Luxury By Design

Darren Lines Visits Armani Hotel Dubai and Feels the Aesthetic Influence of the Famous Designer in Every Part of the Property.

When it comes to money-is-no-object luxury and excess, Dubai has been blazing a trail all of its own for the past two decades, establishing the hedonistic Middle Eastern hot spot as the global hub of all things big, bold and bling.

Home to the world’s tallest building, biggest shopping mall, largest man-made island, hugest indoor theme park… Dubai’s transformation from desert outpost to thriving modern metropolis has been nothing short of spectacular.

At the same time, the city has gained an equally world-beating reputation as a playground for oil rich billionaires and popular work destination for expats, lured by the emirate’s zero income tax policy – thousands of cashed-up Australians among them.

From platinum Bugattis and $5,000 gold-dusted cocktails to indoor snow skiing resorts and tropical rainforests (neither of which can exist outside in temperatures often topping 50°C in summer), the UAE’s sprawling showpiece is awash with ostentatious opulence on a grandiose scale that seems to know no bounds. If you’ve been to Dubai, you’ll surely agree it’s not an overstatement to say that pretty much everything about the place is, well, overstated.

You would expect, then, that a hotel dubbed “the world’s most luxurious” would not only be right at home in Dubai, but also offer a new level of diamond-encrusted luxury to its well-heeled clientele.

Surprisingly, when the prestigious gong was announced at the World Luxury Hotel Awards, the winner, Armani Hotel Dubai, was recognised for its appeal in setting new standards in service, understated splendour and elegance, rather than outrageous extravagance.