The National

The climber Alain Robert has scaled more than 120 buildings, most of them with only his bare hands. But a year after stating his ambition to climb the Burj Khalifa shortly after its opening, the "French Spider-Man" has yet to achieve his most coveted goal.

The company best known for developing the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, gained more than 9 per cent in the last three trading days of the week, closing at Dh2.68 per share yesterday. However, that is still about 50 per cent below the company's book value of Dh5.10.

A problem with being paid for work on the world tallest building is weighing on Depa's bottom line. Net profits will be "significantly impacted" due to the unresolved claim for the Burj Khalifa work, the Dubai interior contracting company announced yesterday.

"A fantastic and very rare opportunity in Dubai and in the world. This huge, four-bedroom apartment with stunning views over Dubai is located above the 100th floor. (Residential units in the Burj Khalifa are only up to the 108th floor.) "From all rooms of the apartment the owner enjoys views over the blue sea, the skyline of Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Creek, Zabeel Palace of Skeikh Mohammed, the Dubai Mall, Old Town with the fountain, the desert and Business Bay.

Dubai's Palm Jumeirah has two new luxury hotels with more to follow, just as strong signs of recovery in tourism begin to appear. A US$150 million (Dh50.9m) One&Only hotel, with room rates starting at an average Dh3,500 a night, opened on the palm-shaped cluster of man-made islands in November. This month, the Zabeel Saray hotel, managed by Jumeirah, opened its doors.

The recently-launched At.mosphere at the Burj Khalifa, the world's highest restaurant, located on the 122nd floor of the tower, which demands a minimum spend of Dh450 per person was fully booked for the night. "At.mosphere ... is fully booked for February 14 - for both lunch and dinner, at both The At.mosphere grill and The At.mosphere lounge," a spokesman for the restaurant said. "The regulations, announced much earlier, have not impacted bookings. In fact, the restaurant has received overwhelming response since its opening in January."

Mark Coady from Australia agrees. "Business Bay is 10 minutes to virtually all the places that one needs." Apart from the traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road, he says, the area is quiet. "All the buildings are big and new. The views of the Burj Khalifia are pretty great. There are not too many buildings blocking the views and there are plenty of wide-open spaces." The Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall are a 20-minute walk away. Al Manzil Hotel in Old Town houses the Hayya Gym, which allows non-members to attend classes.

The Burj Khalifa has unveiled two gold-dispensing ATMs, the first of several such machines that will begin selling gold bars in Dubai during the next few weeks. One of the ATMs is housed on the 124th floor of the building, the At The Top observation deck; the other is in the souvenir shop on the ground floor. Gold fans can purchase as little as 2.5 grams of the precious metal up to as much as 1 ounce.

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.

When the Burj Khalifa opened a year ago in a blizzard of lights and fireworks, it was hailed as the new champion among the world's tallest buildings. But the 828-metre tower is simply the latest leader in a never-ending quest to reach for the sky.