On each of the 20 tables in the lobby of the Yas Hotel, a single deep pink rose sits in a small, boat-shaped glass vase. Each is wrapped in a delicate piece of paper that matches the colour of the petals exactly, and tied by a dainty piece of wire. Each sits perfectly in its vase at exactly the same angle as the 19 others.
In the corner of the lobby, tall glass cylinders of gladioli, roses and Asiatic lilies in vivid pinks and purples create an eye-catching centrepiece on the white grand piano, while across the room, a row of six elegant white orchids leads the eye down the pristine white corridor to the lifts.
Admiring guests are having their photographs taken by the flamboyant display on the piano. Tamara Monaghan, the hotel's in-house floral designer, looks on. For her, this is job satisfaction. "I love it when I see people taking pleasure in what I make," she says. "It's the best part of the job."
Tamara, originally from Adelaide, Australia, has been working with flowers for 22 years (she began when she was 15), and has been with the hotel since it opened. Her job is to dress the lobby, walkways, six restaurants and numerous bars and lounges - in fact almost every corner of the vast hotel - in fresh floral arrangements.
Each display lasts just five or six days, ("You will never see a dead flower in this hotel," she promises), which means the pruning, primping and spraying is an almost ceaseless task. Yet there is nothing mass produced about her creations. Drawing inspiration from the hotel's remarkable architectural features and contemporary, minimalist interiors, Tamara says each design is unique, never the same as anything she has done previously or, she says, will replicate again.
Each display is also coordinated with its immediate environment (especially its backdrop), so the flowers can make the maximum visual impact and complement their surroundings. "You don't want to confuse the eye," she explains. "Often, a single flower can be more striking than something bigger."
She says the challenge of creating something from scratch, often with limited supplies and time (she sometimes is given just 48 hours notice to fill a room), is something she thrives on, that she would get bored making the same thing every day.
The limitation of flower varieties means that she relies heavily on decorative accessories such as coloured water, beads and pearls, and she gets inventive with greenery.
Another challenge of the job is obtaining a consistent, substantial supply of flowers, which come from Kenya, Ethiopia, Thailand or China, having first been sent to distribution companies in Holland. Not all of them survive the journey. "I can open up boxes of flowers and have to send them all back to my suppliers. Sometimes they're dead, or sometimes just the wrong colour completely. When I have a last-minute huge function to cater for, it can get stressful."
During the hot summer months, the varieties available to buy dwindles considerably. Tamara is usually left to work with orchids, roses and, surprisingly, carnations. Often regarded as the low-budget flower, they're actually very underrated, she says. "They are incredibly versatile and cheap to use, of course. There is an Australian variety called Moon series (in a light, dusky mauve), which I use a lot."
Can a flower go out of fashion? It seems so. "Phalaenopsis orchids are a little passé now. They're seen and used everywhere. Before that, it was roses." She adds that she cringes at the thought of the flowers she did for her own wedding 20 years ago. "There was a lot of ribbon," she grimaces. "I thought I knew everything about flower arranging, but after just two years of training you really don't."
As part of her daily tasks, Tamara, who has previously worked with Britain's top floral designer, Jane Packer, creates all the table decorations for the hotel's restaurants and private functions. Dressing a table, she explains, requires certain rules: don't make a display too high (so that it obscures the face of your guests) and consider any scent sensitivities. Lilies, for example, aren't liked by everyone, often because of the association their strong scent has with funerals. It's also better, she says, to stick to no more than three colours in a design. Any more and it could look too busy.
If you're looking to really impress your dinner guests, however, Tamara also makes arrangements to order. Call the hotel, give her a budget and she'll make something special just for you. It's a service also on offer to the hotel's guests.
After the success of a floral design class she held at the hotel earlier this year, Tamara is looking to offer classes regularly. The pleasures gleaned from being creative with flowers is something she is clearly passionate about, and eager to share. "When I'm feeling low, I make a bouquet and everything's all right with the world," she smiles.
After giving me a practical demonstration (she is an excellent teacher), she presents me with an armful of roses and orchids so I can make my own display. I do, and not only does it look great, but it's also far easier than anticipated. And, she's right: it's also very therapeutic.
To view more of Tamara's creations visit www.theyashotel.com/photo-gallery. To order a floral arrangement, call 02 656 0000 or email tmonaghan@theyashotel.com.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Match info:
Wolves 1
Boly (57')
Manchester City 1
Laporte (69')
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
RACE CARD
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Amith's selections:
5pm: AF Sail
5.30pm: Dahawi
6pm: Taajer
6.30pm: Pharitz Oubai
7pm: Winked
7.30pm: Shahm
8pm: Raniah
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
