Ok, mes amies, it’s time for The Dubai Diaries part III. A little belated I know (more tech issues on my end involving broken phones, misplaced hard drives, unexplained laptop failures and assorted other debacles that can ensue when you’re trying to do a million things minute as a team of une) but better late than never! And with 2016 fast approaching, now is most definitely the moment to start scheming trips for the New Year and maybe even exploring places far afield without booking a flight… But I’ll be telling you more about that later in this post…
Picking up where we left off in my previous Dubai diary, after hauling our tired selves out of the comfort of Jumeirah Emirates Tower’s mind boggling comfortable beds, we hauled ourselves and
our
my luggage into the waiting BMW to head to the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah where we would be staying for our final night in Dubai. Where, oh where, to even begin with the Burj. Symbol of modern Dubai, most luxurious hotel in the world, home of one of the planet’s most expensive suites and purveyor of unparalleled hospitality are just a handful of the descriptions made with one journalist dubbing it the only seven star hotel in existence. Made up of suites only, every guest at the Burj will experience in-accommodation check in, personal butlers and a private reception on every floor as well as access to the properties’ 9 restaurants and bars, legendary Talise spa and Jumeirah Beach Club as well as optional chauffeur driven Rolls Royce Phantoms and Helicopter transfer… Oh, and a gold iPad on arrival because, well, why the hell not really!
Our suites themselves were a sight to behold, and the idea that they were the standard accommodation at the Burj was quite a thought to contend with. We’re talking private office, living area, bar, multiple bathrooms, hot tubs, floor to ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the coastline. Understated the Burj is not (biggest understatement of the century… how many kicks I just got out of that originally unintentional wordplay is embarrassing but it is one hell of an experience. After spending God knows how long running around our suites in a state of total overexcitement, we realised that it was time to head to lunch. The venue was Al Muntaha, a restaurant set on the 27th floor of the Burj overlooking just about everything including “The World”, a set of artificial islands created in the shape of the world map set 4 kilometres of the coast of Dubai. Side note, I didn’t include that in a patronising was. I suspect most of you were full aware of “The World” or “World Islands” existence but I wasn’t, which proved momentarily mortifying at lunch, but I think (slash hope) I styled it out.
Anyway, I didn’t quite realise that we would be having lunch in such a smart location, or with the top team from Jumeirah Group, so there was a moment of pure panic when I discovered these facts after getting into the lift wearing a Tory Burch beach kaftan. Luckily I had just enough time to sling a quick change into a rather more appropriate Tory Burch frock before sitting down to one of the most delicious meals in the best imaginable company. The Jumeirah team proved to be every bit as smart, impressive and in theory intimidating as you’d imagine individuals behind one of the world’s most prestigious and powerful hotel groups to be. But, thankfully, they were also fun, forward thinking and a million miles from the fusty head honcho image one associate with such roles; a reflection of the company’s ever innovative attitude and open minded approach to luxury and its often complicated relationship with digital media. Aside from how goddamn awesome the whole trip was and how incredibly spoiled we were throughout, this attitude would be the most striking and enjoyable thing we’d take away with us.
Two mouthwatering courses and a fair few glasses of Sancerre later we realised how quickly time had flown and that we’d have to get one hell of a move on to fit in a dip before the day’s main event at the end of the afternoon. As you guys may or may not know, the Burj Al Arab is situated on a purpose built artificial island constructed 280 metres offshore. Naturally there is a fleet of golf buggies waiting to quiz guests who want to visit Jumeirah Beach or Wild Wadi Waterpark across the path to the mainland but we decided to walk, taking photos of the view, Snapchatting and behaving like children most of the way. Once at Jumeirah Beach Club we made a beeline for the in pool bar for Mojitos. There is nothing quite like floating around with a cocktail in hand to make one feel sickeningly smug about life!
All of a sudden we realised we were at risk of being horrifically late for the main event; the presentation of Jumeirah Inside – a virtual platform comprising 360° video and photography which enables users to make hotel bookings, access never-before-seen footage, discover hidden treasures and share them with the world, developed in partnership with none other than Google. Given that our first port of call would be the helipad (!!) I wanted to wear something suitably badass to snap up there so slipped into a cobalt blue two-piece that had caused some internal disagreements (which I won’t go into, for obvious reasons) a few evenings before. The view from the roof was truly spectacular and with sunset rapidly setting in, we managed to get some photos I’m really quite in love with.
Not long later, it was time to mosey back down the helipad ladder and red carpet leading to it (which seemed wholly appropriate by that point) and take our seats for the main presentation itself. 360°digital technology is being explored by many different companies across the lifestyle, fashion, beauty and entertainment sectors amongst many others besides. I am, as has been proved numerous times since Dubai, woefully appalling at explaining how it works or even what it does. But hey, I’ll give it a try. Fundamentally, this combination of video, stills and 360° technology offers users the kind of genuinely immersive and interactive experience that the likes of image galleries, virtual tours, 3D film cannot. It is a genuine step towards a virtual reality experience that, in the case of Jumeirah Inside, enables people at home – or anywhere for that matter, thanks to its many smartphone optimisations – to explore Jumeirah’s 22 properties down to the smallest of details or the most magnificent of views.
Admittedly it’s not the same as the real deal nor do Jumeirah pretend it is. In the words of Ross McAuley, Group Vice President of Brand, Digital and Loyalty, a trip should begin from the moment you book it. Whether that’s scoping out your ideal restaurant and even restaurant table, doing an instagram view shot recce, digitally immersing oneself in the Talise spa infinity pool, strolling through the most luxurious suites imaginable or umpteen other possibilities besides. After all, today experience is the ultimate luxury and Jumeirah Inside sure as hell offers soon to be guests just that from the get go. But what fascinates me the most about the platform is its potential to open the doors of ultimate luxury to a wider audience. Here, the company ventures into tricky territory. The very essence of luxury is exclusivity but in the context of digital and, crucially, social media the situation, and consumers expectations, are strikingly different to how they were even just a few years ago. A decade ago, luxury hotels could retain absolute exclusivity simply through their pricing. You couldn’t afford a room or a meal, you couldn’t go in. Then came the internet and social media and all of a sudden hundreds of thousands of (potentially poorly taken and/or off brand) images began proliferating among potential guests and just everyone everywhere. So, it makes sense on that level for luxury brands, be they Valentino, Chanel, Maserati or Jumeirah, to offer the world at large a curated and accurate insight into theirs. And that is just one of the many advantages, both for brands and consumers, that initiatives like Jumeirah Inside offers.
I could literally go on forever about this but to attempt to keep things concise, Jumeirah Inside has the potential to further extend the luxury experience to their clients and appeal to new clients as well as opening the doors to a wider demographic, some of whom may one day become regular Jumeirah visitors, some of whom may not. For potential clients, the ability to actually, easily and thoroughly explore a destination they are considering dropping a fair whack of cash on visiting is hugely valuable. The access and experience offered by 360° technology could sway a new guest in favour of choosing a Jumeirah property over an old favourite or recommendation from a friend or colleague. For someone who may or may not ever be a client, the immersive and engaging experience offered by Jumeirah Inside could lead them to one day stay at one of the properties, book a meal/treatment/tea/visit etc there or just create the kind of positive feeling that could lead to them sharing their sentiments on their social media platforms – the experiences can be used to inspire friends through Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, Wechat and Google Plus – and so expanding the companies’ reach across the kind of increasingly diverse, global demographic every brand seeks to connect with today… And now I want to start on some sort of potentially incorrect rant about global markets – Jumeirah Inside is available in English, Arabic, German, Russian and Mandarin – but I’m going to restrain myself, for now at least.
After the presentation finished up we all proceeded to the Royal Suite to mingle, drink, eat and try out some of the stuff we’d heard all about for ourselves. Our night finished up at Al Iwan, a sumptuous restaurant located inside the world’s largest atrium (sense a theme here?) were we would FEAST on a gourmet buffet of Middle Eastern delicacies with the Jumeirah team before retiring to our suites to have a 3 man bonanza of dancing, singing, rapping – ok that was maybe just me… Anyone unfortunate enough to have been following on Snapchat will know what I mean – and perhaps a little tequila drinking – possibly hence the rapping – before passing out in yet more insanely comfortable beds. The morning came all too soon and I did NOT want to put on clothes, pack my bags and leave… Then I remembered we were being chauffeured to the airport by one of the Burj Al Arab’s Rolls Royce Phantoms and suddenly the idea of leaping in the car seemed that bit more appealing.
A huge, huge, HUGE thanks to Jumeirah and The Communication Group for an amazing trip I won’t be forgetting in a hurry! And guys, make sure to check out Jumeirah Inside online here. Can’t wait for the trips 2016 has in store! Here’s hoping Nik and Oz are still willing to put up with my travel company…
Love Ella. X
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