Emirates Palace -The world's costliest hotel at $3.8 billion

Fancy bathing in champagne, sleeping between scented sheets and cooling off round the pool with the help of hotel staff armed with water sprays? Everyone will be treated like royalty; after all, they are at the Palace. Costing a rumored $3.8 billion (£2 billion), the Emirates Palace is the most expensive hotel ever built. Its owner, the government of Abu Dhabi, knows that the Palace will never make a profit. But that doesn’t matter as the idea was to impress the world by creating the most lavish seven-star experience conceivable. Here’s an exclusive sneak preview to find out what on earth they spent all that money on. It is a colossus- the architects describe it as the Taj Mahal of the Middle East, though its dusky-pink granite and rose-colored marble facade, delicate Arabic carvings, endless domes and scalloped arches are much more in keeping with Granada’s magnificent Alhambra. Just to walk around the place would take almost an hour.

Arroyo’s stay in Dubai's costliest hotel draws ire from OFWs

Arroyo’s stay in Dubai's costliest hotel draws ire from OFWs

During her two-day visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, President Arroyo will be billeted not just in any hotel, but at the seven-star Burj Al-Arab, raising eyebrows among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau reported Friday.
The President will spend her two evenings in Burj Al Arab, a seven-star hotel said to be Dubai's most expensive.
It is not known what type of room the President will occupy, but published rates in the Internet reveal that the most expensive room in Burj Al Arab is the Royal Suite, which costs US $10,900 or almost half a million pesos per overnight stay.
The cheapest room rate is about US $1,600 or almost P70,000 per night.
Burj Al Arab ranks tenth in the top ten most expensive hotel rooms in the world.
Meanwhile, the President’s official delegation is booked at the nearby Jumeirah Beach Resort, which is also one of Dubai’s costliest hotels.
OFWs said, they are not happy the way the President is spending taxpayer’s money.
"Siyempre sa hirap ng buhay sa atin, tapos ang isang presidente ay titira sa pinakamahal na hotel sa isang bansa, (Life is hard for us, then the president will stay in the most expensive hotel in the country)" said one OFW.
Other government officials said Arroyo’s visit is intended to address the problems now confronted by migrant workers.
One of the issues she wants to address is the poor exchange rate of the dollar against the peso.
She is also scheduled to meet with Dubai’s Chamber of Commerce and Filipino business leaders here in an effort to bring more investments to the Philippines and vice versa.
But militant group Migrante said, President Arroyo’s mission to Dubai got easily tainted with intrigue when she allowed to be booked in the famous Burj Al Arab.
"Malinaw na naglalayo sa layunin ng pagpunta niya dito, ito ba ay para lang siya magpasarap," said Migrante-UAE chair Cyrin Pinpin.
A source of ABS-CBN Middle East news Bureau also disclosed, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo had also visited Dubai a few months back and allegedly spent some of his evenings at the Burj Al Arab.