DUBAI // The Burj Al Arab is known the world over, but few will have seen the inside of its Royal Suite, 27 floors up.
At Dh80,000 a night, that’s understandable, but a new partnership between Google and the Jumeirah Group is offering a virtual tour of the seven-star hotel at the click of a button.
From lobby to helipad – and everywhere in between – guests and web users can take a 360-degree virtual tour around one of the jewels in the crown of Dubai.
And it is not just the views from the top that will amaze those visiting Jumeirah Inside. The opulent decor and attention to detail is enough to add the wow factor missing from most other run-of-the-mill hotel websites.
Clicking on hotspots unlocks facts about the hotel, while photographs and new footage are also available. Ross McAuley, vice president of brand, digital and loyalty at Jumeirah, said the new website was a first for the hospitality sector.
“Guests have been able to view video content of the hotel on YouTube, but not in an interactive way like this,” he said. “People can now take a virtual tour, walk through the lobby and look around. The hotel is an icon of Dubai and the experience can show the viewer every aspect.”
Jumeirah Inside has been developed in a partnership with creative designers at Google. The platform works across desktop, tablet and mobile devices, in five languages, offering a film-focused exploration of the world’s most luxurious hotel.
“We wanted to take people inside the hotel, to jump in the pool and visit the restaurants,” Mr McAuley said.
“We are confident this is the website of the future; it will be interesting to see how the guests react to it.”
Online visitors and guests can share their experience of the website on social media from any room in the hotel, although they are unable to comment on the website itself.
The website is brought to life by the 360-degree video, 3-D sound and playful interactions, but surfers can also complete the practical tasks you would expect of a hotel website, such as booking a room or making special requests ahead of a stay.
If this venture is successful, a similar platform could be rolled out to other hotels in the Jumeirah Group around the world.
Ali Hashmi, industry manager of emerging travel at Google, expected other hotel brands to follow suit and create their own virtual hotel tours to keep up with the top end of the market.
“A lot of different hotels are trying to do different things to attract new guests,” he said.
“This is a comprehensive answer as a 360 immersive experience, it is not a gimmick. Other hotels are likely to follow suit here but we believe this platform with the Burj Al Arab sets the standard.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if within eight months or so this kind of application will be replicated elsewhere. We will test this platform over the next few months and look to develop it further into phase two.”
To take a virtual tour of the hotel, click here.
nwebster@thenational.ae
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
