The Dubai Expat Diaries

Westin ATM party draws over 2,000: Pre-ATM bash declared ‘hottest’ party of the year

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 6, 2008 – It was Open House at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina last night as the five-star resort flung open its doors to welcome in the world’s travel industry and give them a glimpse of Dubai’s very latest beachfront resort.

Over 2,000 people attended the gala event, which celebrated The Westin’s official opening, as well as set the stage for a week of business at Arabian Travel Market (ATM).

Continue reading ‘Westin Dubai ATM party draws over 2,000 - Bash declared ‘hottest’ party of the year in Dubai’

The West End Stage Experience – Live the Dream…

Popular Productions Ltd & West End Stage Experience are seeking talented actors, singers and dancers aged between 10 and 23 to audition to be part of one of the most exciting and successful musicals of recent years – Disney’s High School Musical.

The West End Stage Experience is designed to give young performers a real life taste of professional theatre. Auditions, rehearsals and performances all run according to professional practise, led by a team of excellent UK West End creatives who between them have many years of professional experience in their fields.

For two fun but intensive weeks, the cast will rehearse the show under the supervision of our West End creative team and will receive first class support in acting, dancing and singing as well as gaining excellent and valuable experience in staging theatre under professional conditions.

And, at the end the cast will experience the thrill of performing live on stage in the fully staged MIDDLE EAST PREMIERE PRODUCTION of DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL in July, to a real audience of thousands over seven memorable performances at the Dubai Community Theatre, Mall of the Emirates.

Continue reading ‘Disney’s High School Musical - Auditions - Dubai’

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina showed the Dubai Taxi Drivers the Westin difference, when they invited them to experience a breakfast- to- go compliments of The Westin. Over 500 taxi drivers showed their support ahead of the opening and were met by key management staff of The Westin and handed a breakfast pack. “Dubai Taxis are an integral part of the daily operation of any hotels and this was a small way we could show them that we appreciate there support.”, said Ulrike Andorff, Complex Director of Rooms, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi.

Continue reading ‘The Westin Dubai opens, supported by over 500 Dubai Taxi Drivers!’

The Bride Show and Emirates Business 24/7 report that the wedding industry grew 20 % in 2007:

The cost of tying the knot can be anything from Dh20,000 for a small expat union to Dh500m for the most extravagant Emirati nuptials. But according to IIR – the Bride Show event organisers – the average cost is Dh300,000. It is estimated that couples in the Middle East spend the highest amount per head on weddings anywhere in the world, with the average cost in the United Kingdom being just  £18,000 (Dh135,000) and in the United States $30,000 (Dh110,00).

Kicking off on 23rd April 2008, The Bride Show Dubai will welcome more than 30,000 visitors to an exhibition where the most extravagant and exclusive items can be bought.  The Arabian Home Show and Women’s Healthcare run alongside The Bride Show Dubai at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre. All events are open daily from 2.30pm - 10.30pm

Twitter has now been blocked in Dubai and the UAE! Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send “updates” (or “tweets”; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (e.g. on a cell phone), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific or Facebook.

Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and instantly delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. The sender can restrict delivery to those in his or her circle of friends (delivery to everyone is the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email or through an application. For SMS, four gateway numbers are currently available: short codes for the United States, Canada, and India, as well as a United Kingdom number for international use. Several third parties offer posting and receiving updates via email.

Media reports indicate that popstar Madonna may perform in Dubai in November, with a record $24 million 2 concert deal, that would have her earning over $133k per minute!!! How’s that for a great job!?

Barasti at Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina is back on tour once again, with the first set of Barasti on Tour winners returning slightly hoarse from a three-day rugby spectacle after attending the Wales Vs France Six Nations match in Cardiff on March 15.

Charl and Eugene Roberts, Robin Ali, Nigel Smith, Stuart Morgan and Philip Madge were all winners of the first event for Barasti on Tour in 2008. They won a three-day trip to London and Cardiff to attend the Six Nations match, which saw Wales emerge victors in front of a riotous home crowd, after beating France 29-12.

Continue reading ‘Barasti Bar Dubai - Six lucky Barasti customers enjoy three-day rugby extravaganza’

Hotel eMarketing and Internet ‘e’volution – Creating an Online Culture at Hotels: Are you a hotel eMarketer looking for ways to better communicate, educate and develop the role at your property/ies? This article explores some of the issues surrounding these efforts, complemented by a dose of perspective and a generous helping of best practices, all garnished, hopefully, by your own ideas and experiences. By Jitendra Jain

Finding Meaning: Wikipedia attributes the word ‘evolution’ to the Latin term ‘evolutio’ meaning “unfolding”. While the tech and Internet revolution have anything but “unfolded” upon us (“exploded” would be more appropriate, given the short span of time over which most Internet-related developments have occurred), there is something to be learnt from the nature of these changes.

Continue reading ‘Hotel eMarketer tips for driving an internet culture in hotels’

While rumors were flying thick and fast, the official take on the ”worst car crash / pile-up in the history of the UAE” was that 3-4 people were killed and more than 350 injured in a devastating 60 vehicle pile-up (caused by fog and reckless driving, it is presumed) on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway near Ghantoot on Tuesday (11th March 2008). The radio, newspapers and television have been rife with reports and analysis too…and here are some photos sent to us by email:

Continue reading ‘Photos - Worst Car Crash in UAE History - Abu Dhabi and Dubai Traffic’

WATER BUSES READY FOR TOMORROWS OPENING OF DUBAI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW 2008: Larger Parking Facility and Water-Based Transportation Available for Thousands Expected to Visit Region’s Most Impressive Line Up of Boats, Marine Supplies and Services. Dubai International Boat Show (DIBS) 2008 has adopted an on-water traffic solution for the thousands of visitors expected at the event opening tomorrow, 11 March. Organiser Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has arranged a large, free parking facility between the show and the area next to the Habtoor Grand Hotel, with free RTA water buses, taxi boats and shuttle buses going to and from the exhibition, running from 1pm-11pm over the five-day event. 

Continue reading ‘The Dubai International Boat Show 2008 at Mina Seyahi, Jumeirah Beach’