|
Over 129,000 tropical plants spread over 10 000 square meters
to be enjoyed at Raffles Botanical Garden
DUBAI, October 2007 – At the heart of Raffles Dubai, the latest addition to Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ collection of luxury hotels, sits a luxuriant one hectare tropical garden, located on the third level of the hotel, 14 metres off the ground.
An unexpected feature for a hotel located in the centre of the city, “Raffles Botanical Garden” is inspired by Singapore’s garden city landscape and offers 129,090 plants including the Traveller’s Palm which has long been associated with the Raffles name. The logo of Raffles Hotels & Resorts is a fine detailed drawing of the Traveller’s Palm by British penmaster David Horridge.
Raffles Botanical Garden comprises four themed garden areas, based on the four essential elements of life: Fire, Wind, Water and Earth.
Flora in fiery crimson, vermillion and luscious reds make up the Fire garden, while bamboo, weeping willows and ferns that bend in the breeze feature in the Wind garden, and low-growing shrubs dominate in the Earth garden.
The Water garden houses a stream that gathers into a pond, where a vibrant display of Water Hyacinth takes centre stage. Paths around the four themed gardens will allow residents to wander through Raffles Botanical Garden and enjoy the array of tropical plants.
In addition, the garden also houses RafflesAmrita Spa’s Private Garden Sanctuary, a secluded pavilion offering hotel residents a unique spa experience in a tropical setting.
At the fringe of the Raffles Botanical Garden sits all-day dining restaurant Azur, the elegant Fire & Ice – Raffles Cellar and Grill and Crossroads Cocktail Bar, affording guests superb views of the tropical garden.
The gardens converge on the centerpiece, The Eye of Horus, a large glass dome that looks into Café Raffles, adjacent to Wafi Mall, allowing guests and shoppers a view of the lush gardens as they enjoy afternoon tea. According to Egyptian legend, Horus was god of the sky and the Eye of Horus was often associated with health and vitality. Wafi Mall is one of Dubai’s most exclusive shopping and leisure destinations, and renowned for its range of haute couture boutiques.
Planning for Raffles Botanical Garden commenced in 2005 and was designed by Singapore Garden City Pte Ltd (a wholly owned company of the National Parks Board Singapore). Horticulturalists sourced more than 70% of the garden’s plants from Asia, with the remaining from Dubai, and tended to them in nurseries before planting them at Raffles Dubai. The garden enjoys some 260 trees, 650 palms, 1,400 bamboo plants, 500 aquatic plants, over 100,000 shrubs and 1,000 climbers.
Said Hagop Doghramadjian, General Manager, Raffles Dubai, “Raffles Botanical Garden, with its exceptional concept and location, will be well-loved by residents and patrons at Raffles Dubai. With this unique feature, and the high standards of hospitality, service and
cuisine that Raffles is renowned for, Raffles Dubai will become a treasured landmark in the Middle East.”
About the Traveller’s Palm
A native of Madagascar, the Traveller’s Palm was introduced to Singapore in the early 1900s and became a favourite in landscaped gardens, including Raffles Hotel Singapore. Not only does the base of the palm hold water, which early travellers could use as sustenance, the leaves of the Traveller’s Palm are known to come to rest in an ‘east-west’ direction and served as an informal compass for those making their way home after long journeys. Today, residents of Raffles hotels and resorts are greeted by Raffles staff, who each wears a Traveller’s Palm-design pin, indicating to residents that they have found their way home.
ABOUT RAFFLES DUBAI
- Raffles Dubai is an all-suite hotel, featuring 248 palatial suites; each enjoys a minimum of 70 square metres and its own private balcony, offering panoramic views of the city.
- The hotel’s four Presidential Suites are also each thematically designed to embrace each of the elements of life - earth, wind, fire and water.
- 11 restaurants and bars offer an exquisite myriad of cuisines and innovative cocktails from around the world. The Noble House, Asiana Restaurant, New Asia Bar, China Moon Champagne Bar are located within the glass capstone that forms the top three levels of the hotel.
- One of the highlights at the hotel is its impressive one-hectare tropical Raffles Botanical Garden which displays over 129,000 plants, carefully selected to depict the four elements of life.
- The library at Raffles Dubai houses a vast collection of books on the region’s history, culture, heritage and arts.
- RafflesAmrita Spa at Raffles Dubai offers an extensive menu of wellness treatments and indulgences. RafflesAmrita Spa at Raffles Hotel in Singapore and Raffles Resort Canouan Island in The Grenadines are acknowledged as the best spa in its respective destination by prestigious publications such as The Robb Report.
ABOUT RAFFLES HOTELS & RESORTS
Raffles is a collection of luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, each distinguished by its luxury, elegance and residential charm. Each hotel is a landmark in its respective city, positioned at the top of its local market and rated among the very best in the world.
Raffles’ relentless pursuit of service excellence has earned for its hotels and resorts a legion of international accolades, including Condé Nast World’s Best Places to Stay and Travel & Leisure World’s Best Awards. Its flagship Raffles Hotel Singapore was voted Best Hotel in Asia by readers of Ultratravel magazine by The Daily while Raffles Beijing Hotel was named Best New City Hotel by Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report. Raffles Dubai, the latest addition to its portfolio, is recognised among the world’s best new hotels by Conde Nast Traveller’s Hot List. Raffles Hotels & Resorts is consistently ranked among the world’s top 10 hotel brands in the annual Condé Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards.
Raffles Hotels & Resorts is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with 88 hotels worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties.
For more information, please contact :
Raffles Dubai Representation
Laurence Kraenzlin
Director of Marketing & Communications
Raffles Dubai
Tel: (971) 4 324 8888
Fax: (971) 4 324 6000
E-mail: laurence.kraenzlin@raffles.com
Dubai PR Representation
Sandra Schneider
Account Manager
Rawaj International FZ - LLC
Tel: (971) 4 391 3567
Fax: (971) 4 391 3564
E-mail: sandra.s@rawajinternational.com
Singapore contact
Vivian Koh
Manager, PR & Communications
Raffles Hotels & Resorts
Tel : (65) 6496 1145
Fax : (65) 6339 1713
Email : vivian.koh@raffles.com
Marina Wee
Director, Brand Communications
Raffles Hotels & Resorts
Tel : (65) 6496 1146
Fax : (65) 6339 1713
Email : marina.wee@raffles.com
North America PR Representation
Jennider Greene
Direct PR & Marketing Communications
Tel: (1) 917 455 7374
Fax: (1) 917 639 3465
E-mail: jennifer.greene@raffles.com
UK PR Representation
Elizabeth Morrison
ZFL PRCo
Tel: (44) 0207-259-1112
Fax: (44) 207-259-1101
E-mail: emorrison@prco.org
For high resolution images, please visit our Private Digital Library: http://www.leonardo.com/raffles
Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ award-winning collection of legendary hotels includes:
Raffles Hotel, Singapore
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Raffles Beijing Hotel, China
Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, United States
Raffles Canouan Island, The Grenadines
Raffles Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Le Royal Monceau, Paris, France
Raffles Konottaa, Maldives (2009)
Raffles Tianjin , China (2009)
Raffles Marrakech, Morocco (2010)
Raffles St Lucia, West Indies (2010)
Raffles Taimana Tahaa, French Polynesia (2010)
Raffles Macao, Cotai Strip (2010)
Raffles Tortola, British Virgin Islands (2010)
Raffles Manila, Philippines (2010)
Raffles Jimbaran, Bali (2010)
Raffles Da Nang, Vietnam (2011)
Raffles Phang Nga, Thailand (2011)
Raffles Praslin, Seychelles (2011)
Raffles Jakarta, Indonesia (2011)
|