Photo of the Day (8.17.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
Anyone know how to order a half-caf venti soy no foam latte in Arabic?

As I’m sure you’ve guessed, today’s Photo of the Day comes from the city of immense scale, renowned elegance, & other worldly air conditioning bills; Dubai. Flickr user JonRawlinson snapped the shot in Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall, where the iconic coffee kiosk has become somewhat of an attraction in and of itself.

Your move, Texas.

Do you have photos of something familiar to you in an unfamiliar setting? We’d love to see them! Upload them to our Gadling Flickr Pool and it could be tomorrow’s Photo of the Day.

Air Berlin’s two-for-one promo

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Air Berlin, the German low-cost carrier that gets typically great reviews for its various old-school perks seldom associated with budget airlines (assigned seating, checked bags carried through to connecting flights, and free snacks, drinks, and newspapers) is promoting a great special offer, today through June 28.

The offer sees the airline selling two-for-one Berlin-Miami and Berlin-Dubai fares. Some of Air Berlin’s beginning fares are already quite reasonable, so the two-for-one offer is nothing to be sneezed at. The lowest fare I was able to find for both Berlin-Dubai and Berlin-Miami flights is €408, a decent deal for a single traveler. For two, €408 for a round trip Berlin-Miami or Berlin-Dubai fare is a downright steal.

Helpfully for American tourists, this offer also applies to journeys originating in Miami. Air Berlin’s deal thus provides a cheap route for South Florida-based travelers to one of Europe’s most exciting cities. The Berlin-Dubai two-for-one offer also provides a great opportunity to inexpensively extend a Europe jaunt to Dubai.

Remarkably, as of right now, there are Berlin-Dubai flights still available at the starting €408 fare for travel during the high-demand weeks around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

While the two-for-one flights have to be booked by June 28, the travel period covered by the promotion is broad. The two-for-one deal can be booked for travel between November 1 and April 30, 2011.

(Image: Flickr/woody1778a)

New Abu Dhabi tower and Hyatt hotel crowned “world’s furthest leaning”

by Scott Carmichael on

Usually, when you think “leaning tower”, the Leaning Tower of Pisa comes to mind – but a new tower in Abu Dhabi is well on its way to changing that. The 35 story Capital Gate leans an insane 18 degrees – a whole 13 more than the Pisa tower.

The tower was crowned “world’s furthest leaning” by the Guinness Book of World Records on June 5th. But the best part is that this building is more than just a new skyscraper on the Abu Dhabi skyline – you’ll soon be able to spend the night in one of its rooms, thanks to the 5-star Hyatt Capital Gate.

With 189 rooms (including 1 diplomatic and 1 2,475 sq. ft. presidential suite), this luxury hotel is set to offer some of the best views ever thanks to its floor to ceiling windows. The hotel is also home to five restaurants, including an 18th floor tea lounge. The Hyatt Capital Gate is scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2010.

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Gucci to launch new hotel in Dubai

by Melanie Nayer on

As is the case in the fashion world, when one designer makes a statement the others will follow.

Enter: Italian fashion icon Gucci, who will launch its own hotel chain in Dubai, only a few months after the opening of Giorgio Armani’s hotel in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

Lorens Ziller, the managing director for Elisabetta Gucci Hotels says the first ever Gucci hotel will open in Dubai’s Media City by the end of the year. While construction has yet to begin on the hotel, plans are already in place to design the 87-suite hotel with the help of Elisabetta Gucci, daughter of designer Paolo Gucci. The Elisabetta Gucci website also states the hotel will offer 24-hour room service, a cigar club, a spa, fitness center and pool.

According to reports, Gucci also plans hotels in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Oman and China.

Dubai based Emirates places $11.5 billion Airbus A380 order

by Scott Carmichael on

Dubai based Emirates just placed a whopping $11.5 billion order for 32 Airbus A380’s. This is in addition to the ten they currently own and the 48 they still have on order – which instantly makes them the largest customer of the super jumbo. Once all their orders are delivered, Emirates will operate a fleet of 90 A380’s – worth about $30 billion.

This news comes hot off the heels of the news that Airbus delivered their 30th A380 – and are well on their way to turning the plane into a huge success.

The order was placed at the Berlin Air Show where Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum signed the paperwork – $11.5 billion in paperwork.

The massive order is not only good for Emirates and Airbus – it is also a sign that the trouble aviation world may be well on its way to a full recovery.