For the 99-Percenters
Fortunately, the Emirates Palace also lets ordinary people feel like billionaires, since a room can be had for under $500.
This version of the Emirates Palace is also remarkable: Local men roam the lobby in their dish-dasha and keffiyehs, and black-robed women don head scarves. Deeper in the lobby, live soft piano music plays for people at the Caviar Bar.
The Palace lobby has 8,000 date palms standing about 26 feet tall. The “Gold ATM” machine is gawked at mostly by Asian tourists, but it doesn’t dispense gold bars. It’s more of a curiosity dispensing little gold souvenirs.
Women guests are welcomed with little bouquets of roses, and then whisked off to their rooms. There’s no way a guest could navigate the hotel alone — it’s too massive. Plan on getting lost at least twice.
The Palace has East and West wings, separated in the middle by a 245-foot-high dome measuring 148 feet across. It looks immensely Islamic up there with all its arabesque mosaic tiles in blue and yellow. When the sun shines through just right, it appears as if a UFO landed over the lobby.
The room key is shaped like an ancient golden coin. The rooms are mini-palatial, and look worth the $470-a-night price tag.
Guest suites are 590 square feet of beige and gold upholstery and come with a private balcony. The bathroom is understatedly rich: there’s a large tub for two with marble surroundings. Your floor butler can deliver the champagne, the rest is up to you.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/abu-dhabi-7-star-emirates-palace-hotel-2014-2?op=1#ixzz2sSl9Zrfm