MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

By Zuzana Adamson

For the last 20 weeks in Paris, the ‘Yellow Vests’ have been behind revolts and revolutions that have attracted an incredible number of French people, yet at the same time, others are enjoying luxurious relaxation stays in foreign countries. Yes, this is what today’s tense world looks like. More and more people from Europe search for escapes to luxurious non-European places, and at the same time Africans try to escape from their problems in large flocks by taking boats to Europe. It looks like a computer game where everybody is running and trying to keep moving. If this is what tomorrow’s “Planetarian” global socialistic world is like, then no thank you.

To make our tune-up better, it really is sometimes a great idea to leave Europe, to fly away, and then return to look at the problems from a different perspective. European civilisation and European culture, as they have developed for hundreds, even thousands, of years, are incredible and many realise that, after travelling and getting to know the world, it is necessary to protect and to take better care of our European cultural heritage and values.

The fact that European civilisation and culture are models to copy for the whole world should awaken in Europeans some positive proudness, not only in older generations but also in young people. Moreover, it should be part of school education as well.

Look, for example, at the famous French Louvre Palace – the sheikh of Abu Dhabi loved it so much that he wanted to have a similar building in his city. It was designed and built by Jean Nouvel, the famous French architect. If the Arabic world desires something beautiful, the inspiration can often be found in Europe, and especially in Paris. On an international level, the city on the River Seine is still an icon of beauty, sophistication, and style, and it has not changed since the time of King Louis XIV, who juxtaposed the foundation of that.

 

So, let’s move from our reflections on Europe to ABU DHABI – the gorgeous, rich, luxurious, and prosperous city in the United Arab Emirates – and we will head for an exclusive inspection of the most beautiful palaces and luxurious hotels with their presidential apartments and residences. Let this be an inspiration for your trips and travels or business trips.

If you are a European, you will have enough time to meditate over the question of why we, in recent years, have been systematically destroying our continent and letting others do the same. It is a paradox. We do not value our continent enough, our European civilisation, and at the same time, people from other destinations and continents copy it with high admiration.

Europe – it is sensibility, sophistication, taste, chic, aesthetics, a sense of equality and human rights, education, intelligence, creativity, and imagination together with technical imagination. All of these you cannot buy or copy.

So, when you are extended in the ultimate luxury, where I will now send you, and which I will now write about, I will be happy if you think about these issues, or at least try to.

 

The 7-star (5-star) Emirates Palace is the most wonderful hotel in Abu Dhabi. It is a real pearl of luxury and beauty. Nowadays, it is the second most expensive hotel in the world, and it cost US$3 billion (€2.67 billion) to build. It opened in 2005, and for a long time, Emirates Palace was the most expensive hotel in the world; Marina Bay Sands in Singapore surpassed it in 2011.

 

 

 

You may recognise it from the world of film because it was the setting for a popular movie about four women from New York – Sex in the City 2. A real palace of ultimate luxury, as if it belongs in the One Thousand And One Nights fairy-tale the hotel is the place international celebrities, actresses and actors, politicians, kings, princesses, businessmen, millionaires, and influential people from all around the world choose to stay. They come here to relax, to do business, conferences, and attend MICE events as well. Until last year, it was also the venue for the International Movie Festival in Abu Dhabi, but that was moved to Dubai and became part of the Dubai International Film Festival.

 

The palace is filled with marble and gold; the main central building houses an expensive marble floor and a large patterned dome above. It is adorned with gold horns, gold chandeliers, and golden finery on its rooftop domes along with 1,002 Swarovski crystal chandeliers. When you order a coffee, it will come with golden powder inside. It will certainly satisfy the most demanding people and lovers of luxury and luxurious lifestyle. And there is more. Recently, right next to the Emirates Palace, a new luxurious presidential palace – Qasr Al Watan – was opened, which we will discuss later in our article.

 

The Emirates Palace stands in the middle of a beautiful 85-hectare garden, built in the style of the French King Louis XIV in Versailles, and it is connected to a beach which is 1.3 kilometres long, with sands imported from Morocco. There is a private marina with yachts, swimming pools, tennis courts, spa and wellness centres, as well as several shops and modern restaurants. Specifically, you can find 14 restaurants here, and five of them have been awarded a Michelin star.

All the rooms and suites – 394 of them in total – include valets as well as high standard equipment. The hotel also contains a large conference centre with an auditorium capacity of 1,100 seats, in addition to over 40 meeting rooms and six large terraces.

To get the best perspective about, watch our VIDEO.

 

Located in one of the five iconic Etihad Group towers, the 5-star Jumeirah by Etihad Towers property offers you a central location and gorgeous views over the landscape and the Arabian Gulf.

 

 

The hotel’s director, Stefan Fuchs, originally from Germany, has not hidden his love for the movie industry. “Jumeirah by Etihad Towers offers to film production companies a special welcome that surpasses the standards, very high already anyway, and they will get everything they need. To host movie industry professionals is different than to organise a congress or a conference here, as there is necessarily specific flexibility towards the specific needs of the movie productions. Our staff, as we hosted many film production companies until now, is very well trained for that,” he explains over a rich breakfast, where guests can choose from a broad palette of specialities from both local and international cuisine. I like Middle Eastern food – salads, hummus, pulses, soups, but you can find here specialities from East Asia and Europe such as sweet pastries, bread, a lot of fruits and vegetables, warm and cold dishes as well.

 

The latest movie to be filmed here, which will be released in cinemas in autumn 2019, was an action movie entitled The Misfits, with Pierce Brosnan playing the leading role. The director showed us some videos about the male actor, spreading very happy and enthusiastic energy.

 

Jumeirah by Etihad Towers offers lovely views over the Corniche promenade and the Arabian Gulf. It offers 382 rooms and apartments altogether, of which 199 are residential apartments. Beautiful, luxurious rooms have modern baths that stand up on the floor, with large windows overlooking the iconic Etihad Towers and the surrounding area.

 

 

The Presidential Apartment is as large as 980 square metres, occupying one entire floor.

 

 

 

On the 74th floor of the building, there is an observation deck. Lower down, there is a steak restaurant and a bar. On the fourth floor, we can find a conference centre and meeting spaces that offer modern technological equipment, great infrastructures and a pleasant environment for MICE events. Plenty of smaller, separate saloons are excellent spaces for smaller negotiations and discussions.

 

 

 

Another luxurious 5-star property, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi and Villas, stands on the island of Saadiyat. It gives you a peaceful and quiet luxury stay on the beach for those that need relaxation. However, it is an excellent place for various MICE events as well as weddings, conferences and congresses.

 

 

The hotel offers 306 spacious rooms, apartments, and private villas. The beach is nine kilometres long, and you can relax in silence here, perhaps only being interrupted by a cocktail from the local beach bar. In the water there are water turtles and other rare sea animals; here, you will feel part of nature.

 

A significant plus for the resort is the 18-hole golf course. For those golf lovers that are tired of the hustle and bustle in Dubai, this will be paradise. The resort offers three restaurants, two bars, and three pools. The luxurious property has won a large number of various tourism, luxury tourism, hotel business, and MICE awards.

 

The newly opened Qasr Al Watan palace is a new spectacular and luxurious building, a cultural landmark, and it is also home to the Presidential Palace. It is a new, official place for national representatives, the “working place” of the government, and it hosts official visits and summits.

 

 

The many public visitors can admire an exposition of artefacts and manuscripts that represent the Arabic world. The most interesting and impressive is, without any doubt, the building itself – the splendid, breath-taking palace with its gardens and parks. They extend over 380,000 square metres and to build the whole palace with its surroundings, it took 150 million working hours, according to our guide. You can visit the site, and it is essential to follow the rules and cover your shoulders and legs before you enter.

 

The locals are very proud of their new palace. The palace’s facade was created from granite and limestone, designed to last for hundreds of years – at a minimum. The palace’s white colour was chosen as a symbol of cleanliness, purity, and peace. The Arabic people love the colour white on every level, and we find many white buildings in countries surrounding the Gulf as well. The whole world loves European civilisation and culture. The wonderful doors to the palace are decorated by 23-carat gold from France, and it took much handiwork; each door took 350 working hours to complete.

 

The Great Hall extends for about 100 metres. “The main dome,” the guide said, “is one of the largest in the world.” In the room where presidential meetings take place, you can find gold, silver, crystal, and many other expensive materials and decorations. In other palace spaces, you can find a library and a room of knowledge. Education and knowledge are very valuable qualities that are highly regarded here in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Three values that modern sheikhs profess: great quality education, financial power, and from those two, the third follows naturally – as much as possible usefulness and utility for their community, serving to improve the lives of their people.