News from Dubai

Macy’s have confirmed that Bloomingdale’s at the Dubai Mall will open on February 1 2010.

There will be 2 stores at the Dubai Mall; a 146,000 square feet fashion and accessories store and a 54,000 square feet home store.

They will be the first Bloomingdale’s stores to open outside the US.

The Ritz Carlton Dubai has announced an expansion project that will increase the total number of guest rooms and see the addition of several new restaurant concepts. This project will commence in April and is expected to be complete by early 2012.

The beachfront resort currently features 138 sea view guestrooms over seven floors. Spearheaded by Dubai-based architectural firm Rice Perry Ellis, there are plans to build an adjacent wing to house an additional 163 guestrooms, bringing the total number to 301. Of these, 18 are designated as suites including two Royal Suites, each providing more than 180 square meters (1,937 square feet) and offering a 180-degree panoramic view of the Arabian Gulf.

All guest rooms will be equipped with the finest bedding experience, state-of-the-art technology including wireless and wired internet access, iPod docking stations, flat screen televisions and DVD players as standard to enable guests to both work and relax in their rooms. Located on the third floor of the new wing is The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, offering six complimentary food and beverage presentations throughout the day and dedicated multi-lingual concierge service.

As the new wing is located away from the resort’s guestrooms and recreational facilities such as the Spa and swimming pools, General Manager Andrew Nasskau believes the impact will be minimal. “We are mindful of the effect that the expansion programme will have on our guests and we will make every effort to ensure that their comfort and enjoyment will not be compromised,” he says. “All our rooms and suites will still be occupied for the next two years, and the only areas that will be closed are La Baie, the spa pool and garden in front of the new wing.”

To capitalize on the requirements of corporate travellers, the resort will boast sizable meeting and function space to include an 800-square-meter (8,640-square-feet) grand ballroom that is divisible by six, a boardroom and three multi-purpose function rooms. In total, the resort will offer 1,160 square meters (12,528 square feet) of meeting space, all of which will be equipped with the most advanced technology. In addition to a world-class audio and visual set-up, the hotel’s Technology Butler, floral artist services and a dedicated catering and conference team ensures a seamless experience for all meetings and events.

Culinary offerings will be enhanced by the 10 new private dining rooms within an enclosed solarium in the Italian specialty restaurant Splendido, and the signature restaurant La Baie will be revitalized by a new concept and a larger dining space. During the day, sun-worshippers may enjoy the fresh look of the Pool Bar & Grill Pavilion which can accommodate up to 100 guests around the new swimming pools.

The new wing will feature the resort’s famed landscaped gardens including new outdoor swimming pools and a terrace. A 2,020 square meters (21,743 square feet) Spa and Fitness Center, with separate entries for men and women, will showcase a fully equipped gymnasium, beauty salon and 13 private treatment rooms.

The Mirdif City Centre shopping mall, opening on March 16, has announced that it will offer two large food courts with over 75 restaurants and food outlets.

Many of the outlets will be making their debut in the region, including PF Chang’s – offering American Chinese cuisine, Tiffinbites – London-based Indian restaurant group, and Abu Sid – Egyptian.

Yousif Al Ali, Vice-President of Mirdif City Centre, said ‘When we planned the leasing for the food and beverage retail outlets, we wanted to put together something for everyone. Not just the variety of tastes, but the different types of visitors we would see. From those that would like to make the most of their time, to the more leisurely customers who want to savour their food and drink with friends. We look forward to welcoming our shoppers to enjoy the amazing F&B selection we have to offer.’

Mirdif City Centre is a development by Majid Al Futtaim Properties with a gross leasable area of 196,000 square metres. It will feature around 430 shops (including Carrefour and Debenhams), parking for 7,000 cars, and an entertainment centre with 10-screen cinema, bowling alley, and indoor ‘iFLY’ sky diving experience.

JMC Guitar Orchestra, JMC Jazz Band and intermediate and advanced students in singing, piano and flute from Jumeirah Music Centre will be performing on February 13th in the ballroom of Movenpick Hotel at 7:30 pm. The concert is in aid of Bantay Bata 163, a charity program in the Philippines whose mission is to rehabilitate sick and abused children. Admission to the concert is free but charitable donations are most welcome.

Thank You For The Music, Part 2 is a sequel of the first Thank You for the Music charity concert held last January 10, 2009 at Movenpick Hotel featuring performing artists/teachers of Jumeirah Music Centre. This time, Thank You For the Music, Part 2 features their students. The concert programme includes piano pieces by Mozart and Khachaturian, as well as jazz pieces by Jobim and Brubeck and repertoire from musicals such as You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, West Side Story, Annie and The Wizard of Oz. The concert will conclude with the song popularized by the group ABBA which is also the title of the concert: Thank You For The Music.

For reservations, please call 04-3492662 or email jumeirahmusic@eim.ae.

The Armani Hotel Dubai will open on March 18 2010, it was announced today.

The luxury hotel will occupy the lower floors of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

The hotel is the first of a series of Armani Hotels opening as part of a joint venture between Giorgio Armani and Dubai’s Emaar Properties.

The world’s tallest building opened tonight with a spectacular fireworks ceremony attended by thousands.

The final height of the Burj Khalifa was revealed to be 828 metres high, much higher than the 508 metres of the previous record holder, Taipei 101.

Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum renamed the skyscraper, known as the Burj Dubai throughout construction, after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, president of the UAE and ruler of the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The tower is home to over 1,000 luxury apartments, 49 floors of offices and the 160-room Armani hotel. Around 12,000 people are expected to live and work in the tower, which is part of the Downtown Burj Dubai development.

Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004 and involved some 12,000 workers. The first residents are expected to begin moving into their apartments in February 2010. The Armani Hotel is scheduled to open a month later.

Award-winning singer and songwriter David Gray will perform at the 8th Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival on Thursday February 18th 2010.

‘We received continual requests to bring back David Gray to the festival due to the huge applaud for his outstanding appearance in 2007; his fan base is constantly growing in this region as well as worldwide, and with his latest release, we are confident that his upcoming show will be another huge success’, said Anthony Younes, founder and organizer of the festival.

The same night will feature Attila Molnar, Jane Monheit and Lao Tizer.

The Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival will kick off on February 10th with 7 nights of unique jazz shows at the Network Jazz Garden followed by three nights at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on February 17th, 18th and 19th featuring legendary artists.

Tickets will be available online through boxofficeme.com, ticketingboxoffice.com and timeouttickets.com, and all Virgin Megastores outlets in UAE starting January 13th 2010.

For more details, please visit dubaijazzfest.com or call Chillout Productions on 04 3911196.

Maximum levels of rent increases in 2010 were announced yesterday.

According to a decree issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, if the rent for a property in 2009 was at market rate or up to 25 percent lower it cannot be increased

If the rent last year was between 26 and 35 percent less than market rate it can be increased by no more than 5 percent.

The full list of permitted increases is shown in the table below:

The law aims to ensure the stability in the Dubai property market.

Average rents are determined by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).

Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and chairman of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, has warned restaurants in Dubai that the automatic addition of service charges to bills is illegal.

The move follows thousands of complaints that many restaurants in the city still add a service charge, despite the practice being outlawed in 2006. Some establishments have been adding as much as 20 percent to bills.

Al Mansouri said that the Ministry ‘will take serious measures against those who violate the law.’

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have announced that the Burj Dubai Metro Station will open on January 4 2010, coinciding with the official opening of the Burj Dubai.

It will be the 11th station to open on the Red Line and will be able to deal with 11 thousand passengers per hour in each direction.

The station will primarily serve the Downtown Burj Dubai area, home of the Dubai Mall, Burj Dubai, and numerous hotels (Address Downtown Burj Dubai, Address Dubai Mall, Palace, Al Manzil, Qamardeen, Armani etc.).