The newly rebranded Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi is celebrating its official launch on Friday.
To mark its inclusion into the Mandarin Oriental portfolio, the property has undergone an extensive renovation that covers rooms and dining experiences. The hotel is also home to a new spa and sports facilities.
Mandarin Oriental took over operations of the hotel in January 2020 and had already put a renovation plan in place when Covid-19 occurred a couple of months later. It used the quiet period that came in the wake of the pandemic to put its stamp on the landmark Abu Dhabi property.
The aim, says general manager Michael Koth, was to make the hotel feel more relevant and accessible, while maintaining its grandeur.
“This is a palace and it is already so special. We are not chucking down the marble and the grandness of what we are. We are trying to amplify and change it slightly to create a more contemporary feel. Modernising it and getting it to a more discerning clientele and making it feel more relevant to today."
Part of the process has involved making the property feel more accessible, even though the product offering, service levels and room rates have all been elevated. “If I can use a term that might not exist, we’ve ‘resortified’ this hotel,” says Koth.
“The Emirates Palace is a landmark and it is unique in everything that we are — by dimensions, by costs, by resources. And for someone who comes here and has no real impression of what it is, hearing ‘palace’ might not necessarily put them at ease.
“So by resortification, I mean the choice of colours we went for, and our design brief to the architects and designers, was really: mellow it down. We’ve got enough opulence everywhere, but we want to make this wonderful gold look more contemporary and relevant.”
As part of its new look and feel, the property is offering dedicated vegan rooms. The six units, in the property’s West Wing, are entirely free from animal products, with wooden floors instead of wool-based carpets, faux leather furniture, feather-free duvets, plant-based amenities in the bathrooms, a vegan in-room dining menu and minibars that are stocked with almond and oat milk options, as well as a choice of kombuchas.
Scroll through the gallery for more pictures of the vegan rooms at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
"We wish to stimulate a wave of hospitality providers to continue doing what we do,” Koth says of the initiative. “That is the challenge to come. When veganism is helped by us to become more mainstream, and not tucked away into a small niche, that is the real deal for us.”
But while new rooms, restaurants and entertainment options will form an integral part of the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental as it enters a new era in its evolution, the biggest change that guests will encounter is not physical.
“The most important transformation is that we are bringing the people-centricity of Mandarin Oriental, and the heritage of our culture, which is deeply rooted in Hong Kong Chinese humility and behaviours and values. And that is a journey that cannot be achieved overnight. It took us three years.”
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More on Quran memorisation:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The five pillars of Islam
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
