ACCOMMODATION

On a bright autumn day in Milan last month, Giorgio Armani spent hours walking around a hotel, meticulously inspecting every last detail. The first Armani hotel opened last year in the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, in Dubai. But Mr Armani says he feels much more of an "emotional" connection with the Milan property.

Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building developed by Emaar Properties, is readying to welcome its first residents with the orientation programme for home-owners of Armani Residences, located on levels 9 to 16 of the tower, currently ongoing. The interiors of the world-class and first of its kind Armani Residences is in the final stages, and finishing work of The Residences in Burj Khalifa is progressing at a fast pace.

With a year that saw some hospitality heavyweights facing construction delays, tight financing and cancelled projects, 2010 is ushering in renewed hope to the industry. Burj Khalifa's Armani Hotel, which opens on March 18, is one of the many iconic hotel properties in the UAE that will stretch the vertical limits of the country, changing its landscape to embrace the hotels market with flair and investments.

It was the promise of goat on the menu that prompted my visit to Asado, the Argentinean steak restaurant at The Palace-The Old Town. We sat outside at a table facing the Burj Dubai lake, the Khalifa looming in the background and every so often, we saw the tail end of the Dubai fountain. Goat or no goat, first impressions were good.

Dubai Pearl is an integrated premium quality development featuring branded podium, tower residences, and branded hospitality, as well as retail, entertainment and office premises. The project is developed by Pearl Dubai LLC, a consortium of seasoned investors.

Could the dramatic events in the Middle East ultimately be a bonus to the luxury industry? For John Hooks, deputy chairman and director at Giorgio Armani, the Middle East is not new territory, with Dubai the home of the first Armani hotel and with the brand’s strong presence in the Gulf region. “Until the present disturbances, the three major factors that have determined the evolution of the market have been the price of oil, the generational change in the ruling class and the demographic explosion,”

A 11,355-square feet apartment in Burj Khalifa sold for Dh60 million, or Dh5,284 per square feet, in February, according to data provided by Reidin.com to Emirates 24|7.

As Van der Werf notes: “It’s beautiful to do the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa, which took a lot of effort, but we should never forget that we can serve our four-star hotels at least as well and as efficiently”.

Then we have opened an apartment hotel in Downtown Dubai opposite the Burj Khalifa, so that is the baby that I am trying to nourish now. We have also signed a contract in Saudi Arabia for 12 hotels to be built within the next five years.

After a year of its inaugural, the Burj Khalifa has made its name as one of Dubai's largest tourist attractions and has aided the nearby hotels to increase their business up to 35% over the last two years.