Gyms, spas and complementary wellness services have increasingly become crucial additions to any hotel experience, but they still mostly remain optional add-ons.
Siro One Za'abeel, a soon-to-open hotel in Dubai, is challenging this ethos by putting fitness front and centre in its five-star offerings. Out with the generic fitness clubs and in with specialised holistic amenities.
Hotel operator Kerzner International – owner of Atlantis and One&Only – is the brains behind this new property, which is set to have a two-phase opening. From next Thursday, guests and members will be able to access the dedicated fitness and recovery floors, while rooms will be available to book from February 12, starting at Dh900 per night. Although we were told these will go up to Dh3,500 during peak season.
The hotel occupies seven floors of the newly opened One Za'abeel dual towers – from level 30 to 37 – with access available via the tower's main lobby.
As soon as you exit the lift, you know you've entered a world of its own. There is no intimidating reception, only sporty front-of-house staff armed with iPads to check guests in should they need assistance. Otherwise, room check-ins can be carried out through the Siro mobile app, which serves as an all-in-one platform for other hotel features, such as meal plans and group classes.
The concept is based on five “biohacking pillars”, hotel manager Desmond Cawley tells The National during an early tour of the venue. These are fitness, nutrition, sleep, recovery and mindfulness.
The fitness and recovery floors
Guests first arrive on the fitness floor, which spans a 900-square-metre area with purpose-built zones for training. One section has weights for resistance training, another has treadmills for cardio and there are studios for spin, Pilates, yoga and high-intensity interval training.
Hotel guests can access this area, but the fitness lab also allows non-guests to sign up for a typical membership package, with prices starting at Dh785 for a month or Dh7,095 for a year. Members also get other benefits such as discounts on room rates.
One level up is the recovery lab, which features several treatment rooms, offering myriad therapies that go beyond traditional spa services found in regular hotels. There is a cryotherapy (or cold therapy) room, a vibroacoustic therapy room and several others equipped with more generic recovery tools.
The therapies are individually priced, but there are also areas guests and members can access free of charge, such as steam and sauna rooms, as well as the plunge pool and relaxation zone, with massage chairs and a Himalayan salt wall.
The rooms
These also differ from regular hotels. Televisions are swapped with projectors that include in-house training content for those who want to try in-room guided workouts during their stay. The mattresses are thermo-regulated, and guests can also choose from an extensive pillow menu.
Each room has a recovery cupboard, with exercise balls, stretch bands, a meditation cushion and yoga mat. The mini bar is filled with healthy drinks and snacks, and the in-room dining menu includes macronutrient measurements. Guests can also ask for the staff to draw an ice bath for them, if they wish.
For those who want a more premium stay, the hotel has 12 bigger suites, six of which are fitted with fitness-focused amenities, while the other half are focused on recovery. The fitness suites, for example, have cardio equipment in the living area, while the recovery options include stretching accessories.
All suites have their own treatment areas for in-room therapies, which can be enjoyed while soaking in the world-famous Dubai skyline.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
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
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House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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
