Emirates Palace
The Emirates Palace (Arabic: قصر الإمارات) is a luxury five star hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates operated by Mandarin Oriental as of 1 January 2020. The hotel project was started on December 2001.[2] and was initially operated by Kempinski from opening in November 2005 until 1 January 2020. Due to the change in management, the Palace will be renovated over the course of two years, after which it will be fully rebranded as a Mandarin Oriental property.[3]
Emirates Palace قصر الإمارات | |
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![]() Emirates Palace as seen from Etihad Towers | |
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General information | |
Location | Ras Al Akhdar, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
Coordinates | 24°27′36″N 54°18′44″E |
Opening | February 2005 |
Cost | $3 billion[1] |
Owner | The Government of Abu Dhabi |
Management | Mandarin Oriental |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 394 |
Website | |
https://www.mandarinoriental.com/abu-dhabi/emirates-palace/luxury-hotel |
Construction
The building was designed by British architect [John Elliott (WATG architects)]in collaboration with Reza Rahmanian (HDC Architects). The design of the hotel is a playful mix of cherished Islamic architectural elements such as balance, geometry, proportions, rhythm and hierarchical emphasis to create a unified whole. The inspired grand dome with elaborate geometrical patterns dominates over 114 smaller domes spread over the building. The colour of the building aims to reflect different shades of sands found in the Arabian Desert. Construction started in December 2001, the interior fit-out works were delivered by Depa Interiors, Abu Dhabi with the hotel opening its gates in February 2005. The construction costs were around 3 billion USD (11.02 billion AED) making it the third most expensive hotel ever built. It is only surpassed by The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas (3.9 billion USD) and the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore (5.5 billion USD)[4]
Rooms and facilities
Emirates Palace consists of 394 residences, including 92 suites and 22 residential suites[5]. The residences are spread over two wings as well as a primary central building. The majority of the suites are furnished in gold and marble. The main primary building houses an expansive marble floor and a large patterned dome above, picked out in gold. The penthouse floor has six Rulers' Suites which are reserved exclusively for dignitaries, such as royalty[6].
The facilities include 2 spa facilities, over 40 meeting rooms, a 1.3 km long beach, a marina, 2 helicopter landing pads, a ballroom that accommodates up to 2500 people, various luxury shops and international restaurants[5].
Events
Christina Aguilera performed at the venue during her Back To Basics Tour on 24 October 2008. The show had an audience of 15,000 people, attracting great media attention to the hotel. The hotel also appears in the new Fast and Furious 7 film, which was released in 2015.[7] Shots of the hotel were also used in the 2007 film The Kingdom[8]. Justin Timberlake has been at this location for a tour on 6th December 2007 for a concert.[9]. The Emirates Palace also appears in the 2019 film 6 Underground along with other iconic sites around the city.
Image gallery
Dome above the lobby area Restaurants and main lounge
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emirates Palace. |
References
- "Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates". Hotel Management Network. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- "Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi - Hotelmanagement". Hotelmanagement. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article108488.html
- http://www.constructionglobal.com/top-10/10-most-expensive-buildings-world
- "Emirates Palace – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates". Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- "Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi".
- "Abu Dhabi is buzzing with Fast & Furious 7 filming rumours - The National". Archived from the original on 22 June 2015.
- "Feeling the heat - The Boston Globe". archive.boston.com. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- Reporter, Natalie Long, Staff (7 December 2007). "Timberlake rocks the crowd in Abu Dhabi". GulfNews. Retrieved 17 October 2018.