Dubai Hotel Travel

Emirates Airline is offering First and Business Class passengers flying to or via Dubai special super value packages from 1st July to 31st August.

Under the promotion First Class Passengers receive two nights at The Palace – The Old Town or The Harbour Hotel and Residence. Business Class passengers receive one night’s stay at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel or The Harbour Hotel and Residence. In addition, passengers will receive US$100 credit per person at the hotel to be used towards food and beverage and/or spa facilities and a 96-hour visa. More Details »

The ABS consortium of Alstom, Besix and Sercoa has signed a contract with Dubai’s Road Transport Authority for the execution of phase 1 of the Al Safooh tram network in Dubai, with an option for phase 2. Phase 1 of the project is worth over €550 million, with Alstom’s share amounting to nearly €300 million.

The project, which should go into commercial service in 2011, will initially include the provision of 11 trams and the construction of a 10 km line with 13 stations. Phase 2 would involve another 14 trams as well as an additional 4 km of track and six stations. Dubai will be the first city in the Gulf region to be equipped with a tramway transit system.

Al Safooh tram stops will be fitted with specially designed automatic platform doors to enable street-level air-conditioning for maximum passenger comfort. This system is a world first for an outdoor tram station.

Alstom Transport will provide Citadis 402 type tramways equipped with the catenary-free APS technology, as well as the signalling and ticketing system. In operation in Bordeaux (France) since 2003, and ordered by the French cities of Reims, Angers and Orléans, the APS technology is a street level power supply system which allows to avoid traditional catenaries, in order to protect the integrity of historical city centres and high quality architectural environment. This cutting-edge technology fits with the modernity of the city of Dubai.

To date, over 1166 Citadis have been ordered by 29 cities across the world and more than 60 other cities have a tramway project scheduled for the next few years. This type of modern tramway is becoming popular in urban transport policy because they make it possible to offer sustainable mobility, to rethink and re-energize urban space, to preserve architectural heritage or fit with cutting edge architectural projects and contribute to city growth.

XJet World, an exclusive US-based private aviation service provider has signed a deal with Dubai World Central Aviation City, home to the largest maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre in the world, to set up a fixed base operations (FBO) facility for business and private aircraft.

With an initial investment of US$ 35 million, this will be XJet’s first such facility in the Middle East.

The 158,444 square feet facility will be located within Dubai World Central, the 140 square kilometre urban aviation project centred around the world’s largest international airport. More Details »

Emaar Education, the education subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, has confirmed that it will open its dedicated hospitality training school in Dubai this September. The Raffles Campus School of Hospitality will offer Hospitality Management programmes in collaboration with Australia’s Box Hill Institute, one of the premier multipurpose Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes in the world.

The school will be located at Umm Suqeim and will have a capacity of 1,500 students. Courses are offered on a full-time and part-time basis. Students will be required to undergo industrial attachments as an integral part of the course, which would offer opportunities for employment. The Raffles Campus School of Hospitality also offers customized courses to employees of organizations in the hospitality industry such as hotels, resorts, recreational clubs and food and beverages outlets. More Details »

Hertz UAE has expanded its network of car rental branches and marked 15 years in Dubai, with the opening of a new location in Dubai Festival City.

The new branch is located within the mall next to Japengo Café, Crab Tree & Evelyn and Hiedard Coffee Shop and is also close to the new InterContinental and Crowne Plaza hotels at Festival City.

Customers visiting the new branch can choose from the latest models of a wide range of vehicles from saloon cars to luxury cars and four wheel drives and to celebrate the opening of Hertz’s newest location, the company is offering a 10% discount on monthly rentals for a selected group of cars. This offer is available for a limited time for customer visiting the Dubai Festival City counter. More Details »

Malta-based CHI Hotels and Resorts (formerly Corinthia Hotels International) has signed a 10-year technical and hotel management agreement with Mainland Investment of Abu Dhabi, a wholly owned subsidiary of The National Investor. The agreement foresees the renovation, extension and operation of the current 120-room Mafraq Hotel in Abu Dhabi, to be re-launched as the 250-room Ramada Abu Dhabi Mafraq hotel in early 2010.

Designed in the Arabic style, the existing Mafraq hotel, with 120 rooms and suites, is located in the heart of a fast developing area in Mafraq, Abu Dhabi. The site is situated on the shoulder of a hill and commands a prominent position with sweeping views to the northeast.

Work on renovating the existing rooms and construction of a further 130 rooms will commence this year and is expected to finish by early 2010. When completed, the hotel will feature 250 superior rooms and suites, a multi-function conference area and business centre, an all-day diner and two speciality restaurants, an English style pub, an extensive fitness area containing separate male and female gymnasiums, saunas and steam rooms, two squash courts, tennis court, a pool area within landscaped gardens and a choice of boutiques. More Details »

As summer draws near, Air Miles, a leading multi-participant loyalty programme, is giving its cardholders in the Middle East a cool reason to go to shopping malls and brush off the heat with its ‘Double Air Miles’ rewards programme throughout June.

With more than 30 UAE-based brands participating in the initiative, cardholders can have a shopping spree with an opportunity to collect Double Air Miles every time they shop at participating partner outlets. More Details »

Dubai World Central – one of Dubai’s most strategically important infrastructure developments – has restructured its free zone to enhance the project’s operation as the new airport draws close to commencing its cargo operations.

Dubai Logistics City – a truly integrated multi-modal logistics proposition – and DWC Aviation City have been brought together within one free zone unit, creating a powerful logistics and aviation component to support the world’s largest airport – DWC-Al Maktoum International Airport. More Details »

Layia Hospitality, one of Dubai’s newest hotel management companies, is putting the finishing touches to its first hotel property, Layia Oak Hotel & Residence, ahead of its opening in Dubai this summer.

Located off Sheikh Zayed Road, between the stunning Mall of the Emirates and the Ibn Battuta Mall, the Layia Oak Hotel & Residence is 25 minutes away from the Dubai International Airport, 10 minutes away from the DIFC, the Exhibition and Convention centre, the Jebel Ali Free Zone World Central and the Emirates Golf Course. Media City, Internet City and Knowledge Village are on the opposite side of the property. More Details »

The Dubai Mall, the flagship project of Emaar Malls Group and one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations, is going to house the world’s largest indoor Gold Souk. A dazzling precinct with a collection of over 220 gold and jewellery retailers, including a selection of dedicated cafés and restaurants, the Gold Souk experience culminates at the treasury dome, a 25m x 13m atrium – a dynamic projection ceiling with ever-changing multimedia shows.

Designed by Northpoint architects, the Gold Souk recreates the traditional charm of an Arabian souk reflecting the rich regional heritage of the gold trade. Walking through its meandering corridors and themed courtyards, The Gold Souk reveals the journey of the travelling merchants crossing the desert expanse to trade gold and other commodities – the main north entrance begins the story with life-size bronze camel sculptures resting under a starry sky and an Arabian stallion in the south entrance. Accentuated with decorative gold and marble detailing, the Gold Souk’s traditional theme is a key attraction to The Dubai Mall. More Details »