10 April 2008

Raffles Dubai hits all the right spots

DUBAI - Raffles Dubai is going from strength to strength following its opening last November.

The 19-storey, 248 rooms hotel - which marked Raffles Hotels & Resortsââ¬â¢ debut in the Middle East -features a striking pyramidal design inspired by ancient Egyptian architecture.

The hotelââ¬â¢s location at Wafi, in the heart of Dubai, has proved especially popular with guests.

Wafi offers the best the world and the region has to offer in art, food, fashion, entertainment and lifestyle.

Raffles Dubai is only 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport and a short drive to the business district.

Sheikh Mana bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai-based conglomerate MKM Commercial Holdings LLC, which owns Wafi, said, ââ¬ÅâœRaffles Dubai, being the first Raffles hotel in the United Arab Emirates, is an indication of Dubaiââ¬â¢s ability to attract global brand names and further enhances Dubaiââ¬â¢s reputation as one of the leading cities in the region.

ââ¬ÅâœIt is particularly fitting that the Raffles brand should be introduced to the Middle East by Wafi, a destination renowned within Dubai for innovation and creativity.ââ¬~

The hotelââ¬â¢s interiors draw design elements from both the Middle East and Asia. Columns intricately carved with Egyptian hieroglyphs decorate the hotelââ¬â¢s impressive lobby, continuing the ancient Egyptian theme that inspired the hotelââ¬â¢s pyramidal structure.

For meetings and conferences, 11 large meeting rooms with customisable capacity, a ballroom for 500 guests, and a state-of-the-art Business Centre are also featured in Raffles Dubai. E
ach meeting room enjoys natural daylight and offers access to the hotelââ¬â¢s library.

Last month, The Noble House at Raffles Hotel was named winner of Restaurant of the Year at the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2008.

ââ¬ËœAwarding Best Restaurant to a newcomer was always going to be controversial," said the Time Out judges.

"Time Out went back time and again to evaluate and re-evaluate just why an evening at Noble House is such a memorable event.

"It has something to do with the top-of-the-world setting ââ¬' the open kitchen and the sweeping views; something to do with the theatrical flourishes and attentive service; and a lot to do with the extraordinarily good Chinese food, which we believe is equal to anything produced elsewhere in Dubai."

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