Gulf News

Dubai: The humble elevator was the star of the show yesterday as Burj Khalifa opened to the public.

The trio will jet into town to promote their much-anticipated drama Agneepath, a remake of an Amitabh Bachchan classic. Apart from meeting their fans, the team will also address the press at Armani Hotel and attend an invites-only high tea. The film will release in the UAE on January 26.

"I have [seen] on TV the tallest building in Dubai, but nothing can describe the feeling when you [are] under the giant Burj Khalifa or when you see the whole of Dubai from the top," he added. "Dubai has many beautiful places and buildings, but Burj Khalifa was the one I wanted to see."

Dubai hotels and hotel apartments recorded Dh9.8 billion in revenue in the first half of 2012, marking a 22 per cent over the same period last year, according to the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). Guest numbers in the emirate’s hotels and hotel apartments, meanwhile, posted a 10 per cent increase to 5.027 million guests in the January-June period over the corresponding period a year earlier, the tourism body said in a statement on Monday.

Downtown Dubai is like a movie set. A luxury trolley bus slowly rolls along the Boulevard in Old Town, transporting you back in time. The architecture reflects the gypsum clay used in the early 20th century.

Thousands of people gathered last night at the Burj Plaza, with candle-lit lanterns, to celebrate Earth Hour with millions more people around the world. For 60 minutes from 8.30pm the lights at some of the biggest landmarks dimmed to black including the Burj Khalifa, to raise awareness on environment degradation caused by climate change.

After a few delays, designer Giorgio Armani formally opened the world’s first Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa on Tuesday and said his company would, in partnership with Dubai-based Emaar Properties, open 10 more such hotels over the next 10 years.

Dubai: At the stroke of midnight on Friday, some 500,000 spectators had gathered around the world's tallest standing structure, Burj Khalifa, to celebrate the new year with display of fireworks.

The second edition of the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Awards were held yesterday at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai. Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, handed out the awards to 18 sports personalities and institutions representing the UAE and the surrounding Arab region.

"If a one-bedroom property in Downtown (Burj Khalifa) costs Dh75,000 per annum or Dh6,250 per month, a monthly mortgage repayment costs less. The same property might cost Dh1 million to purchase and if 20 per cent of its value is paid as a deposit over a 25-year period with a mortgage rate of 5.5 per cent, the monthly repayments would be Dh4,900," he explained.