Robbie Williams has said he sees enormous potential in Dubai's entertainment scene. PA
Robbie Williams has said he sees enormous potential in Dubai's entertainment scene. PA
Robbie Williams has said he sees enormous potential in Dubai's entertainment scene. PA
Robbie Williams has said he sees enormous potential in Dubai's entertainment scene. PA

Robbie Williams reveals plans for 'Vegas-style' hotel and residency in Dubai


Sophie Prideaux
  • English
  • Arabic

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

Types of fraud

Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

* Nada El Sawy

Company profile

Name: GiftBag.ae

Based: Dubai

Founded: 2011

Number of employees: 4

Sector: E-commerce

Funding: Self-funded to date

'The Lost Daughter'

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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Updated: January 05, 2023, 12:28 PM