Accor hotels, one of the leading hotel groups in the world, has opened its first Mercure brand in Dubai with the opening of Mercure Gold Hotel.

Here are the details of the hotel.

Name: Mercure Gold
Start class: 4 star
Location: Al Mina Road
Closer to: Sheikh Zayed road and Jumeirah Beach road
Rooms: 184
Other facilities: 1 meeting room and a business centre
Special services: Daily free shuttle service takes guests from the hotel to the beach and shopping malls such as Burjuman Shopping mall, Mercato mall, Deira City Centre and the Dubai mall

This hotel is ideal for both business and leisure travelers. Dubai International Airport is only a 20-minute drive away. It is also in close proximity to the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre and Port Rashid.

The hotel also consists of food and beverage outlets which include the all-day dining outlet Senses and The Kebab Connection. .

1. Dar Al Masyaf at Madinat Jumeirah
2. Mina A’ Salam at Madinat Jumeirah
3. Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah
4. Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Creek
5. Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah beach
6. Al Maha Desert Resort
7. Al Manzil Hotel
8. Jumeirah beach hotel
9. Raffles Dubai
10. Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa
11. Burj Al Arab
12. Grosvenor House Dubai
13. Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa
14. The Palace the Old Town
15. Qamardeen Hotel

Dates: 05 Jan 2012 to 05 Feb 2012

Major events of Dubai Shopping Festival 2012

• Dubai Fashion Week
• Global Village
• Sound and Light Show
• Shows for children
• Food festival
• Aqua show
• Sporting events
• Carnivals in multiple places

The main purpose of the festival is to encourage shopping. There will be major discounts in many places. Last year we witnessed up to 75% discounts for major brands.

There will be 6000 shopping outlets and over 50 shopping malls will be participating in this year’s festival.

Few tips

There are many events and activities held in many places during the shopping festival. You cannot visit every event. The best way to enjoy this mega festival is to plan everything for the whole month.

• Decide what shows you want to see and mark the dates.
• Go shopping at the very beginning and towards the end of the festival. This is the best time to grab mega bargains.
• Collect discount coupons from shops that are valid beyond the shopping festival period. You will be surprised to see the amount of discount coupons available for late shopping.
• Plan your transportation properly. There will be heavy traffic around places where major events are held.
• Make sure you have decided the maximum shopping budget and stick to it. Otherwise you will end up with heavy credit card bills.

The change is not directly visible. It may take while for general public to notice the change. Most of the vacancies are being filled without even advertising. If you have a plan to work in Dubai then this is the ideal time to start your job hunt before the competition built.

What you should do?

The best thing you can do is to follow our guidelines in the Dubai Job Secrets book. The other option is to directly contact employers and see whether they have any vacancies.

There won’t be many vacancies in the construction industry in Dubai for a while. Travel and hospitality industry is the best at the moment. Dubai has become a travel icon. Hotels will have lot of vacancies during the winter season.

Expat jobs in Dubai

If you are currently working in Dubai as an expat then most probably your danger period of losing the job is over. However, you need to watch new employment rules and regulations for expats in GCC countries. Most GCC countries such as Kuwait have recently introduced tough regulations for expat workers. There is a rumor that all GCC countries are going to follow these new rules.

The Dubai World Cup is operated through the Emirates Racing Authority, the internationally recognized governing body for horse racing in the UAE. This organization is chaired by no less than H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Presidential Affairs. Sheikh Mansour is himself an accomplished horse rider.

This Thoroughbred horse racing event was the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed is the owner of one of the leading Thoroughbred breeding and racing businesses in the world – the Darley Stud and Godolphin Racing. The Dubai World Cup is the most prestigious and highly anticipated part of the Dubai World Cup Night of races, a series of 6 Thoroughbred horse races.

The event is a G1, or Classic, flat race run over a distance of 2,000 m, or 9.94 fur. It is held annually around late March. Its inaugural winner (1996) was Cigar, named “the Racehorse of the Decade of the 1990s,” who clocked 2:03.84. Cigar was owned by the late American Thoroughbred racehorse breeder Allen E. Paulson.

Here’s a rundown of the succeeding winners from 1997 to 2011. Only the horses’ names, their owners, and their respective clocked time (minutes) are included:

1997 – Singspiel (Ireland), owned by Sheikh Mohammed; clocked 2:01.91.

1998 – Silver Charm (USA), owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis; clocked 2:00.00.

1999 – Almutawakel (Great Britain), owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum; clocked 2:00.65.

2000 – Dubai Millennium (Great Britain), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 1:59.50.

2001 – Captain Steve (USA), owned by Michael E. Pegram; clocked 2:00.40.

2002 – Street Cry (Ireland), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 2:01.18.

2003 – Moon Ballad (Ireland), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 2:00.48.

2004 – Pleasantly Perfect (USA), owned by Diamond A Racing Corp.; clocked 2:00.24.

2005 – Roses in May (USA), owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey; clocked 2:02.17.

2006 – Electrocutionist (USA), owned by Godolphin Racing; clocked 2:01.32.

2007 – Invasor (Argentina), owned by Shadwell Stable; clocked 1:59.97.

2008 – Curlin (USA), owned by Stonestreet/Midnight Cry Stables; clocked 2:00.15.

2009 – Well Armed (USA), owned by WinStar Farm LLC; clocked 2:01.01.

2010 – Glória De Campeão (Brazil), owned by Stefan Friborg clocked 2:03.83

2011 – Victoire Pisa (Japan), owned by Yoshimi Ichikawa clocked 2:05.94

Here are some of the records established during the 14 years that the Dubai World Cup has been held so far:

• Fastest time: 1:59.50, by Dubai Millennium, in the 2000 race.

• Most wins by an owner: four, by Godolphin Racing, in the 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006 races.

• Most wins by a jockey: four, by Jerry Bailey, in the 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2002 races.

• Most wins by a trainer: five, by Saeed bin Suroor, in the 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006 races.

Interestingly, there’s no record yet for the most number of wins by a horse, as none has so far won the Dubai World Cup more than once.

The next staging of the event, the 2012 Dubai World Cup, will open on March 26, 2012 at 60,000-seat racing facility Meydan Racecourse. With a staggering purse of 10 million US dollars (USD 10mn) offered for this staging, it is no wonder that the Dubai World Cup is billed the “world’s richest horse race.”

Urban Taiils is a hotel where pet owners can book a room and let their pets take a holiday. At the moment the resort is for Dogs and Cats only.

Swimming pool

Let’s look at some facts about this pet hotel.

Hotel Facilities

• Five types of suites to choose from
• Plasma TV
• Indoor gym
• Outdoor swimming pool

Gym

Hotel Services

• Doggie Daycare
• Grooming & Training
• Webcams in all play areas
• Doggie Boot camp
• Pet limo
• Pet Boutique
• Pet Relocation

Hotel Rates

Junior Suite – 115 Dhs per night
Deluxe Suite – 135 Dhs per night.
Urban Suite  – 145 Dhs per night
Junior Royal Suite – 245 Dhs per night
Royal Suite (only 2 are available) – 395 Dhs per night

Here you go. If you think your pet is stressed and need a holiday then head to Urban Tails.

The situation is changing slowly. Let’s see what is happening in Dubai export and import market.

Toward the latter part of 2008, many countries started to feel the effects of the brewing troubles that hit the world economies. Export and import activities were declining; foreign trading transactions were simply on the downturn. Through all these, one economy continued to survive – Dubai’s.

During that period of recession, Dubai even managed to get its non-oil exports increase by almost 40 percent vis-a-vis the previous year (2007). And in that period too, Dubai’s bilateral trade partnership with India remained strong. This is true for both export and import activities.

The six-year period prior to the recession saw brisk Dubai foreign trade activities. For instance, the five-year period ending 2005 had the Dubai government investing close to 11 billion dirham (AED 11bn)) in developmental undertakings. This translated to certain positive effects on the foreign trade of the emirate. In particular, total Dubai foreign trade shot up about 150 percent, from AED 112bn to AED 280bn, between the years 2001 and 2005. The Dubai foreign trade, in connection with the emirate’s gross domestic product (GDP), likewise rose by about 30 percent during the same period.

Being both a free economic zone and a trade hub strategically situated in the Middle East, Dubai is indeed ideal for foreign trade. The Dubai International Airport and Dubai’s two main sea ports (Port Rashid and Jebel Ali Port) boast world-class facilities, which make handling of exports and imports a lot easier.

Already Dubai’s public works and transportation system are first-class. But because improvements and increases in Dubai foreign trade are expected to continue, the government still undertakes numerous infrastructure developments and improvements.

A big part of Dubai’s exports and imports go by sea. Using the figures in the year 2005 as examples, total exports and imports by sea amounted to AED 152bn, which was approximately 54 percent of the total Dubai foreign trade transactions for that year.

Dubai is noted for its production of oil and gas. Ironically, though, this makes up only about 5 percent of its economy. Its non-oil exports represent approximately 80 percent of the total UAE transactions in this area. Some of the traditional products that make up part of Dubai’s non-oil exports include scrap metals, dates, and frozen fish. These products are exported mostly to India, Pakistan, and the neighboring emirates.

Liquefied gases, cement, aluminum ingots, and clothing are some of the manufactured products that Dubai exports, mostly to India, Japan, the United States, and China.

As for Dubai’s free-zone trading transactions, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and India make up the top three destinations, in that order.

Dubai’s import transactions are going briskly as well. In fact, Dubai brings in more than 60 percent of the total requirements of the entire UAE. Some of the countries it deals with in this area include China, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, and Germany.

No foreseeable problem is expected to cause a slowing down in Dubai foreign trade activities; thanks largely to Dubai’s strategic location on the Persian Gulf and to its world-class infrastructure.

In Dubai, courtesy is an important trait that should not be lacking in a host when dealing with his guests. He has to observe his manners and be polite when speaking. In general, homes in Dubai have two “majalis” (literally, a place of sitting). These majalis are rooms where the owner of the house receives guests. There is one majalis to receive male guests and another one for female guests.

During the celebration marking the end of Ramadan, called Eid ul-Fitr, the sitting arrangement in the majalis is organized based on age. An important part of Dubai customs is the serving of unsweetened coffee that’s special for its aroma. Eating with the right hand is another important part of its customs. A celebration in the majalis is concluded by burning incense and sprinkling rose water on the head of each guest.

Wedding traditions in Dubai involve a great deal of preparations on the part of the bride. It typically goes this way:

• Only the members of the bride’s family and her other relatives are allowed to see her for 40 days, beginning on the fixing of the wedding date until the day of the wedding;
• She is expected to have as much rest as possible and to take only the best foods;
• As the wedding day nears, extracts of jasmine and amber are used to wash her hair; her whole body is lavished with many different kinds of perfumes and traditional oils;
• On Laylat Al Henna (literally, night of the henna), her hands and feet are decorated with henna. This night is very special for her because it’s a “ladies’ night only.”

Of course, the groom does a lot of preparations, too. But these pale in comparison to what the bride has to go through, which are elaborate and, therefore, take up a great deal of time.

During the week preceding the wedding, family members and relatives express their joy through continuous dancing and singing of traditional songs.

Alcohol is served in hotels and restaurants. Of course, those who drink are not supposed to appear drunk in public. There are traditional water pipes that people in Dubai enjoy smoking while sitting in a restaurant, a cafe, or such other establishments. These are called shisha. The pipes use flavored tobacco (apple and strawberry are two of the favorites).

As for clothing, the men of Dubai wear a white full-length shirt-dress, called khandura or dishdasha. This goes with gutra, a white or red-checkered headdress. Women, on the other hand, wear a long black robe to cover their normal clothing. This robe is called abaya. They likewise wear a headscarf while in public.

Tourists will have no problem communicating in English while in Dubai; this in spite of Arabic being the official language in the Emirate. About 95 percent of Dubai’s population follow Islam. Despite this, Dubai exercises tolerance of communities which observe other religions. Also, tourists and those who observe other religions are not required to wear the traditional clothes worn by the local men and women of Dubai. But they are expected to be dressed appropriately in public.

The local customs and traditions of Dubai are certainly a reflection of the Emirate’s tolerant culture.

Reel Cinemas, which is the largest cinema complex in Dubai is comprises of 22 screens. The cinema complex is located at the popular Dubai Mall shopping complex.

The cinema was crowded at the time of the incident as many blockbuster movies such as Mr Popper’s Penguins, Smurfs, Captain America, Conan the Barbarian and Bodyguard are now showing at the cinemas.

It was not immediately clear what caused the ceiling to collapse.

Following are the event details

Date: 17 – 19 November 2011
Place: Dubai Creek Marina

What can you expect in Dubai pre-owned boats show 2011?

You can buy a wide variety of used boats and yachts directly from its current owner.  The boats and yachts will be in the range of 27 to 165 feet long. There will be stalls from boat finance companies, insurance agents, boat accessories, boat maintenance services and supplies.

On the other hand, if you own a boat and want to get rid of it then this event is a good opportunity to do so. Who knows, there will be boat owners who may want to exchange their boats with your one.

You also may visit Boats and Yachts for sale website for good boat deals.