotana, said: “We are delighted to announce that the outlet date of the five-star Saadiyat Rotana Resort may be in 2015 – the identical year when the highly anticipated Louvre Abu Dhabi museum is decided to open at the island.

    “The luxurious property, that will be designed with a distinctly themed atmosphere, may have great appeal, particularly among tourists who’re hunting for the type of excellent sea-facing destinations the island represents”.

    The design of the posh Rotana Resort on Saadiyat Beach with its 354 upscale rooms and suites as well as 13 beach private villas, have been creatively conceived with a feeling of space within a conceptualised vernacular architecture, contrasting with an incredibly innovative design relating to facilities and contours.

    The resort offers a personal stretch of beach, a wide range of food & beverage outlets with large meeting & conference facilities, apart from a Zen the spa at Rotana and a completely-equipped Bodylines health & fitness club.

    The impressive design draws at the rich vocabulary of Arabic architecture, and is fused with bold, contemporary architectural statements, with an emphasis on capturing the views of the sea, glimpses of the landscaped courtyards and lagoon areas.

    Large expanses of glass feature windows facilitate these magnificent sights and simultaneously contrast dramatically with solid and more traditional load-bearing walls that talk the vernacular language.

    Ali Al Hammadi, deputy managing director at Abu Dhabi Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), said: “We are confident that the recent Saadiyat Rotana Resort will add great value to our exclusive offering of luxury hotels at the island, and therefore enhance our visitors’ experience even further.

    “The vision of Saadiyat is coming to life as new projects are being realized. Saadiyat is en-path to becoming a worldwide-class tourism destination with a view to support the emirate’s hospitality sector.”

    Saadiyat, TDIC’s flagship project, has become the last word tourism hotspot following the launch of varied exciting hospitality and leisure projects that have helped secure the island’s appeal as an inviting destination for residents and visitors.

    The island’s Cultural District is determined to become home to premier cultural institutions designed by Pritzker-prize winning architects.

    These feature world-class museums with the intention to open at the island starting with the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum in 2015, followed by Zayed National Museum in 2016 and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum in 2017.

    “We have a good belief within the transformation of Saadiyat right into a premier destination as a way to significantly enhance Abu Dhabi’s overall tourism development goals and we’re proud to be managing the beautiful five-star Saadiyat Rotana Resort at the island,” added Al Nowais.

    In 2007, a survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal showed that the international travel industry has acknowledged Saadiyat as becoming one of many world’s top 10 most fashionable destinations.