The Dubai Expat Diaries

The 4 star hotel, located in The Old Town, has been revealed to be the most popular in Dubai by TripAdvisor out of 370 hotels in the city.

It comes as a surprise with the number luxury hotels here.

For all the shopaholics eagerly waiting for this year’s DSF – here are the dates. It is going to run from 28 January to 28 February 2010.

The details of this year’s events and shopping offers will be listed here as soon as they are available.

Watch this space!

It seems the 5 – 15% services charges, that we are often hit with while eating out, is illegal after all. Only restaurants and cafes operating in hotels are allowed to add these charges to the bill. Which is good news for those of us who dine out frequently, as we get to decide how much we would like to tip, and who knows it may help improve the quality of service as well.

For more details, click here.

Dubai has been in the limelight ever since the highly anticipated opening of the world’s tallest tower was announced. The unveiling of the tower was watched and admired by thousands around the globe.

The height was revealed on a counter in the opening ceremony – 828 meters. By no means a small feat, especially for a small city like Dubai, it was a proud moment for citizens and expatriates alike.

Continue reading ‘Burj Dubai renamed Burj Khalifa’

Dubai is set to make history today, with the opening of its very own superscraper and the world’s tallest building Burj Dubai scheduled to open at 8pm.

Major General Mohammad Eid Al Mansouri, Director of the General Department of Protective Security and Emergency Department at Dubai Police told Gulf News: “His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum orders the opening of the gates for the public to the opening ceremony of Burj Dubai.”

London Business School, which set up it’s Dubai campus a couple of years ago at the DIFC continues to see strong growth and interest for its Dubai-London Executive MBA program. The only institution of its caliber to set up in Dubai, LBS has taken significant strides to ensure its Dubai campus are world-class and the learning experience parallels that in the London campus. The Dubai-London eMBA is now offered in two intakes every year – September (SEMBA) and January (JEMBA). Here’s a recent video from LBS about the Dubai-London Executive Masters program:

For more information and contact details, visit www.london.edu

There has been a shift in the marketing strategy used by hotels in the region, with more and more hotels turning to the popular social networking sites such as twitter and facebook to attract more guests.

According to a recent survey, a third of twitter users from the Middle East and North Africa region had purchased a product or service based on recommendations by fellow “tweeters”. This goes to the show the huge potential these sites have for hoteliers looking to promote a brand within a large segment of the population - that too for free.

To read more about this survey, click here.

Dubai’s favourite beach bar, Barasti (Le Meridien Mina Seyahi on Jumeirah Beach Dubai) has launched what it calls it’s “biggest promotion ever”. It certainly sounds like it! Check out the details from the official press release:

How to play – Barasti Big Deal

Barasti Big Deal is our biggest promotion ever! We’ve teamed up with Dubai’s favourite radio station – Dubai 92, African and Eastern and Time Out to bring you the ultimate game of chance.

Want to eat and drink at Barasti for free for a whole year? Here’s how you can get your hands on what will soon become one of Dubai’s most prized possessions – a Barasti Big Deal T-Shirt!

Have you got what it takes to be Mr or Mrs Barasti? With every bottle of Corona you buy at Barasti this October, you’ll receive a scratch card which entitles you to enter into a draw to win a ‘Barasti Big Deal T-Shirt’ and become 1 of 52 people that will be playing the biggest game of their lives! We’ll be picking a winner every day. Once you have won your T-Shirt you get to drink in Barasti for free for the duration of the promotion! The game is one of chance….where we play cards with you. From the 31st October to the 12th November we’ll be eliminating players from the pack – the longer you stay the greater the stakes. This is not just any game, this is a Big Deal!

So what are you waiting for? Buy a Corona at Barasti, listen to Catboy and Geordiebird on Dubai 92 every morning, buy Time Out Dubai or simply log onto www.barastibigdeal.com, do whatever it takes to enter!

Excited? We certainly are!

About Barasti Bar Dubai: Overlooking the Arabian Sea, Barasti at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina is an award winning vibrant beach venue full of excitement. With great music, a delectable menu and delicious cocktails – it’s no wonder Barasti has become an icon of the Dubai social scene.

If you’ve been dreaming of the perfect getaway this Summer and over Ramadan, you’ll be happy to learn that Starwood Hotels (approximately 140 participating properties) have just launched a limited time SALE, with extremely competitive prices at their luxury hotels and resorts in Europe, African and the Middle East. The offer is bookable until 25 August, for stays until 31 October 2009.

In Dubai, there are 9 hotels offering these great rates till 25^th August, with an additional property in Abu Dhabi and also the popular Le Meridien in Al Aqah, Fujairah. Popular beach holiday options in Dubai include the Mina Seyahi complex on Jumeirah Beach – Rates at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi start at AED 480+ (http://bit.ly/Z2fXV) and The Westin Dubai at AED 600+ (http://bit.ly/95WOl)

With the Dubai Metro set to start operating from September 9, Mall of the Emirates and Deira City Centre  have announced plans to introduce paid parking from September 10. As they are both located close to Metro stations, the mall management stated they intend to deter Metro commuters from using the mall parking facilities.

Continue reading ‘Popular Dubai Malls to Charge for Parking’