Emirates Palace…an International Icon in World of Hospitality

Emirate Palace Mandarin Oriental hotel in Abu Dhabi (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Emirate Palace Mandarin Oriental hotel in Abu Dhabi (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Emirates Palace…an International Icon in World of Hospitality

Emirate Palace Mandarin Oriental hotel in Abu Dhabi (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Emirate Palace Mandarin Oriental hotel in Abu Dhabi (Asharq Al-Awsat).

The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, officially named Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, is a landmark in the world of international extravagant hotels. Now, the palace is offering people the chance to visit and take a closer look at its breathtaking luxury.

 

In the lobby, you can spot Arab and foreign visitors queuing to enter the hotel through its massive doors accompanied by the receptionists who stand to warmly welcome the guests. The tour often starts at the grand dome known for its unique decoration inspired by the Islamic and Arabic civilization that reflect the history of the country and the region.

 

Executives at the Emirates Palace believe that “the hotel has become a world-known landmark in the UAE, and a site with a cultural and historic significance.”

 

The fancy and precise detail we see are indescribable; gold dominates everywhere inside the hotel. According to CNN, the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, valued at $3 billion, has witnessed the restoration of 2,000 square meters by a specialized team that painted the interior sides of the hotel with real silver and gold.

 

The latest developments promise a new phase of advanced services at the hotel, whose management has always been eager to maintain the legacy of the site and provide new hospitality experiences for guests including renovated rooms, new spa, and improved sport facilities.

 

The hotel is characterized with top-notch sustainable services and trends, and provides redesigned accommodations including the so-called “first vegan rooms” in the region with an eco-friendly design, sustainable beds, vegan menus, and cruelty-free bath products.

 

Located on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental boasts wide areas, expanded lobbies, and highly detailed and diverse decors that reflect an incomparable creativity completed with rare artifacts displayed in glass vitrines in the corners of the corridors.

 

The management of the hotel has been making major steps to ensure significant upgrades that lure more visitors, such as incorporating cafés and restaurants into the main lobby, and dedicating a special pavilion for high-profile gatherings so guests can take their favorite hot and cold beverages on comfortable tables and chairs in keeping with the hotel’s tone, in addition to exquisite food and drink menus.

 

The Mandarin Oriental also includes Michelin starred restaurants and international award-winning spas.

 



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.