Al Habtoor Group Chairman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor officially inaugurated the Al Habtoor City Hotel Collection at VIP event taking guests on a journey to all three hotels within the collection and sampling the taste of things to come with a special performance by some of the cast of La Perle by Dragone. Joanna Andrews takes Al Shindagah readers on the same journey.
It was the evening of Wednesday 6 December 2016. Nearly 600 VIP guests gathered in the spectacular landscaped Versailles-style gardens of The St. Regis Dubai. Chairman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor welcomed guests from all over the world to join the celebration to mark the official opening of Al Habtoor City’s three unique hotels in one stellar location (The St. Regis Dubai, The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City and W HOTEL COLLECTION LAUNCHES IN STYLE Dubai – Al Habtoor City). The sound of traditional UAE ayala could be heard as guests got the opportunity to sample their first taste of the Hotel Collection, and experience the bespoke service of The St. Regis.
The Chairman gave a heartfelt speech telling the audience about how his vision for Al Habtoor City came about. “This ground was where the Metropolitan Hotel once stood, one of the first hotels in Dubai.
I had to make a decision. Did I want to stand still or grow with my country under the leadership of His Highness the late Sheikh Rashid and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum?
“I decided to grow with my country,” he said, “and build the biggest project of its kind. There is nothing in the world like Al Habtoor City, with three luxury hotels, three sky-rise residential towers and a state-of-the art aqua theatre.”
Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director, Middle East & Africa, for Marriott International, Inc. added, “We at Marriott International are committed to supporting the vision of Dubai… We see great potential in the future of this destination and continue to support the efforts of Dubai Tourism while remaining focused on creating memorable experiences for visitors across Marriott's brands.”
Following the speeches, guests representing the who’s who of Dubai society and beyond were taken to The Al Joud Ballroom in The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City where they were treated to a three course meal.
Each dish was designed around the three distinct properties. A live Jazz band entertained the guests through the first courses taking them back to the sound of the New York Gilded Age, while the dessert took things up tempo to the beats of the W’s music curator.
Guests were wowed with a special performance by some of the cast of La Perle who performed for the first time in front of an audience at Al Habtoor City. The region’s first resident show by Dragone will be based at Al Habtoor City from mid next year in a state-of-the-art aquatheatre.
The evening ended in an elevated position, 30 f loors above Sheikh Zayed Road at the W Lounge where the DJ laid down some upbeat tracks as guests looked out over The Dubai Water Canal to the Arabian Gulf. It marked a memorable event in a new landmark destination.