Let us introduce you the
emblematic luxurious and iconic Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
We had the pleasure to visit this amazing and fabulous
hotel on March 12th. We have been warmly welcomed by Nadia Nasri, Senior Sales
Manager and Mr Grégoire Sourice, Sales Manager of the palace.
For the brief presentation, the Palace opened its doors for the first time on November 2005. Construction of the
Emirates Palace began in December 2001. Over 250,000m³ of concrete was used,
and it took a work force of approximately 20,000 people to complete all phases
of the construction.
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| Main entrance of the Palace |
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| Welcoming Fountains |
Emirates Palace has been Built as a
landmark showcasing Arabian culture. The hotel is operated by the Kempinski Hotel Group and owned by the
government of Abu Dhabi.
Indeed, The Emirates Palace is also the official guest
palace of the government of Abu Dhabi, with 22 three-bedroom suites capable of
hosting as many heads of state and their entourages. We had the pleasure to visit
one of these suits, and there is no word to describe it except that it was
breathtaking and absolutely huge. Nadia explained us that François Hollande and
Nicolas Sarkozy have already stayed in one of these suites. They have been
invited by the Emirates Government for some events and meetings. Grégoire explained
us that the Palace has its own Security Staff but when presidential delegation
arrive at the hotel, they also have their staff. For exemple, there are
different way to arrive at the Emirates Palace because there are different
private access (by the sea with the Marina or by air because there are 2
helipads). Discretion is the watchword !
The staff is accustomed to welcome international
presidential delegations, so they are trained to answer any guests’ requests. Both
Sales Manager insist that Quality of Service in this hotel exceed guests’
expectations, they are going beyond 5 stars.
Even if they are part of an international hotel group, they are quite
unique as they are the flagship of Kempinski. For example, all emails address
of the hotels’ group are : …..@kempinski.com and Emirates Palace has its own
signature …@emiratespalace.ae. Also like it is a governmental hotel, the
office’s owner is in the hotel and even if he’s not part of Kempinski staff, he
sometimes supervises the hotel activity when there are official events.
Figures and features :
Emirates Palace employs approximately 1500 staff, representing about 56
nationalities, with an average of 3.8 staff members for every guest.
The Emirates Palace hotel is set in a beautiful park with palms and
fountains. There is a 1.3km private beach attached to the hotel.
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| Amazing Atrium of the Emirates Palace |
The building is 1km in length and figures about it are staggering .
- 114 domes, of which the Grand Atrium is higher than the dome of St Peter's Basilica in Rome :
- the Emirates Palace
Archway, which is covered in Italian stone and bigger than the Arc de
Triomphe in Paris and houses a museum
- 1,002 Swarovski crystal
chandeliers
- over one million square
feet of marble,
- 200 fountains amid 600
acres of exotic park grounds, home to over 8,000 trees, and the hotel’s
private heliport
- 128
kitchens and pantries and 140 elevators
- Some 20 000 roses
are used every day between rooms (even if they are not booked), public
areas and private spaces
We didn’t get information about
occupancy and average rate except that during summer (July and August), which
means low season because of the high temperatures, The hotel has 302 rooms and
92 suites divided into two wings and a main central building. Many of the
suites are adorned with gold leaf and furnished in marble.
The hotel also contains a large
conference centre with an auditorium capacity of 1100, in addition to over 40
meeting rooms and six large terraces.
This level of comfort is matched by the high standard of service, for
example, the 24-hour butler service.
Grégoire informed us that “Emirates Palace is the
landmark of the city, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This is not only an
hotel, this is an experience”. Lot of tourists who are coming in Abu Dhabi,
want to visit the iconic palace. The palace is present everywhere in touristic
guides. So if you want to come to visit the Palace, just be aware that you will
only have access to the lobby and some exhibitions as the gardens, private
beach and the rooms are reserved for hotel guests only.
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| Overview of our visit |
If you want more
information about Emirates Palace, see more at : www.emiratespalace.ae
This article was written by Aurélie Guyader, Alice Ardisson, Lorine Myard and Fabrice Passebosc
