The Middle East’s first Delano Hotel to debut in Dubai

Morgans Hotel Group Co, a global leader and innovator in ‘Creative Class’ boutique hotels, today announced its partnership with IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR) to bring the Delano brand to the Middle East with Delano Dubai. Scheduled to open in 2017 as the third hotel in the Delano portfolio, Delano Dubai’s 110-key deluxe hotel apartment property will be situated on Palm Jumeirah and will form part of a contemporary mixed-used resort development known as The8.

“Dubai is an ideal destination for us to debut our first Delano property in the Middle East,” said Jason Kalisman, Interim CEO of Morgans Hotel Group. “The location and resort concept speaks to the Delano guest experience of providing an oasis of sensuality and soul, and where sophistication and ease seamlessly blend with timeless design. Delano Dubai’s prime beachfront island location on Palm Jumeirah will have a sleek contemporary design and upscale resort facilities which will attract an international clientele who embrace style, elegance and luxury.”
The 110 distinctive apartments will include one, two, and three bedroom units with furnishings and fittings curated to the highest standards as well as a unique Presidential Suite. Guests of the Delano Dubai property will feel a sense of familiarity and affinity with the original Delano properties in South Beach, Miami and Las Vegas – all of which have a clean, elegant contemporary aesthetic and an evocative nature.
“Managing this hotel with their specialist asset management, IFA Hotel Investments, will enable us to benefit from their extensive experience in development and operations in this market, and allow us to work together to redefine Dubai’s resort scene,” continued Kalisman.

The8 is currently under construction and will feature both the Delano-branded hotel apartments, as well as other stand-alone residential properties offering diverse facilities and entertainment. IFA Hotel Investments (IFA HI) will oversee the asset management and operational aspect of the development. Launched in 2014, The8 has been architecturally designed as ultra-sleek and modern, drawing inspiration from the fashion, design, and lifestyle elements of Miami’s South Beach. The8 will contain resort-style facilities including extensive water-sports, a gym, tennis courts, a signature beachfront restaurant, beach cabanas, barbecue and event areas, as well as dedicated amenities for young families.

“The selection process saw many international brands interested in the project and I am delighted with the final choice of the Delano brand, backed by Morgans Hotel Groups’ expertise,” said Joe Sita, IFA HI CEO, who led the extensive operator search with the asset advisory team. “The entrance of the Delano brand into this region, working alongside our residential services teams, will augment a growing brand implementation strategy within the city.”

“This new management agreement with Morgans Hotel Group, one of the world’s most celebrated boutique hotel brands, brings a new design aesthetic and style of service to the region,” said Khaled Esbaitah, CEO IFA HR Middle East. “We sought to ensure that whichever operator was brought in to manage the hotel apartments facilities located within The8 complex would add significantly to the development’s offer. We feel that with the Delano as part of The8 complex, we have achieved the perfect match.”
Morgans Hotel Group Co. is widely credited as the creator of the first “boutique” hotel and a continuing leader of the hotel industry’s boutique sector. Dedicated to building a differentiated brand portfolio and establishing properties in 24 hour urban and select resort markets, Morgans Hotel Group creates lifestyle hotels with a vibe that encourages guests to live every moment more intensely. Morgans Hotel Group is immersive, transformative and deeply engaging; embracing irony and style, elegance and luxury, with strong and daring vision. The group’s international hotel portfolio brings together the creative power of many – designers, artists, musicians – to bend the rules, stretch the realm of possibility and constantly push the boundaries of what a hotel can be.

Source : http://bit.ly/1DcAeZk

Dubai tops travel bucket list for 2015

It is that season again when travel agencies and online booking portals number crunch their 2015 predictions for those who plan on getting a head start into their holiday plans for next year. 

Online travel portal, Destinia.com, has issued the 2015 essential destination guide to add to your bucket list for next year’s vacation planning and topping this list is none other than Dubai.

The list cites Dubai as an ‘emerging destination that is in fashion’.

The blurb continues: “This city is making tourism one of its motors for growth. Dubai is a city that has seen a massive transformation in very little time, converting itself in one of the most dynamic and modern metropolises of the moment, as a door between the west and the east.”

Interestingly, the other destinations making the cut to feature on this bucket list include four countries, rather than cities, including the African republic of  Namibia, followed by Myanmar, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

Namibia, which is best known for the Kalahari Desert, is being described as a nation that is making a “concerted effort to protect and maintain its rich biodiversity and offers an extensive, and internationally recognised, number of protected areas that cover approximately 17 per cent of the country”.

 Myanmar’s strength has been described as a richness of its Buddhist temples that serve as a powerful tourist attraction.

 Destinia further states: “Now in addition, areas that have been difficult to access, such as the states of Northern Shan, Mon and Kayin, are opening to exploration.

 “However, be aware that in very few cities will you find adequate facilities as a tourist.”

 Southeast Asian country, Vietnam, will celebrate its National Tourism Year in 2015, under the theme ‘Connecting world heritage’, to celebrate the cultural legacy of the country.

 “Therefore, all the provinces and cities with Unesco recognised world heritage sites will host various artistic and cultural performances and events,” the travel company further states, adding: “During the next year, for example, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi will celebrate its 5th anniversary being recognised as a world heritage site and the 50th anniversary of the Ham Rong victory will also be celebrated.”

 One of the most active provinces will be that of Thanh Hoa.

 Rounding up this 2015 bucket list, Papua New Guinea is being called “an unexplored paradise with more than 600 islands and over 800 indigenous languages.”

 The country will host the Pacific Games in July 2015, a sporting event which is expected to boost tourism numbers.

 A special mention is also being credited to Mons, Belgium, the capital of the province of Hainaut, which has been nominated as the 2015 European Capital of Culture


source : http://bit.ly/1Ejv0h4

Dubai's authorities are keen to make sure that gains in sustainable construction are captured.

As the number and value of projects awarded in Dubai continue to grow, there is a concerted effort being made by authorities to make sure that gains made in sustainable construction are captured the city. Hannah Raven reports.

The UAE is leading the way in green building practices in the GCC, accounting for 67% of all LEED-related projects in the region.

Moreover, as the market for both commercial and residential buildings continues to strengthen, the governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai have both been looking to ensure that they continue to keep this lead with the further development of sustainable codes and standards.

Ventures Middle East report put the value of the UAE’s construction market at $46bn for 2014. Also, unlike in other parts of the region, it is still dominated by the demand for buildings as opposed to big-ticket infrastructure. Over the past year, buildings represented 60% of the overall value of the construction market.

With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that sustainability in construction was such a prominent theme at last month’s Big 5 Exhibition at Dubai World Trade Centre. Indeed, Dubai Municipality used the event as a platform to launch a number of initiatives to make sure that gains made in sustainability do not fall victim to time and cost pressures in a busier market.

HE Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality, unveiled details of a tough new smart checking system at the event, as well as an Emirate-wide move to using ‘green concrete’, and gave brief details of ‘Desert Rose’ - the new, $5.5bn (AED20bn) Emirati housing development being built around sustainable principles.

Lootah said Dubai is one of the world’s fastest growing cities, with many people simply noting the rapid rate of building.

“But it’s about a lot more than just buildings, there're a lot more projects going on, in order to fulfil the needs of the growing city.

“We already have the best standard of construction and materials in the region. Our Green Building Regulations Guide has 79 chapters, and we are working through these chapters to implement all of the directives,” he said.

Assistant director-general for engineering and planning at the Dubai Municipality, Abdulla Rafia, gave a talk on driving higher standards in sustainability through the introduction of the Emirate’s Green Building Code.

The code, which was introduced in 2011, was immediately made mandatory for all government buildings. In March this year, it was rolled out to the private sector and covers all new buildings.

He said it had been drawn up from Dubai’s Green Building Programme, containing five main pillars - energy, water, material and waste, ecology and building vitality.

“For each of the 79 specifications that are contained in these five areas there is also an explanation in another document to explain each and every specification,” explained Rafia.

The document is comprehensive and the objectives ambitious; dramatic key performance indicators (KPIs) are set out that target significant reductions of materials and resources.

Dubai is aiming to achieve a 90% compliance rating to internal air quality regulations, a 20% reduction in CO2 levels, household waste and construction waste reductions of 60% and 50% respectively, a 15% saving on water consumption and 20% reduction in energy.

The municipality completed its most sustainable building, Al Fahidi souk in Bur Dubai, at the beginning of 2014.
“There, the results were really outstanding – the energy savings went up to 43%, so these 79 green building regulations are really effective and the outcomes are great,” he added.

One may question why the recent enhanced focus on sustainability has centred so much around the Green Building Code, a relatively small part of the issue when you consider the bigger picture.

“I think it is the cornerstone,” said Rafia. “What is the city made of? It’s made of a number of buildings, so if I can get one building green, in the future [I can] get all the buildings green.” He also pointed out that reductions made in energy emissions from more efficient buildings have a major impact.

“If we look at energy, we can see the size of sustainability – out of energy produced, 70% of it is used in the city buildings,” Rafia said. “So I’m looking at where the consumption is. And also, 70% of that 70% is used in air conditioning, so we have a real challenge.”

The numbers make it clear where attention is needed, and Rafia insisted it was the government’s duty to make sure this happens not only through enforcing laws, but also leading by example.

“If we don’t have governments, you have an inefficient system,” he said. “I always say sustainability starts with governments. Now I’m glad to announce that since we’ve implemented the regulations, we have results.

“This city, I always say, is a result orientated. You know, we can talk about things for a year or two or three years, but if we don’t implement, then we are not achieving. We did implement.”

Since the beginning of March until the end of October, the number of building permits issued by the Municipality was 1,053.

“One permit may be for one building; a house, one permit may be for a multi-storey building; a 50, 60, 70, 100-storey building is just one permit, and for a compound of maybe 1,000 to 2,000 villas, that is one permit,”
he explained.

To give a clearer picture, those permits translate to a built-up area of over 10mn ft2 so far.

“That is a significant number,” said Rafia. “In 10 years, the number of new green buildings will make up 50% of the buildings in Dubai.”

Of course, Dubai has not always been so conscious of its carbon footprint, but it is hard to deny its swift implementation of practices to remedy its past ignorance.

“We are fortunate, of course,” continued Rafia. “First of all, we are fortunate that we can push a regulation this fast. Second, we are fortunate with this issue of green build that Dubai is a fast-growing city and the construction is fast – we are doubling the gross floor area once every eight to 10 years depending on the growth rate, so very soon we’ll be having a green city.”

Rafia said the municipality would continue to refine its green building codes as further advancements are made in building technologies. “We are leaving a lot of room for improvements. This is not something that we work at and stop at, but it’s a continuous process.”

Some of the best sustainable technologies being used in the region were showcased in a number of project case studies at the event – including Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City and its new $3bn Midfield Terminal Complex.

A presentation of the latter was given by the designer, Mustafa Chehabeddine, who is a principal at US-based architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

He said: “Even in 2005 sustainability was at the centre of the design from the very first drawing.

“Legislation to meet sustainability criteria has become tougher over the years since this project was started, but the terminal was always designed to be as sustainable and energy efficient as possible.”


Written by: Hannah Raven on Dec 13, 2014 

Source: http://bit.ly/1CK61W4 

Dubai announces plans for 'Museum of the Future' to highlight human innovation

Dubai, the city with a skyline straight out of a science-fiction movie, launched plans Wednesday for a "Museum of the Future."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new museum, which will provide "a permanent home for the world's greatest innovations," according to Gulf News.

HE SAID THE MUSEUM IS THE "FIRST STEP OF MANY TO COME" TO FULFILL A MISSION TO MAKE THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES A GLOBAL INNOVATION ENGINE.

Emirati Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed al-Gergawi told reporters on Wednesday that the Dubai museum will showcase innovations in design and technology from fields such as transportation, health and education.

The $136 million project is expected to open in 2017. The curving, oblong — and of course futuristic-looking — building will feature poetry written by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates

Al-Gergawi said the museum aims to change its exhibits every six months to keep pace with changing technology, aiming "to always be 10 years ahead of today."

Additional reporting by The Associated Press

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source: http://on.mash.to/1wVb9jM

By: Jessica Plautz