New Hotel Openings: The St. Regis Abu Dhabi

We at Five Star Alliance are all about the best and most luxurious hotels. We certainly keep up with the happenings in the luxury travel world and take pride in bringing our clients the latest luxury travel news. Keep up with our newest blog series where we’ll be featuring luxury hotels opening in 2012 to stay on top of the trends and make your reservations at the newest hotspots.

The St. Regis Abu Dhabi had originally set its opening date for today, January 29, 2013 but it looks like they’re pushing back the opening to April 15th. That’s quite a delay, and we certainly hope that the 283 guest rooms including 40 grand suites are nothing short of spectacular!

Explore the St. Regis Abu Dhabi here >>

The Top 30 Hotels in 2012: #28 Burj Al Arab

In the last month of 2012, Five Star Alliance is counting down the Top 30 Luxury Hotels and Resorts worldwide, as decided by you, our luxury travelers! Be sure to check in with us daily to keep up with our countdown and explore a few of the absolute best and most luxurious hotels in the world for your future travels!

Coming in the #28 spot is Burj Al Arab which is located on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach strip. Here are a few fun facts about this luxury hotel:

- Considered to be Dubai’s most recognizable landmark and stands 280 meters offshore on a man-made island, linked to the mainland by a slender, gently curving causeway.

- One of the most photographed structures in the world.

- Consistently voted the world’s most luxurious hotel.

- Designed to resemble a billowing sail, Burj Al Arab is an all-suite luxury hotel.

- Features a discreet check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers.

- Has a private beachfront and two indoor pools, one mixed and one for women only.

- Each room has private fax, printer and copier perfect for business travelers.

- Features special suites that are handicap accessible.

Explore photos, availability, and rates at the Burj Al Arab here >>

2 Bedroom Apartment Option in Dubai

We at Five Star Alliance work tirelessly to ensure we bring you the best luxury hotels selection and information regarding amenities, location, and highlights so you are confident that the hotel you choose will exceed your expectations and serve your needs. Sometimes, however, you are left with a few questions that go unanswered, and that’s why we’re here. Be sure to explore our new blog series ‘Your Questions Answered’ to find answers to real questions submitted to us by our clients regarding traveling with kids, pets, the best beach hotels, and much more.

Question: We are a family of 5 persons, 2 adults and three children, ages 3, 6, and 8. We would love to make a reservation at the Dar Al Masyaf in Dubai. We are traveling December 22nd – January 5th, 2013. Is it possible to book a 2 bedroom superior apartment?

Answer: Dar Al Masyaf does not have availability for your dates of travel, but Jumeirah Living World Trade Centre Residence does have 2 bedroom Duplex Club Apartment which includes Breakfast. The advance purchase rate for this option is 2805 AED per night, which is approximately $764 USD plus tax. Please be advised that this is a non-cancellable, non-changeable rate, and any changes or a cancellation would result in a 100% penalty of the full stay.

This hotel also has this same room option available for 3300 AED per night, which is approximately $899 USD plus tax. This rate has a cancellation policy which states you can cancel up until 2 days prior to arrival and be charged a 1 night penalty. If you cancel within 2 days of arrival, you would be charged 100% of the full stay as penalty. To clarify, cancelling this reservation would always result in at least a 1 night penalty fee.

To make a reservation for this room type, simply visit this website, enter your dates of travel, select the room type, and fill in the booking form. Please fill in the Special Request field stating that you'll be traveling with kids and provide their ages so the hotel can properly prepare for your arrival.

Please be advised that the rates, availability, as well as the extra person charges are subject to change depending on the hotel’s policies.

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Your Questions Answered: Best Room Type for 3 Adults Traveling to Dubai

We at Five Star Alliance work tirelessly to ensure we bring you the best luxury hotels selection and information regarding amenities, location, and highlights so you are confident that the hotel you choose will exceed your expectations and serve your needs. Sometimes, however, you are left with a few questions that go unanswered, and that’s why we’re here. Be sure to explore our new blog series ‘Your Questions Answered’ to find answers to real questions submitted to us by our clients regarding traveling with kids, pets, the best beach hotels, and much more.

Question: We are traveling to Dubai and hoping to stay at Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeriah. There will be 3 adults; what room type can accommodate all of us?

Answer: The Arabian Executive room at Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeriah would be able to accommodate 3 adults, and the rate of this room currently is 4500 AED plus 1300 AED in extra person charges, so 5800 AED per night plus tax. This room can either have 1 king bed and a rollaway bed added or 3 single beds. To make a reservation for this room type, simply visit this website, enter your dates of travel, select the room type, and fill in the booking form.

Please be advised that the rates, availability, as well as any extra person charges are subject to change depending on the hotel’s policies.

QE2 to Become Dubai’s First Floating Luxury Hotel

The Queen Elizabeth 2, an ocean liner previously operating as a cruise ship is in development to become Dubai’s first floating hotel. Although the design of the hotel will differ from its original plan, we certainly have high hopes that it will be nothing short of fabulous. The cruiser made its last trip from New York City to Dubai in 2008, and it has been docked in Port Rashid harbor since. The Telegraph reports that the original plan was to have the QE2 feature 1,000 lavish and luxurious rooms, but now the plan is to have 300 rooms which will maintain many of its original features. We certainly can’t wait to see this floating luxury hotel’s development as it progresses. If you get seasick or like a little more room for exploration, then check out the 61 luxury hotels that are fully grounded and stationary in Dubai!

Condé Nast Traveler Hot List 2012: Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Conde Nast Traveler, purveyor of fine hotel reviews and travel advice, has just released its 2012 edition of the Hot List, a list of hotels that are setting the hotel world aflame with fresh designs and new concepts, or maybe just a solid new look at classic luxury. 41 reporters embedded themselves anonymously in hotels across the globe to review their targets. What results is a list of 121 hotels around the world that are so on fire they should be put on your watch list, just in case they end up burning down.

 The Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is a 405-room beach hotel built to look like an imperial palace, and it's very much exactly what you imagine when you think of the opulent luxury of Dubai. In most other places, a luxury palace hotel would be converted from an old royal residence, but at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, it was built just to evoke that measure of royalty. It's covered in silks and gilted furnishings, and its marble tubs are the size of a room in some smaller hotels. It has spared no expense and very much wants you to know that. The Talise Ottoman Spa and numerous fine dining establishments ensure that you never have to leave the premises unless you'd like to. The Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is one of the first in a flurry of constructed resorts on its man-made island, and it's doing its best to establish itself as the favorite before the others encroach on its territory.

Condé Nast Traveler Hot List 2012: Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

Conde Nast Traveler, purveyor of fine hotel reviews and travel advice, has just released its 2012 edition of the Hot List, a list of hotels that are setting the hotel world aflame with fresh designs and new concepts, or maybe just a solid new look at classic luxury. 41 reporters embedded themselves anonymously in hotels across the globe to review their targets. What results is a list of 121 hotels around the world that are so on fire they should be put on your watch list, just in case they end up burning down.

When the entire administration of my alma mater left for Abu Dhabi, it engendered a bunch of jokes, including the seminal Miley Cyrus parody Party in the UAE (warning: you probably don't want to click on this link). Now I can say with a certain amount of authority that if anyone were having a hoedown in the sandiest of cities, they would be remiss if they didn't consider the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel for its venue. Quest, their signature Asian fusion restaurant is just about the hottest thing in town, and you'll know just from the first sip of your welcome drink that you've happened upon something special.  The hotel tower is paired with four others that make a brilliant complex that accents the city skyline quite impressively, and your views from any of the higher floors are impressive to say the least, whether they look upon the city or the Persian Gulf, which stretches out from the beach that flanks the hotel. The in-house Talise spa also features 13 treatment rooms and the latest in therapy. The Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel showcases the feats of modern architectural achievement, and its interior stands up to the lofty challenge of matching its first impression.

New Dubai Hotel Announced to be Under the Sea

Sebastian certainly sang it best, and we’re taking it from him that ‘under the sea, darling it’s better down where it’s wetter.’ It has been announced that an underwater hotel is to be built off the coast of Dubai. This extremely unique hotel concept has not yet been confirmed, but we’re crossing our fingers that it’ll get built. Designed by Deep Ocean Technology, the ‘Water Discus Hotel’ would have 2 discs comprising the main part of the hotel, and it would be connected by 3 vertical shafts and another shaft that would hold the elevator and stairs. One disc would rise above the water while the other would be fully submerged. The disc above water would have the lobby, restaurant, spa, and pools, and the disc below water would have 21 luxurious rooms and a bar. We’ll certainly keep you updated on any development on this new hotel concept, but in the meantime, be sure to check out the various 5 star properties located in Dubai!

Photo courtesy of HotelChatter

Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2012: Armani Hotel Dubai

We understand that no one aims to come in second place; there is no recognition for mediocrity. We at Five Star Alliance understand better than anyone the importance of offering the most luxurious resorts in the world, so we notice what’s going on in the industry, and it matters to us, because it matters to you. We work hard to offer you the best in the industry, and we’d like to welcome you to our second blog series where we feature the best and most luxurious resorts in the world. But don’t take our word for it. These resorts have been recognized as the best in the business and have made the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2012.

The Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2012 is the eighth of their annual lists, and the hotels chosen by their team of editors and experts are the best for service, food, location, rooms, leisure facilities, ambiance and design.

The Armani Hotel Dubai is featured on the Gold List 2012: Best for rooms. This luxury hotel soars high above downtown Dubai in the beautiful Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower. This is the first hotel designed and developed by Giorgio Armani, and it reflects the pure elegance, simplicity, and comfort that define Armani’s signature style. Every detail in the hotel’s 160 luxurious rooms bears the Armani signature, from the Italian-style hospitality to stone floors to the zebrawood panels. Every guest is appointed a Lifestyle Manager to guide him/her around the hotel’s impressive facilities including a nightclub, 7 restaurants, a spa, and several boutiques.

Check rates, availability, photos and more at the Armani Hotel Dubai here!

Dubai is Getting 3 New Hotels in 2017!

The luxury hotel market is going to get a makeover in Dubai, with a brand new W, Westin, and St. Regis coming in 2017. All three of these luxury hotels will be built in the same complex, a one million square foot property, with 1,675 rooms in total! Each of the hotels will share the same name, ‘Sheikh Zayed Road,’ and they will all have distinguished characteristics that represent their individual brand. The complex will also have an ‘entertainment theatre’ and a tranquil and beautiful 500,000 square foot landscaped garden. We will certainly be following the progress and further developments of these luxurious properties, but if you can’t wait until 2017, then be sure to check out the other phenomenal properties available in Dubai!

Photo of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai