Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi

This article is about the 5-star hotel located in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. For the presidential palace of the United Arab Emirates, see Qasr Al Watan.

24°27′43″N 54°19′0″E / 24.46194°N 54.31667°E / 24.46194; 54.31667

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi
قصر الإمارات
Emirates Palace as seen from Etihad Towers
Map
General information
LocationRas Al Akhdar, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
OpeningFebruary 2005
Cost$3 billion[1]
OwnerThe Government of Abu Dhabi
ManagementMandarin Oriental
Design and construction
Architect(s)Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo
Other information
Number of rooms394
Website
https://www.mandarinoriental.com/abu-dhabi/emirates-palace/luxury-hotel

The Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi[2] (Arabic: قصر الإمارات) is a luxury five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It has been operated by Mandarin Oriental as of 1 January 2020. The hotel project was launched in December 2001[3] and was initially operated by Kempinski from its opening in November 2005 until 1 January 2020.[4]

Due to the change in management, the Palace was renovated over the course of two years.[5][when?]

Construction

The building was designed by WATG Architects. The design of the hotel is a mix of Islamic architectural elements such as balance, geometry, proportion, rhythm and hierarchical emphasis alongside modern methods of design and construction. The central dome features elaborate geometrical patterns and 114 smaller domes are spread over the building. The colour of the building was inspired by different shades of sand found in the Arabian Desert. Construction, carried out by Belgian company BESIX, started in December 2001.[6] The interior fit-out works were delivered by Depa Interiors, Abu Dhabi with the hotel opening its gates in February 2005. The construction costs were around US$3 billion (11.02 billion dirhams) making it the third most expensive hotel ever built, surpassed by the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas ($3.9 billion) and the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore ($5.5 billion).[7]

Rooms and facilities

Emirates Palace consists of 390 residences, including 92 suites and 22 residential suites.[8] The residences are spread over two wings as well as a primary central building. The majority of the suites are furnished in gold and marble. The main primary building houses an expensive marble floor and a large patterned dome above, picked out in gold. The penthouse floor has six Rulers' Suites which are reserved exclusively for dignitaries, such as royalty.[9]

The facilities include 2 spa facilities, over 40 meeting rooms, a 1.3 km long beach, a marina, 2 helicopter landing pads, a ballroom that accommodates up to 2500 people, various luxury shops and international restaurants.[8]

Events

Christina Aguilera performed at the venue during her Back To Basics Tour on 24 October 2008. The show had an audience of 20,000 people, attracting great media attention to the hotel. The hotel also appears in the film Fast and Furious 7, which was released in 2015.[10] Shots of the hotel were also used in the 2007 film The Kingdom.[11] Justin Timberlake has been at this location for a tour on 6 December 2007 for a concert.[12] The Emirates Palace also appears in the 2019 film 6 Underground along with other iconic sites around the city.

On 30 January 2011, English Rugby Union side London Wasps played their 2010–11 LV Cup round 3 matches against London rivals Harlequins in a purpose-built stadium in the palace grounds. This was the first English domestic match to take place abroad.[13]

Emirates Palace is set to host the final leg of the 2024 Longines Global Champions Tour, a prestige showjumping series, for the first time.

  • Dome above the lobby area
    Dome above the lobby area
  • Restaurants and main lounge
    Restaurants and main lounge
  • Outdoor swimmingpool of Emirate Palace Hotel
    Outdoor swimmingpool of Emirate Palace Hotel

References

  1. ^ "Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates". Hotel Management Network. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace Hotel gets new name 18 years after opening".
  3. ^ "Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi - Hotelmanagement". Hotelmanagement. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Emirates Palace – Al Hashimya". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Mandarin Oriental to Manage Luxury Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi". Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Belgium's Besix to build Emirates Cement plant infrastructure". wam. 16 September 2005. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  7. ^ s"The 10 most expensive buildings in the world | Top 10 | Construction Global". 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Emirates Palace – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates". Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi". Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
  10. ^ "Abu Dhabi is buzzing with Fast & Furious 7 filming rumours - The National". Archived from the original on 22 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Feeling the heat - The Boston Globe". archive.boston.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  12. ^ Natalie Long (7 December 2007). "Timberlake rocks the crowd in Abu Dhabi". GulfNews. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  13. ^ "London Wasps take match with Harlequins to Abu Dhabi". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
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