The Covid-19 pandemic sent many of us working from our regular deskspace in an office back into our own homes, which has had its pluses and minuses. The commute is much easier, but the lack of a demarcation between home and office can lead to a sense that you're always on call and can sap creativity.
The pleasure of travelling on business is also likely to be off the cards for most of us for some time, but the reopening of hotels in the UAE at least offers the chance for a change of scenery – and a new background for those endless Zoom meetings.
Take Melia Desert Palm Dubai, for example. Few addresses in a city where most acreage is considered prime offer a vast, uncluttered lawn as the backdrop to a working day.
True, a polo-orientated resort is not ordinarily where you might think to base executives or stage an office pow wow, but in these unusual times the ability to host meetings and events on a pampered polo field is a socially-distanced selling point.
Despite a rural setting that includes 300-year-old olive trees, the location – beyond Dragon Mart on Al Awir Road – is close enough to the city to be convenient but far enough away to feel tranquil. Nearby main routes feed into DIFC and other business districts, and, of course, the Expo 2020 site, about 30 minutes drive.
The 160-acre estate, tucked away down a tree-lined private road, rightly invites the “hidden gem” label.
“Almost every day I meet someone who has never been to Melia Desert Palm Dubai, or Desert Palm Estate,” says general manager Nathalie Cockayne.
“They are always blown away by the beauty and tranquility of the location - far enough away to feel like you’ve left the hustle of Dubai behind, but effectively only 20 minutes from Dubai Mall.”
While certainly not a typical business pit-stop, proximity to Academic City, Dubai Design District and Dubai International Airport delivers education, fashion and aviation business.
Prior to the pandemic, the hotel had seen an increase in the ‘bleisure’ market, with international visitors combining a couple of days' work with a weekend of rest and recuperation, Ms Cockayne said.
“Plus, as we offer a good variety of meeting rooms, we see a positive trend of MICE business for small to medium size groups.”
The rural demeanour of the estate lends itself to corporates seeking recreational balance with their work, or events with families, especially during cooler months.
“We have a strong connection to government entities due to our location, close to various head offices for Dubai,” she adds.
For corporate road warriors, Melia Desert Palm presents a refreshing alternative to most branded properties.
Spacious rooms deliver a calming environment in which to work; such as the desk in our Polo Suite, enjoying natural light from huge windows overlooking the championship field and a panel of USB and other data sockets accessing virtual views.
Alternatively, you can set-up office on a sofa by the window or in fresh air at a patio table.
An LG widescreen TV and guest devices are supported by a Bose sound system and there’s refreshment via a mini bar and hot drinks-making area.
The suite (Dh1,062, based on a July 24 stay with breakfast) is essentially open plan but astutely organised so wardrobes shield a bathroom of modern fixtures, including standalone tub, two sinks and frosted glass rain shower and toilet.
It’s a short walk to a long exercise-conducive pool, flanked by loungers and outdoor seating for Epicure, a brasserie-style restaurant where a la carte breakfast is served, while gourmet sandwiches and wood-fired pizzas are among daytime and evening sustenance.
Steaks are the main calling, but not the limitation, of the open kitchen at signature restaurant Rare. Seafood is also a speciality.
Seating is inside or al fresco on an extensive terrace overlooking the polo field and the area is shared with RED bar, a venue with a casual dining menu and more of the polo memorabilia that decorates public areas.
For meetings, Melia’s Polo Rooms cater up to 300 guests – think formal receptions, product launches, corporate entertaining.
Equipment includes state-of-the-art audio-visual technology, such as ceiling-mounted LCD projectors and screens and nippy complimentary Wi-Fi. The larger space divides into five meeting rooms for lower key conferencing or there are several other spots for informal gatherings by arrangement, such as The Green Veranda, The Waterfall, The Orchard, The Argentinian Table or The Arabesque. Upping the scale, silver service galas can also be catered, for example company awards nights.
The hotel has a Style & Co men’s salon, while all can spend downtime in the Samana Spa or spacious Stables Fitness Centre, home to ample aerobic and resistance equipment.
Ultimately, though, Melia Desert Palm Dubai wins the most points for its stunning location.
“Being surrounded by greenery, without a crane in sight, is a unique experience for UAE nationals and expats,” Ms Cockayne adds.
The writer was a guest of the hotel
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPOPC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAmna%20Aijaz%2C%20Haroon%20Tahir%20and%20Arafat%20Ali%20Khan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eart%20and%20e-commerce%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%20u%3C%2Fstrong%3Endisclosed%20amount%20raised%20through%20Waverider%20Entertainment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Disturbing%20facts%20and%20figures
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
The%20Beekeeper
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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