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Hospitality, Armani style

There’s always room at the top for Giorgio Armani. After successes in the world of fashion and luxury, he has turned his attention to the hospitality business and chosen the world’s tallest building as the first place to do it.

The 160-room Armani Hotel — complete with eight innovative restaurants, exclusive retail outlets and a spa — opened to eager guests at the Burj Khalifa on Tuesday.

The hotel goes from the concourse to level 8 and resumes at levels 38 and 39.

“I wanted something very important, something to be remembered,” Armani said at a press conference addressed jointly with Mohammed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, developers of the 828-metre tower.

Emaar and the renowned Italian designer signed an agreement for a joint venture in hospitality sector in 2005.

“After five years of work on the project I finally saw it in reality,” Armani said. “Something not just for the present, but beyond.”

Every aspect of the hotel’s design and service has been designed and planned by Armani — from the bespoke furnishings to restaurant menus and room amenities.

“The hotel will be a referral point for luxury hospitality projects in the future, and brings global attention to Dubai and to Burj Khalifa,” Alabbar said. “This project required extraordinary attention to detail and a commitment to true luxury, perfection and excellence.”

Marking the designer’s first foray into the world of hospitality, the Armani Hotel Dubai brings to life the Stay with Armani philosophy, promising a “home-away-from-home” experience.

“Our guests will witness and experience the passion and dedication that has gone into its development across every touch point inside the hotel,” Alabbar said.

Based on the philosophy that travel is as much an emotional journey as a physical one, the Armani Hotel assigns each guest a personal manager who will serve as a personal contact and host from the moment a reservation is made to check-out and even beyond.

“Right now we have 26 lifestyle managers in the hotel,” Maria Johansson, senior lifestyle manager, told Khaleej Times during a media tour of the hotel.

Before, throughout and even after a stay, hotel guests can ask their lifestyle managers for advice and help with everything from business and transportation arrangements, shopping, entertainment and meal recommendations to arranging for childcare.

The Armani Hotel features eight restaurants offering a myriad of world cuisines ranging from Japanese and Indian to Mediterranean and, of course, authentic fine-dining Italian. The impressive culinary options reflect the cosmopolitan nature of the city.

“All the restaurants in the hotel will be open from April 29,” Raj Gopal, manager of Amal, an Indian restaurant, said.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com