Emirates Palace, located on the shores of the Arabian Gulf in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is a favorite destination for the wealthy around the world. The stunning location, impeccable architecture, lavish interiors and top-notch luxury services make this place truly a palace fit for royalty - as its name suggests.
Emirates Palace, owned by the government and royal family of the UAE, was designed by British architects and construction began in December 2001. The construction cost of approximately $3 billion makes it the third most expensive hotel ever built. It is only surpassed by The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas ($3.9 billion) and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore ($5.5 billion), but the lavish services of Emirates Palace are probably hard to match.
A masterpiece of the rich Middle Eastern land, the design of Emirates Palace is a perfect blend of Islamic architectural elements such as balance, geometry, proportion, rhythm and emphasis on hierarchy to create a unified whole. The large dome is inspired by intricate geometric patterns, which can also be seen in the 114 smaller domes spread throughout the building. The color of the building is intended to reflect the different shades of sand found in the Arabian desert.
Emirates Palace is 8 stories high, including 394 bedrooms of all types with a total floor area of approximately 850,000 m2(larger than the Queen's Buckingham Palace in London, only 77,000m2); from the 6th to the 8th floor alone is the resting and enjoying place of the UAE royal family members. Emirates Palace owns a beautiful green park with an area of up to 1,000 hectares, where 8,000 palm trees and many other species of trees are planted, and is decorated with more than 100 fountains of all shapes and sizes.
More specifically, the hotel has a private beach with fine white sand stretching up to 1.3 km; a 6.4 km long jogging track; 2 giant outdoor swimming pools; outdoor concert areas with a capacity of up to more than 20,000 people and an underground parking lot that can accommodate 2,500 cars of all kinds.
Speaking of the interior, Emirates Palace is a veritable world of gold and splendor, from the decorative chandeliers to the domes studded with gold and marble. Approximately 40 tons of gold were used to decorate some of the hotel's items. For example, the entire dome system of Emirates Palace (including the central dome that is about 72.6 meters above the ground and 114 smaller domes) is covered in gold. It is estimated that there are more than 6,000 m2Gold leaf is gilded on the objects in the hotel. Even more luxurious is the presence of 1,002 chandeliers made of extremely precious Swarovski crystals, with a total weight of 2.5 tons.
The bedrooms at Emirates Palace are a combination of Arabian architectural lines with the most modern facilities in the world. The walls are covered with extremely precious marble imported from 13 different countries around the world. The total area of marble in the hotel is up to 93,000 m2.
Another unique and outstanding feature here is the presence of a gold vending machine called Gold To Go, of course this unique ATM is also plated in gold.
Moreover, gold is also an indispensable ingredient in the culinary service of Emirates Palace. Every year, the hotel's restaurant system uses about 5 kg of crushed gold leaf (edible) to decorate desserts at the hotel's 12 restaurants.
The menu also includes super expensive dishes such as: Caviar harvested from Albino sturgeon in Iran - each kilogram of Caviar costs about 50,000 USD (equivalent to one billion VND), premium Kobe beef imported fresh from Japan, a bottle of cognac served here costs about 15,000 USD (equivalent to 300 million VND).
Since opening in November 2005, Emirates Palace Hotel has been operated by the world-renowned Kempinski group, but management has been transferred to Mandarin Oriental Group since 1 January 2020. As a result of this change, Emirates Palace will undergo a two-year renovation, including upgrading rooms and leisure facilities, as well as introducing new restaurants and bars. It will then be rebranded to become a Mandarin Oriental hotel. During the works, the hotel will remain open to guests.
