Robbie Williams is planning to build a hotel where he will perform a regular residency, he has revealed, and he's hinted that it will be in Dubai.
The pop star, who has become a regular visitor to the city, said he is exploring the idea and is “really excited” about the prospect.
On the Robbie Williams Rewind podcast, he told hosts Lucy and Matt Champion that the hotel was part of his plans to “dream bigger”.
Williams was forced to cancel several Las Vegas performances during the pandemic, but when asked if he would be returning, he said: “I don’t think so.”
“But I am currently going to be building my own hotel, so I can do my own gigs in my own hotel,” he said.
When asked if that hotel would be “in Dubai by any chance”, he replied: “Yeah, maybe. Yeah.”
He added: “I am now taking the opportunity to dream big and see what that means and where that will take me. To put my foot down on the pedal of who and what I am.
The former Take That star said because of his name, he has access to people who will listen to and back his ideas.
“There’s loads of these things that are happening right now that are really taking my fancy,” he said. “The hotel idea is one of them and I will be very proud of it when it happens. I won’t say if, when it happens.”
In November, Williams hinted at his plans during an interview with The National’s Luxury magazine, saying he saw enormous potential in the city’s entertainment scene.
“I like Dubai. I want to do a lot of work there. I’m not famous in North America. I had a residency in Vegas but all of my fans had to fly in,” he said. “I see Dubai as Vegas, and I feel as though it can become something else, with all the best qualities of Vegas. I want to be an ambassador of entertainment to Dubai, because I can see what it is and what it can become.
“I see us building hotels and doing the interiors of those hotels. I’ve got big plans for this.
“My feeling for this is not monetary, although I will welcome anything we make from it. My feeling for this is: Where can we take it? How big can it be? It’s the satisfaction of doing something creative in the name of creativity. It’s unleashing the mind and seeing what is up there and what we, and I, are capable of.”
New paintings by Robbie Williams and Ed Godrich unveiled in Dubai — in pictures
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
MO
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Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Esperance de Tunis 0
Al Ain 3 (Ahmed 02’, El Shahat 17’, Al Ahbabi 60’)
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
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner: Arjan, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Jap Nazaa, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi.
6pm: Al Ruwais Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 1,200m
Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinal.
6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
