It had been four years since she had performed in concert. To make her return to the stage, Beyoncé chose an extraordinary event: the revelation of Atlantis The Royal in Dubai. On January 21, the biggest singing star and the most luxurious new hotel complex in the world were therefore associated to offer an anthology show to an audience of celebrities and handpicked guests.
The trifle of 23 million dollars would have been allocated to Beyoncé to make this inauguration the event of the year in the Middle East. A paradoxical approach for a destination that is embarking on the path of sobriety by hosting the COP28 for the climate next December.
It must be said that since its development in the 1970s, Dubai has become the champion of compromise. Surrounded by very conservative countries, the emirate bases its attractiveness in particular on ethnic and religious tolerance. Echoing this desire for openness,
Since its development in the 1970s, Dubai has based its attractiveness on ethnic and religious tolerance. Echoing this desire for openness, the exclusively female show brought together around Beyoncé musicians from the Firdaus orchestra from twenty-three nationalities. Marked by a vibrant Hail Mary and by a provocative Naughty Girl sung in front of the members of the reigning family, this performance by the American diva ended in a pyrotechnic apotheosis, before the DJ group Swedish House Mafia took control of the party.
The star track
The seventeen restaurants and bars of Atlantis The Royal bring together more starred chefs than any other establishment in the world. The Briton Heston Blumenthal, known for his molecular cuisine, notably opened Dinner there, as well as his first bar, Resonance, whose aquarium houses some 4,000 jellyfish. The Peruvian Gaston Acurio, the Spanish-American José Andrés, the Iranian-American Ariana Bundy or the Greek Costas Spiliadis are among the virtuosos of gastronomy brought together by the complex.
On the sidelines of the evening of the 21st, culinary meetings followed one another over three days in the presence of “talents” (local and distinguished name of influencers), such as the model Kendall Jenner or the French Nabilla Vergara and Iris Mittenaere. Among these gourmet events, the “Feast of Dreams” brought together all the chefs of the Royal around live cooking giving pride of place to tricolor products, caviar and Champagne in the lead.
Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa was present on January 22 to inaugurate Nobu by the Beach, the first beach club of his famous brand co-owned with actor Robert De Niro.
An object of fantasies
New architectural emblem of Dubai, the Atlantis The Royal aims to redefine the standards of luxury hotels. Inaccessible to ordinary mortals, such a level of service is often beyond imagination. In addition to the inevitable personal butlers and bespoke bedroom accessories, the hotel offers, for example, guests of its suites the opportunity to create their own sleeping experience, choosing their pillow from a sample of shapes, textures and support.
Resulting from a collaboration between big names in architecture and design, the complex represents an investment of 1.4 billion dollars. A destination in its own right, it sits on the outer ring of the famous Palm Jumeirah.
Raised on 43 floors, its 795 rooms and suites offer breathtaking views of the Dubai Marina and the Arabian Sea. The six towers that make up the Royal are joined on the 22nd floor by a skypool 90 meters long, part of an outdoor entertainment experience called Cloud 22. Featuring private cabins with swimming pools, a swim up bar and a DJ booth, this space is the future haunt of wealthy revelers. The participants in the next COP28 will probably not set foot there. But lovers of ultra luxury, less sensitive to environmental issues, can already book.
