What The Address
Where Downtown Burj Dubai
Features 63 storey-high building featuring 196 hotel rooms and 626 serviced residences
Why Emaar’s venture into the hospitality business has come up trumps thanks to a great combination of location, benefits and services.
www.theaddress.com
“Where will you be staying during your visit with us, Mr. Shammas?” says the very polite Dubai International Airport customs official. “The Address,” I respond. “Just the name,” he retorts. “The Address,” I repeat. “Yes we need to record where you will be staying.” The rather proud Emirati man is now starting to lose his cool. “No, the name of the hotel I am staying at is The Address!”
It’s an unarguable fact that the naming of Emaar’s new five-star luxury hotel brand is more than a little confusing. As the company continues to expand people will get used to it. I hope so, because that’s exactly what they’re doing. Apart from the Downtown Burj Dubai complex, which received a 2009 Bespoke Ultimate commendation, Emaar’s new hotel and resort portfolio includes six other locations. There’s The Address Dubai Mall, The Palace – The Old Town, also in Dubai, The Montgomerie Dubai Golf Club, the Jnan Amar Polo Retreat in Morocco, The Address Domaine de Lavagnac in the South of France and the soon-to-open The Address Dubai Marina. Confusing, no?
At 306-metres in height, this, the original of Emaar’s Addresses, is an imposing 63-storey tower that works as both a hotel and a serviced-residential apartment tower. If you look at the opening shot in this article, you will see a section from the ground floor to the 13th, it’s lit with white lights – that’s the hotel. The rest of the tower, lit in blue lights, is dedicated to residential apartments.
There are a number of very stylishly furnished apartments available including studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms and four-bedrooms. Post-economic downturn, the studios start at around 90,000 AED (24,5000 USD) and the two bedrooms go for around 220,000 AED (60,000 USD) a year. Those prices include, electricity, water, television, Internet and housekeeping three times a week so, for Dubai, The Address offers great value for money.
I visited the hotel, and after having sampled just what this new brand is about, I must say I will be staying here whenever I come to Dubai, at least for the foreseeable future. The fact that The Address is located within the heart of the most prestigious square kilometre on the planet is a perfect start. In front of you is the world's tallest tower, Burj Dubai. To your right is the Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping and entertainment centre. And on your doorstep is the stunning Dubai Fountain, the world’s largest and tallest musical water fountain system. It’s a superb place to be because for the first time in Dubai, this is an area where you can actually get around on foot.
The Address can be defined as style and service. Thankfully they are keen to differentiate themselves with a lot of care and attention to the minute details. Upon arrival at the airport a chauffeur with a brand-new BMW 7-series will whisk you straight the hotel, just 15 minutes away. Once there the bellboy will greet you by name and lead you straight to you room as that’s where check-ins are processed – a lovely touch. The wireless Internet is complimentary, the televisions are huge flat-screen numbers and there’s even an iPod docking station in every room. Best of all, guests staying in the suites and executive rooms have the option of checking out whenever they want – up to 24 hours later thereby doing away with the traditional check-out time of 12 noon. I must say that from the moment the reservation is made till the time of check-out, each and every guest at The Address is met with exceptional customer service.
Stylistically, everything within Emaar’s Address project has been designed with a very contemporary philosophy. Both the hotel rooms as well as the serviced apartments are tastefully appointed. The mix of rough stonework, light marble, warm woods mashribiya latticework and smooth transparent glass create a pleasurable combination of texture and colour. I liked the overall design approach, it’s very much à la Setai, although it would have been even better had they not compromised the sophisticated minimalism with a few dubious “Arabian desert-inspired” textiles.
As with many hotels these days, The Address features a very proficient spa that uses award winning ESPA products. There are 11 treatment rooms of which six are for men and five for women. The treatments were excellent and the staff were clearly highly trained. There’s also a slew of restaurants and bars including Neos, the exclusive 63rd floor lounge from where you can enjoy some pretty inspiring panoramic views – it’s an ideal venue for impressing guests.
Overall, it has become very hard to pinpoint everything Emaar does, such is the size and scope of the Emirati company. With its two-pronged strategy of geographical expansion and business segmentation it has developed competencies in hospitality and leisure, malls, education, healthcare and financial services, which have all evolved from its integrated approach to customer service and property development. “We are really moving into the next stage of geographic expansion,” said Marc Dardenne, the chief executive of Emaar Hospitality, “This is a reiteration of our growth to own or operate at least 60 properties within the next 10 years.” The only thing that’s certain is that people will definitely have to come to terms with that name. The Address is coming.
