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If first impressions matter, the doorman who greets guests at the Mandarin Oriental in the emirate of Abu Dhabi shines. At 7-foot-6, Abdul Jabbar is a striking figure, taller than anyone — including me, at 5-foot-10.
When Guinness World Records measured him in 2009, he was declared the third tallest man in the world, his first step into a place where size is everything, cost is no object and bling is king.
The hotel just threw a huge party to celebrate its transformation from Emirates Palace to Mandarin Oriental, and it didn’t stop there.
Completed in 2005, it occupies half the area of ​​Monaco and cost $3 billion, making it the third most expensive hotel building in the world.
The first impression is the Grand Bay Hotel, but it’s more than that. It sits on nearly a mile of private beach made of imported white sand (proof that you can actually sell sand to the Arabs), though the sea is barely populated and doesn’t feel like a beach resort.
Dangerous marine life signs with pictures of sea snakes and sharks aren’t particularly encouraging. No, the massive building is exactly what it says it is – a palace.
Further inside, the 240-foot-tall central dome is one of the largest interior spaces in the world. With selfie tourists squeaking excitedly around its polished stone floors, it’s less of a hospitality space and more like Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica suddenly embracing the hospitality industry.
There are also 113 domes with geometric patterns, 1,000 Swarovski crystal chandeliers, 200 fountains, 93,000 square meters of marble and 26,000 meters of 22-carat gold leaf. This is the only hotel with an in-house gold leaf specialist.
A kilometer wide and bigger than Buckingham Palace, it has 128 kitchens, a secret underground dual carriageway serving the motorway and golf carts bustling people around its perimeter.
At the rebranding party, Ruinart champagne flowed as if from a very unique hose that no one knew how to shut off, insisted a guest who also attended the 2005 opening, that all this “my Much bigger than your show, the hotel’ is a response to Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab.
Either way, Dubai’s inexorable journey to the outskirts of the business circle is pouring clean water between the two fast-growing neighbours.
However, Abu Dhabi has settled into a more sedate direction of travel. Its credentials are increasingly cloaked in cultural respect. Housed in the purpose-built Saadiyat cultural district, the Louvre’s outpost is a beautiful building designed by Jean Nouvel, 2025, a branch of the Guggenheim Museum and the Natural History Museum will join the cultural district.
The awarding of the management of Abu Dhabi’s landmark hotel to Mandarin Oriental is likely to be a sign of this more cautious pace of progress, although it will not be easy to transform such a hotel giant.
With a coterie of celebrity “fans” such as Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, Mandarin projected a restrained and refined image that, at first glance, seemed odd.
I’ve definitely been a fan of the Oriental Bangkok since I was drawn to its colonial-era charm, from where the brand got its name from.
The rooms and suites have been stripped of any leaning towards the Neapolitan godfather style and repositioned through a clever and stylish redesign.
There are even six “vegan rooms.” You can’t eat the cushions, but travelers can now live in an environment that’s completely free of animal products, from toiletries to feather-free bedding. There are two large outdoor swimming pools, and later this year, a Moroccan-inspired spa will also be unveiled.
Among the 10 restaurants, renowned Chinese restaurant Hakkasan and Talea (the first non-Italian branch of celebrated chef Antonio Guida) each received one of three stars in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Michelin Guide for 2023.
But it’s the people-watching from the spacious balcony of the Vendome restaurant, where the warm wind blows from the shimmering Persian Gulf, where Abu Dhabi’s dame works her magic. It’s big, it’s buzzing, and it’s all great — just don’t take it too seriously.
The famous gold cappuccino is served, inlaid with 24-carat gold leaf. It’s odd why anyone would ingest precious metals for breakfast, but it’s clear that Mandarin Oriental’s refined infusion isn’t going to change everything.
Why do you want to do this? In this part of the world, it means nothing without that bling.
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