As the fireworks fizzed around the 828-metre tall Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai yesterday evening, Giorgio Armani was paying closer attention than most. The world's tallest structure will house the designer's first signature hotel, with its doors today being confirmed to open on 18 March.
Armani Hotel Dubai promises to be the ultimate destination in the city-state, thanks to its "unique location, highest standards of aesthetics and service excellence". And, while its unveiling marks the beginning of Mr Armani's career in hospitality, the super-designer isn't doing this by halves. The Armani Hotel Milano is already well underway and will be followed by the first Armani Resort, planned for Marrakech, and the first Armani Residences villas, for Marassi in Egypt. Expect to see Armani hotels, resorts and residences subsequently be springing up in key international destinations such as New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and London.
Choosing such a high profile site for his first foray into the business was not only a canny move for Armani but a coup for the Burj Khalifa too, admits James Pawlikowski, associate director at Chicago-based architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP and senior structural engineer on the buidling's construction.
"The goal of project is to be more than just the tallest building in the world," he told forbes.com. "It's not just the height, it's the quality of the spaces created, and the quality of finishes. We're trying to be really an iconic building."
Keen to be one of the first to see it for yourself? Online bookings for the hotel will be taken from late January 2010 - register at armanihotels.com for further details.
Picture: Celebrations at the official unveiling of the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai yesterday.
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