Overseas

Comfort and style at St. Regis Abu Dhabi

St. Regis & Rhodes

Located within the Nation Towers development in the centre of The Corniche, St. Regis Abu Dhabi is the latest in a long line of luxurious hotels from Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Set to open in September 2012, the hotel has been designed by HBA International and features 243 distinctive guest rooms, 40 grand suites, eight restaurants –including the prestigious Rhodes 44 – and Abu Dhabi Suite located on the 48th/49th floors. The hotel also boasts more than 4,800 sq. metres of meeting and event space, over 3,000 sq. metres of health club facilities – including two stunning outdoor pools – and a magnificent spa. Arabtec Construction LLC and NPC are the main contractors on the project, whilst Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden is the architect and HBA International is the interior design architect. Sayed Tawfiq Altabbakh of Hill International is the project manager and Roya International is providing interior design supervision services.

St. Regis & Rhodes

The stylish design of St. Regis Abu Dhabi takes its inspiration from all over the world, but the interior of the hotel can be best described as art deco with Arabic influences. Upon arrival at St. Regis Abu Dhabi, guests will be instantly greeted with the highest standards of quality from fixtures and fittings to state-of-the-art facilities. Guest rooms are decked out in a red and gold colour scheme, whilst guest bathrooms are detailed with stunning decorative finishes and include a WC/bidet cubicle, shower and bath. Each guest room includes two chandeliers – one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom – creating a magnificent canopy that incorporates sparkling strands of faceted hexagonal crystal. St. Regis & Rhodes

In addition to traditional guest rooms, a range of suites are available to visitors. These include the Al Mushref suite, the Al Manhal suite, the Al Hosen suite and the Abu Dhabi suite. Each suite features a stunning array of finishes and has incorporated a mixture of living quarters and relaxation facilities. Another welcoming feature is the luxurious Remede Spa, which has been designed to cater for both male and female guests. The male-orientated half of the spa is decorated with dark Ziricote wood millwork and dark Emperador marble, whilst the female half features a lighter palette of colours with white Calacatta Oro marble and pearlescent plaster. The female section also includes a salon – with pedicure, manicure and hair dressing stations – a fitness zone, wet and dry changing areas, a sauna and vitality pool. A unique feature of St. Regis Abu Dhabi is the Sky Suite, a lavish private suite that is located on bridge level which connects both sides of the Nation Towers development at the 56th floor.

St. Regis & Rhodes

The interior design of the Sky Suite features a mix of distinctive styles, including eclectic furnishings, bespoke embellishments and a warm and inviting colour palette. Local design motifs are incorporated into the floor patterns and additional features include bespoke hand-tufted carpets and rugs – supplied by ICE – and a sparkling crystal chandelier. The chandelier is formed with a mixture of crystal and antique bronze accents and is suspended from an intricately detailed carved gold leaf finish, creating an intensely dramatic feature. The Sky Suite also includes a five-seat cinema, a master bedroom, a gym and a spa. The spa features a treatment room with two beds, a duel rain shower, a large steam room & sauna and a two-person whirlpool tub.

All of the furniture in the Sky Suite is custom-made and incorporates a mixture of materials and fabrics, including mahogany, metal, stone, silk and velvet. In addition to the already impressive features of the Sky Suite, a Master Suite is also available to guests. Situated in the upper wing of the Sky Suite, the Master Suite features a private library, a lounge, a dining area and office space and is serviced by a dedicated elevator. Additional features include a games table, spacious wardrobes and a large bathtub, whilst finishes include upholstered walls and gold leaf accent tiles. As part of the new development guests will also be treated to fine dining at the brand new in-house restaurant, Rhodes 44. The restaurant is a brand new venture for celebrity chef Gary Rhodes and has been designed to appeal to both national and international guests. The restaurant offers signature cuisine with Arabic influences and will cater for guests from breakfast through to dinner. The lavish restaurant comprises a number of food stations – including a bakery, a salad bar and a take-away cafe – and allows guests to feel as if they are present in Gary Rhodes’ kitchen. St. Regis Abu Dhabi General Manager, Oliver Key, said: “We are proud to unveil the new St. Regis Abu Dhabi hotel and we look forward to offering custom-tailored guest experiences and unparalleled luxury for which the St. Regis brand is renowned. “This magnificent hotel has been meticulously designed to meet the needs and desires of global travellers and local residents alike, offering bespoke luxury, rich amenities and exquisite culinary experiences.” Additional features of the restaurant include floral pattern ceilings – which take inspiration from the food court in Harrod’s – and an external terrace. The exterior dining area includes a lounge, fireplace and a bar designed to look like a traditional Abu Dhabi wood hulled boat. Rhodes 44 is Gary Rhodes’ first restaurant in Abu Dhabi. The Michelin-starred chef has already celebrated success with overseas restaurants including Rhodes Mezzanine at Grosvenor House and Rhodes at the Calabash on the Caribbean, Grenada. Gary Rhodes commented: “To be co-creating a signature dining outlet with the St. Regis brand in a hotel of such exceptional calibre is an exciting adventure for me and my team. “The UAE is becoming such a central culinary point in the world with so many great chefs and great food on offer. We are pulling in all these top chefs, you’ve got Pierre Gagnaire, you’ve got Giorgio Locatelli – you’ve got all these great chefs that are coming in now, they are coming to set up here. “There is a restaurant from every part of the world in Dubai. We feel privileged to be part of what’s happening. Rhodes 44 intends to deliver on its promise, making dining an unforgettable event.” Additional features of St. Regis Abu Dhabi include a reception hall, a crystal lounge, a range of junior suites and the Al Mudhaif ballroom. St. Regis Abu Dhabi will open to guests in September 2012.

HBA

Since 1964, HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates has provided interior design work for the high-end leisure sector. HBA provides a comprehensive package of interior design services – including graphic design and art consultation – to take projects from planning through to implementation. HBA has been instrumental in the design of some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, including the Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen; Mandarin Oriental, New York; and InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut. In addition the company has a great working relationship with Starwood Hotel & Resorts, having previously completed design work for St. Regis Atlanta and St. Regis Grand Hotel, Rome. As a forward thinking company, HBA is always adapting concepts to meet the ever changing needs of technology and sustainability. All of HBA’s designs push the aesthetic envelope to create inspired and revolutionary projects.

ICE

With its headquarters in the Netherlands, ICE supplies bespoke hand knotted and hand tufted carpets for the high-end residential and 5* hospitality sector. ICE has supplied carpets to many leading hotels around the world including The Plaza Hotel New York, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto, Four Seasons Guangzhou, Le Royal Monceau Paris and The Savoy London. Recent projects in the UAE include the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, St Regis Saadiyat, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, Hyatt at Capital Gate and Fairmont Palm Jumeirah. With a history of more than 40 years producing rugs and carpets in India and Nepal, for the past 5 years ICE has been rapidly growing in the hospitality market working with the top design firms in the world like Hirsch Bedner Associates. ICE CEO/Owner, Marc Janssen, said: “The combination of our talented Dutch design team, high-end products and the focus of our people on providing the best services to our clients turns out be a successful mix in the market. Within 5 years we have become a global player supplying area rugs and carpets to beautiful high-end hotels.” Marc Janssen added: “It is a great honour for us to supply to such a high-esteemed project as the St Regis Nation Towers and to work so closely with Hirsch Bedner Associates on achieving the best result. They are great to work with and we feel very proud to be a partner in this project.”

ICE International BV, Holweistraat 2, 4181 CC Waardenburg, The Netherlands, Ph 0031 418 65 4858 For more information on ICE email: info@rugs.nl or visit www.rugs.nl .

About the author

Roma Publications