1. Emirates Palace – United Arab Emirates
The Emirates Palace (Arabic: قصرالإمارات). Located in the capital of the United Arab Emirates(Abu Dhabi أبوظبي). Magnificent Emirates Palace is a national landmark and one of the most impressive hotels and conference venues ever built. Perfect for corporate and leisure travellers, Emirates Palace offers a variety of luxury services to suit every need, whether you come on vacation with your family or for a business meeting or international conference.
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| Emirates Palace – United Arab Emirates |
Construction
The building was designed by renowned architect, John Elliott RIBA, who was Senior Vice President at Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo, an international firm specialising in Luxury Hotels. It opened in November 2005 but certain restaurants and spas did not open until 2006. The hotel was built by and is owned by the Abu Dhabi government, and is currently managed by the Kempinski Group.
The costs to build the hotel were 1.9 billion GBP or 11.02 billion AED. The Emirates Palace occupies 850,000m² of floor space. Underground parking allows housing for 2,500 vehicles. There are two swimming pools and spas. The hotel has its own marina and helipad. The Emirates Palace is the second most expensive hotel ever built, only surpassed by Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
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| Emirates Palace – United Arab Emirates |
Exterior
Emirates Palace, located on 1.3 km of private white sandy beach and surrounded by 85 hectares of beautifully landscaped gardens,with a114 domesthat are 80 meters high. It is only 30 min drive from Abu Dhabi airport and 1.5 hours drive from Dubai airport.
Interior
Many of the suites offered are furnished in gold and marble. The main central area houses an expansive marble floor, balconies and a large patterned dome above, picked out in gold. The topmost floor has six Rulers' Suites which are reserved solely for Emirati royalty and dignitaries. The hotel also contains a large conference centre. In December 2010, it boasted the world's most expensive Christmas tree, valued at over 11 million dollars.
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| Emirates Palace – United Arab Emirates |
Rooms and Prices
Overall, the hotel has 302 rooms and 92 suites. But, the hotel has 16 Palace Suites on the sixth and seventh floors. 22 three-bedroom suites are reserved for hosting Heads of State or Government, recently for example, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Angela Merkel. The cost of staying begins at $400 per night for the Coral Room (floor space of 592 square feet) in the low season; and The Palace Grand Suite (7319 square feet) is the most expensive at $11,500 per night.
Facilities
Set in over 100 hectares of landscaped gardens, Emirates Palace offers 1.3km of exclusive beach, two swimming pools, one designed for adventure and one for relaxation, tennis courts, cricket, a rugby pitch and soccer facilities, fitness suites and a spa, besides water sports.
Facts and Figures
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| Emirates Palace – United Arab Emirates |
- It approximately costed 3 billion USD to build the property in 3 years with 20,000 workers, designed by Wimberley Allison Tong & Goo of the United Kingdom
- 1 km from wing to wing, 100 hectares total area.
- 1.3 km private beach.
- 394 rooms and suites, ranging from 55 sqm to 680 sqm.
- 40 meeting and conference rooms.
- Ballroom with a guest capacity of 2400 theatre style.
- Auditorium with seated guest capacity of 1100.
- 619 plasma and LCD screens in guest rooms and meeting rooms.
- 5 kg of pure edible gold is used per year for decoration mainly on deserts.
- 128 kitchens and pantries.
- 200 tonnes of oranges squeezed for fresh juice every year.
- 6.4 km jogging trail.
- 114 domes, with the Central Dome at a height of 72.6 metres above ground.
- 8 escalators and 102 elevators, with a maximum capacity up to 55 persons per elevator.
- Marble imported from 13 countries across the world.
- 12 external fountains and 8 indoor water features.
- 1002 chandeliers, the largest weighing 2.5 tonnes.
- 8000 trees set in landscaped gardens.
- 2 wall display carpets, handmade in Thailand, weighing 1 tonne each.
- 818 parking spaces.
- Daily laundry capacity of 6 tonnes.
- 1200 employees from 58 different countries.
- Emirates Palace offers the world’s most expensive one million dollar tailor made suite holiday.
2. Burj al-Arab - Dubai
Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برجالعرب,Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. Sometimes described as "the world's only seven-Star hotel", its star rating has been often debated.
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| Burj al-Arab - Dubai |
Site
The beachfront area where Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach. The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land 280 meters offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tankers on the site.
The old name persisted after the old Hotel was demolished in 1997. Dubai Chicago Beach Hotel remained as the Public Project Name for the construction phase of Burj Al Arab Hotel until Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new name.
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| Burj al-Arab - Dubai |
Design and construction
Burj Al Arab was designed by British architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory also of WS Atkins. Construction of the Island began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright said "The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, London with Big Ben, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country."
The architect and engineering consultant for the project was Atkins. Fletcher Construction from New Zealand was the lead joint venture partner in the initial stages of pre-construction and construction. The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts& Al Habtoor Engineering.
The building opened in December 1999.
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| Burj al-Arab - Dubai |
Features
Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-meter (130 ft) long concrete piles into the sand.
Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took fewer than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 cu yd) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.
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| Burj al-Arab - Dubai |
Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.
Burj Al Arab is the world's second tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use). The structure of the Rose Rayhaan, also in Dubai , is 11 m (36 ft) taller than Burj Al Arab.
Rooms and suites
The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. Despite its size, Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m2 (8,400 sq ft).
Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great influence.Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns.
Prices of rooms vary from approximately $1,000 to $27,000 per night.
3. Swisshorn Gold Palace Hotel– Hong Kong
The size of Swisshorn Gold Palace Hotel is a project of Mr.Lam company and collaborating with several other companies to create a full suite of 7000 square meters to show off their skills and promote tourism in Hong Kong. The size of Swisshorn Gold Palace Hotel in Hong Kong is approximately 650 meters square, is made by jewelry manufacturers Lam Sai Wing. Mr. Lam decided to create a super-luxury hotels and expensive because of the desire of King Han who want to build a palace and awarded to his wife.
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| Swisshorn Gold Palace Hotel - Hong Kong |
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| Swisshorn Gold Palace Hotel - Hong Kong |
Every piece of furniture in the palace, including a sofa and king size bed made of pure gold. Even the bathroom, and closet. It is very amazing and luxurious interiors, i never see like this before. Like in the world of heaven, like in a dream world.
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| Swisshorn Gold Palace Hotel - Hong Kong |
4. Longxi International Hotel – China’s skyscrape
The Longxi International Hotel is 328 metres (1,082-feet) high and cost $470 million to build, an official in Huaxi told AFP. China is already home to 10 other tall buildings including the Shanghai World Financial Center, the third highest in the world, though they all sit in major cities across the country. Huaxi, is still classed as a village in east China’s Jiangsu province despite having expanded significantly over the years, engulfing nearby villages and its population growing to 50,000 from 1,600 in the 1960s.
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| Longxi International Hotel - China |
200 village households are shareholders in the 74-storey, five-star hotel, each providing 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in capital for the project.
The hotel is expected to accommodate businessmen engaging in the village’s vast industries, officials coming to study the Huaxi model, as well as flocks of tourists visiting the region.
The tower will offer its guests a revolving restaurant, a rooftop swimming pool, mall, theatre, spa and an ox made of a ton of gold on the 60th floor.
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| Longxi International Hotel - China |
The hotel is expected to accommodate businessmen engaging in the village’s vast industries, officials coming to study the Huaxi model, as well as flocks of tourists visiting the region.
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| Longxi International Hotel - China |
The tower will offer its guests a revolving restaurant, a rooftop swimming pool, mall, theatre, spa and an ox made of a ton of gold on the 60th floor.
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| Longxi International Hotel - China |
5. Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel - Vietnam
Located on Tran Duy Hung Street, adjacent to the National Convention Center, Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel is in the heart of the new administration, business and up-scale residential area of Hanoi. With 618 luxurious guestrooms and suites, a variety of restaurants, bars & lounges, excellent conference and banquet facilities as well as an impressive fitness & spa center, we offer every comfort for the discerning business or leisure traveler.
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| Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel - Vietnam |
Accommodation
Grand Plaza has 618 guestrooms and suites which are designed to give you the best quality, comfort and refinement. Comfortable rooms and the customer-oriented service will make you feel like at home on your business trips.
All our rooms have city view and feature the following amenities: large working desk with executive chair, telephone with IDD line, broadband Internet, additional telephone connection line, power point for computer, voice mail, alarm clock, TV with satellite, well-stocked mini bar, complimentary coffee/tea making facilities, safety box, shaving adapter, hair-dryer, bathrobe, slippers and key card door locking system.
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| Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel - Vietnam |
All our rooms have city view and feature the following amenities: large working desk with executive chair, telephone with IDD line, broadband Internet, additional telephone connection line, power point for computer, voice mail, alarm clock, TV with satellite, well-stocked mini bar, complimentary coffee/tea making facilities, safety box, shaving adapter, hair-dryer, bathrobe, slippers and key card door locking system.
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| Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel - Vietnam |
Restaurants & bars
Grand Plaza Hanoi serves an array of authentic cuisine in a range of stylish restaurants. Enjoy oriental delicacies at Asia Restaurant with Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai food or taste different Korean and Japanese specialties at Koni Restaurant. Otherwise you could choose healthy food at our Le Jardin Buffet Restaurant. Phoenix Lobby Lounge is the perfect venue for charging up or winding down with an afternoon tea, evening cocktail and live entertainment.
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| Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel - Vietnam |
(Wiki, The Rich Traveller)